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- Features
- They come In all sizes and designs
- They are made in many different materials
- Some have tool boxes built into them
- Others are used for air tanks to inflate tires etc.
- Some have custom hitch receivers or recovery hooks
- And there are as may designs as uses
I could not tell you or find any origins where they got their start. I did find references to them back before dirt was a baby and my guess is the origin has to do with fishing and or merchant boats or ships. Custom bumpers were used as protectors for the hulls of the vessels against the docks. These bumpers were made from things such as woven hemp that was woven into a thick pad that would absorb the abrasion or "bumping" of the vessel instead of the hull taking the abuse and therefore avoiding costly repairs. Other custom materials for bumpers included softer wood than the hull was made of, or custom bumpers made from animal skins filled with various cushion type materials. These type of custom bumpers were adequate for the times. Now the maritime industry has the latest and greatest type of custom bumpers made from polymers, plastics, and many other great materials that are very strong and the bumpers are resistant to the harsh maritime elements.
Long before there were autos or even Ford F150 trucks for that matter there were custom bumpers on things such as Trains, "cow catcher" type of bumpers that was there to nudge the the animals, things like buffalo, deer. or any other type of critter that might be as so unlucky to be standing on the tracks when the train came by. These type of custom bumpers were made from the materials at hand. The first railroad bumpers were of wood, actual rail ties that supported the steel rails. These custom bumpers were good until the engines started to get more powerful and the speeds increased. They realized that they had to have a stronger custom bumpers so the again turned to the materials at hand, this time they built the custom bumpers from the actual steel rails that the trains ran on, these custom bumpers fit the bill perfectly. They continued to use these types of custom bumpers until the advent of the diesel electric trains and better animal control along the rail lines now you very rarely see these types of custom bumpers being used at all.
Now days we all have bumpers on our cars but gone are the days when we were all proud of our custom bumper, that huge piece of steel hanging from the front of my dads old "56" Buick Road master car. The front bumpers on that beast had to weigh in at over 200 pounds. Now these were custom bumpers, all heavy gauge steel with a ton of chrome, it took two men and boy to put that baby on but it was sure pretty. The custom bumpers on to days cars are a engineering masterpiece these custom bumpers are designed to absorb energy in the event of a collision and the custom bumpers are supposed to protect the passengers and the car against major damage. They are meant as "throw away" bumpers but they are expensive to replace and most of these modern bumpers are made of polymers and plastics.
Bumpers for the F150's in the earlier years was thick chrome or painted steel. Some of the new ford F150 custom bumpers are made from polymers or plastic and come in a variety of shapes and sizes, these ford bumpers are custom or OEM style depending on what you want. The Real custom bumpers are made of heavy steel and can be chromed, powder coated or stainless steel, polished or brushed, custom bumpers are made in so many designs They can be factory made custom bumpers or custom home made. Custom bumpers are made for every need you can imagine. You can get your Ford custom bumpers right here at F150Mania.com and get some great customer service too.
Thank you, DEAN
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