I love this bumper. What did you do about the airbag? Is it still hooked up?

 

I did not touch anything to do with the airbag or sensors for this installation. The airbag function should be unchanged.

 

I like the RA Bumper/brush guard but I'm concerned about how much payload capacity I would loose. What is the weight difference between the RA Bumper and the OEM parts that are removed?

 

Not that much, the stuff I pulled off weighs probably around 60lbs, the RA bumper is somewhere between 150 and 200lbs. Then winches usually range between 50 and 100lbs.

Payload is usually determined by your vehicles suspension, you can crank the bolts on the torsion keys to make up for any sag it may cause due to the extra weight on the front and theoretically you don't loose any payload ability.

I also suspect the off-road adventure package has a higher payload than the standard model because of the upgraded suspension. I was able to load 7000lbs of gravel into my truck this summer without overloading the suspenion.

Interestingly enough if you have a look at the GM specifications the manaul transmission with the 5cylinder has the largest rated payload... because the manual is lighter than the automatic & also engine is lighter than the alpha.

Towing on the other hand clearly goes to the Alpha.

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sugarphreak

Payload is usually determined by your vehicles suspension, you can crank the bolts on the torsion keys to make up for any sag it may cause due to the extra weight on the front and theoretically you don't loose any payload ability.

I respectfully disagree! Payload capacity is determined by axels, bearings, suspension, tires, frame strength and stiffness, amoung many other things which is why the consumer needs to rely on the manufacturer's recommendations. I'm a mechanical engineer and I know that to accurately determine the payload capacity I would need to analize every load carring component and determine the weakest link before I could determine the load carrying capacity of the vehicle. The manufacturer's maximum "recommended" payload weight for the vehicle is the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) on the sticker inside the door jam minus the curb weight. My H3T alpha GVWR is 6100 lbs and the curb weight for the Alpha is 5069 lbs. Therefore, maximum "recommended" payload weight for the H3T Alpha is 1031 lbs according to my calculator. It should be noted that curb weight is defined as the stock vehicle plus fluids but without passengers or driver. Since I weigh 210 lbs my remaining payload weight is 821 lbs.

There is also a maximum listed weight for the front and rear axels. My GAWR FRT is 3280 lbs and GAWR RR is 3400 lbs. The front and rear axel curd weights are 2535 lbs, so the front axel capacity is 745 and the rear is 865.

As an engineer, I know the GVWR can be exceeded by 0% to 20% depending on the vehicle without compromising the integrity or safety of the vehicle, but ideally I would prefer to stay within the GVWR recommended by Hummer. Insurance companies CAN use an overweight condition as a reason to deny coverage, however this rarely happens on private vehicles (as opposed to commercial vehicles) except for grossly overloaded vehicles.

I contacted Road Armor and they told me that the bumper was 130 lbs and with the integrated brush guard it was 200 lbs. Assuming that you remove 60 lbs when you remove the stock components that means that the RA bumper with brush guard is adding 140 lbs to the front of the vehicle which reduces the payload capacity directly and increases the front axel loading by >140 lbs (since it is forward of the front axel slightly more that 100% of the weight goes on the front axel and the rear axle load is decreased slightly). Therefore my remaining payload capacity would be 780 lbs and when I get a recovery winch it will go even lower. In addition, overhung weight or weight outside the axels has a more detrimental affect on handling.

If I lived in an area where I had a high probability of running into big game or livestock or I needed to drive through a lot of brush to get to my destination, I would consider the 140 lbs bumper weight increase a necessity. However, since I haven't hit any game or livestock in 30 years of driving in California and there isn't very much brush in the desert, I think I'll try and find a lighter weight alternative for the front bumper / brush guard upgrade.

By the way, I asked RA if they made their bumper out of Aluminum instead of steel, but they don't. I think an Aluminum bumper would be preferable. Obviously it would not be as stout as the steel bumper however if the material thickness were the same it would weigh 75 lbs instead of 200 lbs and the weight increase over stock would only be 15 lbs. I would like a polished aluminum finish since there would be nothing to scratch off and you could always grind and re-polish is necessary.

 

Engineers, lol

(I am a design lead at an EPC firm, I can say that )

As far as the weight goes for the bumper, I was able to lift it on my own off the jack and onto the truck so I don't think it was 200lbs... I would peg it closer to 150, but admittedly I didn't put it on a scale. If RA says it weighs 200lbs, it probably is close.

One quick note: I just noticed I stated above that I put 7000lbs of gravel into the truck; I actually meant the weight of the truck was 7000lbs coming out on the scale... it was 5300lbs going in... so 1700lbs of gravel. Well over the rated capacity, but the suspenion still had lots of capacity left and it handled fine.

It is common knowledge that GM used to just bump up the suspension and brakes in the old 2-ton trucks like the Scottsdale. The rest of the components remained the same. That is why I am saying that with the off-road stiffer suspension you are likely to be able to take more capacity than you would with standard suspension... off the record of course, GM would never encourage you to go over the specified limit.

Cranking the torsion bars on the front a touch to return to stock ride height after installing a heavier front bumper would easily correct your payload capacity IMO. My feeling is the suspenion is the weakest link for payload on this truck, not the brakes.

My initial post still stands regarding engine size, this is from the GM website... the 3.7L has a larger payload capacity as I was mentioning above. Being that the 5spd is lighter than the automatic I can only assume it has a slightly higher payload still.

Payload, base (kg / lb.):
521 / 1120 (3.7L)
460 / 1050 (5.3L)

 

Would that be Evangelical Presbyterian Church, Earnings Per Click, Electronic Power Conditioner or Embedded Personal Computer?

I glad you clarified that. 7000 lbs would only be 900 lbs over the GVWR or about 15%. I think the H3T could easily handel that especially on the road. Off road I'd be concerned, but on road sounds OK.

I still say since I don't need a cow catcher, I don't want to add the extra weight up front. However if I ever hit a deer I may regret my decision.

 

I really don't feel any changes with the new bumper, it is like having another passenger in the vehicle; sure in a small economy car you might feel it but not when you have a larger more powerful vehicle.

You are lucky you just have to worry about deer, up here we have a lots of Moose... I want to say Mooses... but I know that sounds wrong, lol.

EPC = Engineering / Procurement / Construction... You know, like SNC Lavalin, Bechtel, Jacobs, Ove Arup?

 

I'm sure your right. Even though the 140 lbs of weight increase is overhung it is only a 2.3% increase relative to GVWR. You won't be able to tell the difference without test equipment.

If I had to worry about hitting Moose or cattle I'd be getting the Road Armor too. I once drove a roller coaster road in Utah after dark that had cattle on the road. I drove slow until an Expedition passed me and then I followed about a 1/4 mile behind him. I told my wife he was my cow catcher. That Expedition hit his breaks frequently! That was one of the few times I preferred to be a follower!

Have you picked a winch yet? I'd recommend a synthetic winch line to keep the weight down.

O' that ECP. I work for a Defense Contractor and we build Electro Optical Surveillance and Targeting Systems.

 

I'm sure your right. Even though the 140 lbs of weight increase is overhung it is only a 2.3% increase relative to GVWR. You won't be able to tell the difference without test equipment.

If I had to worry about hitting Moose or cattle I'd be getting the Road Armor too. I once drove a roller coaster road in Utah after dark that had cattle on the road. I drove slow until an Expedition passed me and then I followed about a 1/4 mile behind him. I told my wife he was my cow catcher. That Expedition hit his breaks frequently! That was one of the few times I preferred to be a follower!

Have you picked a Winch yet? I'd recommend a synthetic winch line to keep the weight down.

O' that ECP. I work for a Defense Contractor and we build Electro Optical Surveillance and Targeting Systems.