Paging DMax Diva

[Diesel_D]

Diva i love the pics of your truck. I've got a 02 black crew cab Dmax with a 6" lift and I'm interested in getting a new front bumper. Can you give me the manufacture or where you bought it. If you dont mind also how much $$$$ Thanks in advance.
Donovan

[DMAXDiva]

Hi Donovan!

The bumper is the "HD" series front-end replacement by Ranch Hand. You can find them at www.ranchhand.com. (http://www.ranchhand.com.) I bought mine through a wholesaler in Lubbock, Texas, and I'm really not sure if there are any dealers up your way. I do seem to remember a post awhile back about someone up in your neck of the woods that deals in these bumpers; you might try a search in Accessories for Ranch Hand and I bet you'll find it. I'd think that freight would be horrendous to have one shipped from a Texas dealer (the thing weighs over 300 lbs), so I'd try to find someone up there first.

As far as pricing goes, I bought the bumper in April of 2002, and I think I paid somewhere around 800 for it, but I had retail quotes as high as 1200 for the same bumper. I'm sure they've had another price increase this year, so I'm not sure what they'll wholesale/retail for now.

Hope that helps...

DMD

[LMorse]

Hey Diva.. Truck looks great.. How'd you get 37's on with a 6 inch lift?? I have 35's and had to trim some for those.. Do they rub at all in back of the wheelwell?? I'd appreciate the info..

[DMAXDiva]

Hi LMorse:

Back when I ran 285's I had to "zip-tie" the front inner fenderwells (especially the driver's side, rear of the wheelwell, thanks to what appears to be a routing bracket for the e-brake line)to keep from rubbing. No problem with the 37's now, thanks to that modification. The Ranch Hand on the front alleviates all of the problems with clearance with the stock front bumper/airdam too.

DMD

[Diesel_D]

Diva,
Thanks for the reply, i'll do some checking and see if i can come up with one at a reasonable price. If not i guess i'll take a ride to Texas. :D

[Maverick]

I see they have a MI dealer here:

Hoekstra Truck Equipment Company
260 36th Street Southeast
Grand Rapids, MI, 49501
Phone: 616-241-6664
Fax: 616-241-1111

http://www.hoekstratruck.com/

[Diesel_D]

Thanks Maverick i'll check it out.

[Jomar]

Diesel_D, I live about 11 miles from the Ranch Hand Factory Store. I go by there quite often. Can I help you ?


Jomar

jgmg@gvtc.com

[Diesel_D]

Jomar,
Thanks, first i'd like to know how much $$$, before i get too excited. As Diva mentioned its a heavy sucka so shipping might be too expensive to make it worthwile. Unless there's a dealer in MI. If you stop in you could help answer a few of my questions, and maybe pic one up for yourself. :D
Maverick mentioned a Michigan dealer but when i logged on to their website i couldnt find any ranch hand products, so maybe i call them today.
Thanks everyone for all the help. I almost forgot to mention how much i love this truck. :D :cool:

[Jomar]

Diesel-D,I went by the Ranch Hand store today and the bumper you are looking for costs $899. They have really gone up on their prices since the new owners took over. Hopes this helps you decide what to do.


Jomar

[DMAXDiva]

Hey Jomar:

Who took over Ranch Hand? I had no idea they'd been bought out...I'd heard they'd expanded operations and had gone totally robotic on the assembly line last year...guess they were ramping up for the right buyer, eh?

DMD

[Jomar]

DMAXDiva, I can`t remember the name of the guys that bought Ranch Hand, but I was told by an employee they also make a lot of the shopping carts that Walmart and other retailers use. The manuf. plant was over here near Boerne until it sold and now I think it`s in San Marcos are New Braunfels. I tried to go thru their plant over here one time but due to all the welding they couldn`t allow it. I can find out the name of the people if you would like me to. The price for a regular grille guard in yr. 2000 was about $270 installed. It`s now about $430. By the way, they do sell blems that don`t meet quality control and it`s hard to find anything wrong with them. Some people buy the blems and have them covered with that spray on bedliner material. My son did that and it looks pretty good to.


Jomar

[TEXASTOUGHDMAX]

Ranch Hand was bought out by Kaspar Wire Works of Shiner, Texas about 4 years ago. Shiner is located about 1/2 way between San Antonio and Houston on US HWY 90A (I live about 12 miles from Shiner). Kaspar was one of the first manufacturers of newspaper racks and the coin mechanisms that operate them. They have been is business since 1898. They also offer Electroplating and Die and Tool design and machining.

Their website lists a dealer in Grand Rapids called Hoekstra Truck Equipment Company.

Kaspar has made several improvements on the Ranch Hand equipment since aquiring the business. The most notable being a higher quality paint. The older grill guards would start to oxidize within a few years.

Incidently, Shiner is also home to Spoetzl Brewery, makers of Shiner Bock and Shiner Blonde beer.

Just called my local Ranch Hand dealer and he told me $799 installed.

[ 07-22-2003, 02:13 PM: Message edited by: TEXASTOUGHDMAX ]

[DMAXDiva]

Thanks for the info...a very interesting turn of events!

By the way, if I may offer a bit of advice to any of you guys that either have a RH or are considering one: do NOT mount offroad lights to the mesh grille like I did (FOOL! :rolleyes: )...

I bolted the set of Hella Black Magics directly to the mesh, figuring that since these lights are not all that heavy, I shouldn't have any problems....WRONG. Just this week, both lamps broke off the mesh, taking a chunk with each...DANGIT! Yep, the vibration had weakened the metal to the breaking point, and rust has already set in as well. Sheesh...live and learn...both lights are temporarily zip-tied to the grille (best thing since bailing wire!), and I guess I'll try to locate some sort of large-diameter flat washer to re-install them back on the mesh (that's the best mounting point for them on my truck). Lesson learned! ;)

DMD