I'm not going to explain the whole physics behind it but this might make sure that your truck is intact, but it might cause YOU serious injury if you get into an accident...

The thing that kills you is something called "Jerk" which is basically the acceleration of the acceleration, extreme negative Jerk is what causes massive internal injury.

That is why even F1 race cars have to have front end crumple zones... Those zones allow the car to change it's acceleration gradually instead of instantaneously, that is what saves the drivers life.

SO, in short what you have done is turned your truck into a 1.5-2 ton heap of metal that will most certainly seriously injure if not kill the person you hit as well as turn your gradual deceleration into the equivalent of hitting the pavement from upwards of 3 stories high...

Oh and if there is ever an accident investigation you can bet that if someone died from you hitting them (even if it was their fault) you can expect a MAJOR lawsuit for "bypassing" safety measures on your vehicle... There is a reason that automotive manufacturers make cars crumple instead of stay ridged... I hate to be on the road with people that do this type of crap.. sorry bro no offense but that kind of crap really pisses me off...

Also looks like a MIG welder was used, hard to tell from pictures, so it isn't as strong as if a TIG welder or Stick Welder was used, as those welds most likely wouldn't hold under force....

 

I agree with Izero with most everything he said..but mig welds can be just as strong as tig or stick welds. Most of the wire used has a tensile strength of 70000 psi and is stronger than the base metal being welded. The problem comes in when someone uses a welder with too little power or doesn't have the skills to produce sound welds. For an offroad truck a little protection for the underside of the truck is good but like he said it can be bad if someone gets hurt or killed because the energy cannot be dissapated in a "controlled" amount of time.

 

Sorry to rain on your parade, but a survival vehicle will have full time 4WD and a solid axle.

 

Doesn't matter unless he has a $4000+ MIG welder those welds aren't going to be strong enough.... and even then it's still sketchy b/c MIG welders don't always penetrate through the seam of the two parent metals... That is why you see double (or higher) TIG welds on structural members...

 

This sounds kinda harsh, If your worried about a 1/2 truck and its crumple zones then I don't think you should drive on any road next to a 80,000 pound 18-wheeler with a 3000 pound engine on the front. Im sure your crumple zones are useless then.

 

All the welds are not by me, I fabricate, I don't weld however. We used a MIG welder with the second biggest wire I believe. All the welds are doubled.

Really though, the negativity is just crushing.

@dodgedude, we have a 2005 and a 2012 2500 SFA 4WD Cummins, both lifted as well. I respect your opinion, but I personally like IFS better do to the strength and ability it has shown me when I leave my brothers 7.5 inch lifted cummins (on 37" Toyo open countries) behind me in trails. The only weakness are the CV axles. Luckily enough, there are enough Rams on the road that when the "zombies" come or whatever, I can pick up a few extras.

@Izero: If you don't like it, don't drive on the road in the North East. There are plenty of public transportation vehicles you may take, some of which will crush my truck easily. Also, while you're ranting you can also say the same to anyone who has any bull bar, brush guard, plow, plow mount, v-plow, light bar, road armor or similar bumper replacement. Or anybody who gets T boned and the driver of the car that hit him got hurt, you can go into the same lawsuit for having that bed bar on your truck, any type of nerf bars, and if you want to get technical, aftermarket fender flares too. While you're at it, sue anybody you rear-end that has an aftermarket tow hitch or receiver, or a new rear bumper, or tire carrier, or rear runner. They all alter the vehicles original damage points or integrity. You make invalid points. For the record, my truck weighs 6,280lbs pre-bumper supports, I haven't weighed it yet.

 

Erm, and hubs, and ball joints, and steering racks.

And the reason you leave your brothers Cummins behind on the trails is because, um, it's a Cummins. It's not a trail rig, number 1, number 2, it's larger and heavier.

I am not looking for a fight, I am just pointing out facts.

 

I like it. Screw everyone else

 

Actually it Is a trail rig, one the makes over 100 more horsepower, and god knows how much more torque. I only have about 1,000 pound on him at this point

And thank you Stewie!

 

i'm with ya on this one kasper! good work! i hate the crumple zones, on my 2nd gen i plated and reenforced the frame up front with a big runell bumper... one night having a too much fun on a rain slicked, dirt (mud) road i ran down a 4'' steel pole full of concrete with a very large cement base at about 40 mph, the pole was about hood high, it bent the pole and completely tore it outa the ground, while launching my 8000+ lb truck in the air, with nothing more than a small scratch on the bumper,(hit on the passenger corner) my cousin with an identical but stock truck did about a 5-10 mph slide in the mud into a small tree on his passenger corner, took out his, fender, bumper, headlight, bent the farme a little, and some steering damage, the way i see it, if mine was stock, it probably would have tore the whole side of the truck off, probably would have totaled it....