Steel & Aluminum Plate Vs. Steel Plate & Tube
Adding a new bumper to your truck offers many benefits, both in performance and aesthetics. There are plenty of options to choose from. Full width bumpers, which replace nearly the entire OEM bumper, are typically the most desirable as they offer the most clearance and function. Not only do they improve approach angle, but they also give you a spot to mount a winch and auxiliary lights.
However, adding armor to your truck can have some downsides. The main one is typically weight. And being conscious of weight is super important, since it can be easy to overload your truck and GVWR. Saving weight wherever you can is super important. But at the same time, you don’t want to sacrifice performance.
The word “hybrid” has become somewhat of a marketing term, so I wanted to go over the topic and provide some insight.
What Are They?
There are really only two hybrid options. One is something like the Backwoods Adventure Mods design which uses a combination of a steel winch cradle with an aluminum shell. The other option is a combination of plate and tube, something that has been popularized in recent years.
Let’s break down the differences to better understand what will work best for you. Each material choice and option has its pros and cons.
Aluminum & Steel Design
This design is a combination of two materials. Aluminum and steel. Backwoods is a standout option that adds strength and weight savings in one with two piece construction.
The core of a design like this one is the burly steel winch cradle. This heavily reinforced cradle gives you a super strong core that easily supports a winch. The shell is built from aluminum and weighs around 25-30 lbs., depending on the bull bar configuration.
This design keeps strength where you really need it, with reinforced steel impact/recovery zones. The aluminum part is corrosion resistance and saves weight in less critical spots. The whole package provides a great balance of form and function, making it an ideal choice for daily drivers and those in more corrosive environments. Rugged, yet sleek.
This is what I currently run on my truck, after I previously ran a plate/tube hybrid for a couple of years.
Plate & Tube Design
Before I ran the Backwoods setup, I had a (now discontinued) RRW bumper. This design keeps the standard steel center portion and has steel tube outer sections. It became a top selling design over the years as an alternative to the traditional plate bumper which had been around forever.
This option adds the most strength and rigidity. Overall it is the heavier option but provides more protection in situations where you expect hard impacts more regularly. If you’re going to wheel really hard, this might be the better choice for you.
The situation really boils down to strength vs. weight, and how you’ll use your truck.
How To Choose
The majority of us don’t have dedicated trail rigs. In most cases, we daily our trucks during the week and try to squeeze in trips on the weekends. For the weekend warriors, a lighter weight design is more beneficial. If you need performance, but don’t want to compromise performance and daily driving comfort, this option stands out. Again, the alternative plate/tube may be better for those anticipate smashing their bumper repeatedly on the rocks.
Of course, you’ll have to consider what supporting mods you will need to do. The Backwoods bumper weighs 80 lbs. without a bull bar, and 84 lbs. with the full bull bar. Compare that to a plate/tube variant, which typically weighs around 110-130 lbs. or so. Considering the added 30-40 lbs., which may compound when you add things like aftermarket skids, winches, etc., the load capacity of your suspension needs to be factored in.
The Backwoods is so light, you’ll likely need to worry less about the weight and how it will affect your truck. Less planning around adding more preload or lift, and the difference allows you to offset total weight added to your rig.
You should also consider that the opening on the hybrid exposes more of the body and requires more lights to fill the gaps. Some people don’t like to see the empty space and if you have a lighter color truck, it will look the best if you paint the body black for a cleaner look. You’ll also want to think about the added cost of adding all those additional lights.
Why Choose Backwoods
Weight really is the main consideration. The Backwoods bumpers offer the best strength to weight ratio which can be superior for those of us trying to keep our trucks lean.
Installation is super straightforward. Like all full width bumpers, you’ll have to cut the body. With careful planning, this usually isn’t an issue. Companies like R4T offer bumper caps to make things even easier. While you usually only install a bumper once, there are times where you want to add a winch after the fact, or you simply need to do maintenance. A fully loaded plate/tube bumper will be heavier and require more effort to take on and off. The Backwoods shell is super easy to remove as its held on with 6 nuts/bolts to the cradle. At only 25-30 lbs. this is super manageable for one person.
Backwoods still gives you all the potential for adding the accessories you want, while keeping your truck lightweight. Not to mention, they typically have low lead times with many items in stock. They have also been running killer package deals that includes winches and lights.
On a final note, the hybrid element of Backwoods’ designs extends to their rear bumper as well. Here, the main portion is steel with aluminum integrated into the swing out portion. Backwoods stopped producing their swingouts a while back, but have recently brought them back due to many requests. Something to consider as you plan out your build.
Ultimately, I decided that plate bumpers are my preferred option for their sleek design that flows really well with the body of the truck. I went with the no bull bar option and added a Superwinch SX10SR and some Heretic fog lights. I also have the optional connector plate and frame reinforcement brackets.
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Review (My Experience)
After running and experiencing several options on my truck and those on friends’ trucks, I chose to run Backwoods bumpers front and rear. They did not have the swingout option when I got mine, otherwise I would have definitely run one as well.
The front bumper has been great. From the easy installation to simple shell removal, I’ve been very happy and get consistence complements on the truck. While the aluminum shell may not be as strong as steel, I haven’t had any issues with the aluminum’s strength. I’ve hit the bumper on everything from trees to rocks and it has experienced everything from hot and dry climates to wet and corrosive environments during the winter.
Everything has held up really well, with no bending or damage. Even if you were to hit a deer or get in a larger accident, which would likely cause enough damage to warrant a repair, it would be much easier to just order a new shell then replace an entire bumper. The aluminum would seem to dissipate impact forces better and rather than failing completely it should help to prevent transfer of forces to the steel core. Something to consider in the worst case.
Final Thoughts
I hope this post was helpful to better understand your options when buying a new bumper for your rig. At the end of the day you’ll have to think about all the factors and make a decision on what’s best for you.
Personally, I really appreciate the unique approach. And as I’ve grown in the hobby, I’ve realized I need to pay more attention to weight. I’ve had 3 different overland builds now and I always seemed to end up with a truck that was quickly over it’s recommended manufacturer’s capacity. With my new front bumper weighing only 80 lbs., I’ve been able to more easily justify the purchase of steel skid plates (which will see more impacts than any bumper ever will) without worrying about modifying my suspension or impacting performance.
Let me know if I missed anything, or if you have anything other questions!
