Mud, Snow, Sand, Meet Technology (Updated)

Trey Hermann’s creative impetus for starting Pronghorn Overland Gear came from his need for a bumper for a 1989 Toyota Land Cruiser. He found everything available came in steel, was ugly and very heavy. An experienced industrial designer, Hermann knew that when engineered and fabricated correctly, aluminum was a much better solution. He started designing the bumper using Cobalt™ CAD and 3D modeling software. Soon, one friend after another asked him to build one for their truck. After about the fourth, Hermann realized he had a viable business idea.

A traditional steel off-road bumper, weighing in at roughly 300 pounds (135 kilos), greatly affects the fuel economy, breaking, acceleration, handling and off-road performance of a relatively light vehicle like a 4200 pound (1900 kilo) Jeep. Reducing the weight was a major consideration for Pronghorn’s design team. He tells us:

Using Cobalt and our engineering staff we’ve been able to go in and very easily optimize the designs and remove material where we don’t need it. It’s enabled us to very easily visualize where we are over-engineering our product and to take out material where it’s simply not doing any good.

Made of optimally-engineered aluminum, the Pronghorn bumpers are not to be confused with a flimsy soda can. When aluminum is properly designed, it is strong and light just like an aircraft.

Pronghorn’s first product to market is the Modular Front End System for the Jeep JK. This is a front bumper system available in 18 different configurations. Starting with either a standard full width or stub outer bumper (preferable with large diameter tires) the options include grill guards, headlight guards, skid plate, winch mounts, rotatable shackles and other goodies. Made of 6061-T6 and 7057-T6 aluminum, the lightest Pronghorn bumpers start at only 42 pounds (19kg) and with all the options will weigh only about 98 lbs (45kg), less than half the weight of the comparable steel bumper.

The Pronghorn modular aluminum bumper system has a number of competitive advantages in addition to improved handling. The first is shipping costs. A similarly configured product in steel is six feet long and must be delivered on a pallet at around US $250. A Pronghorn Modular Front End can be sent in three boxes via Fed Ex ground for about $75 total. Another advantage is Pronghorn’s