I’m working on a DIY rear bumper for my Nissan Frontier

[@MrUltralight55]

Hey Donald, It’s your life , we all have commitments, I enjoy the DYI projects!!

[@SeanStewart88]

I think the DIY mods are essential to a good adventure channel. No problems here. Can’t wait to see how it turns out.

[@logictd567]

bro don't apologize for your content or perceived lack of content. I've learned a lot from your build videos and it has given me ideas for my future set up. Keep it up.

[@startthemachin3]

I think we all enjoy your content because it's actually obtainable and do-able for us regular folk. Not everyone can afford to put in thousands and thousands of dollars into an adventure rig. Keep up the great work.

[@Martinjaegarcia]

Yesssir! Soft Roading The West and OverlandUnderBudget! Two favorites!

[@MugOfPaul]

Hey it’s just that time of year in the PNW… we tinker with the rigs in the chill and drizzle so we can maximize Spring/Summer/Fall. Keep sharing the builds!

[@smfmotors]

Can't wait to see the finished project!! Personally I enjoy both adventures and DIY equally. I always have things in my brain that get put on paper for projects and then sit there. Seeing these types of videos gives me the motivation to get back to work on them!!

[@alanmohn4146]

DIY on a budget is how I need to work. Thanks for the ideas.

[@vazoscamon]

Donald, your DIY projects are part of the reason of interest in follow your channel, I am pretty sure you will get more trail content later, keep us update on this project! Is looking great so far.

[@Gravelbeard1]

Love the diy videos. Keep em coming. Don't let people tripping get to you, it's your channel, you're life. Great job!

[@om617yota8]

Great work! Enjoy the DIY stuff just as much as the trips, it's all part of the bigger journey. I really appreciate your budget minded, practical approach as well; not driving around in a new $100k vehicle from a sponsor every few months. Phenomenally edited, without being over edited, and I know you do all that yourself as well. Keep doing what you do sir, and thank you for taking us along. Now I'll have to pay attention to how I say roof......

[@mikepierson3097]

Looks good, Donald. Looking forward to the end result.

[@richardburguillos3118]

No disappointment here… thanks for keeping us up to date and sharing the build. Best wishes for a successful build.

[@yooperdog]

You say it correct Roof. 30 years of roofing here. Love your stuff Donald. Can't wait to see your next adventure.

[@softroadingthewest]

Haha that is NOT the usual roof comment I get LOL :-)

[@chuckrf1502]

Heck, I am disappointed that I am not out on an adventure. You be you. We will tune in.

[@johnhuff393]

Good afternoon from Godley Texas, hey Donald you gotta do what you gotta do. You have to have your rig work for you. I just enjoy coming along for the ride. Stay safe and happy travels 😎

[@JeremyP-121]

This is great. So glad you are getting a new camper solution for your truck!

[@warrenscorner]

No disappointment here. Looking forward to part 2 of the bumper build.

[@flannelshirtdad]

The adventure is possible because of the preparation. I'm interested in both. Thanks.

[@Me4ok]

Thank you Donald. Really appreciate your honesty and ingenuinity. Keep doing your stuff, to be able to go explore. It's all that matter(and the pleasure of driving... :) ). Best of wishes from Southeast Europe ...

[@milonetzler67]

Love ur vids bro. Keep up the good work.

[@frankansley7941]

That looks like it will be a nice bumper. I am always amazed at what you can make on a limited budget! You have talent. Great job. I enjoy the DYI projects. Take care!!!

[@softroadingthewest]

Thanks Frank, we'll see what happens. It may end up being a v1.0 that gets followed up with a v2.0 where I fix all the mistakes I made this time around, haha.

[@largemarge1603]

@@softroadingthewest Evolution is inevitable. On our ExpeditionVehicle, we reduced -- then eventually eliminated -- anything hanging out on the curbside of the rig. Branches and boulders assisted in the decision...

[@midnightadventureswa]

Good morning Donald. You have to do what you need to do and enjoy you being honest and sincere We all should understand keep Up the good work and take care your friend Brian

[@BroncoManiac777]

I love it all, Donald! And that workshop is so much cleaner than Jason’s!😜

[@softroadingthewest]

We'll see if I can keep it up. 😆

[@jdsmith-bl2yl]

Just like your front bumper project, this is look'in good Donald! Keep the DIY vids coming, a person can always learn something from other peoples projects!

[@Blue.Crawler]

You put out a great mix of videos. I have watched since the forester on the lava flow days and have never felt disappointed in the work that you put into your channel.

[@pnowikow]

Fabrication skills are improving. I can't wait to see what the next upgrade is

[@pixelshark6809]

New video! 🙌 Excited! 😆

[@metaxaanabeer]

I would watch you weeding a flower bed as long as you were imparting life lessons as you do. Do not allow the complainers to wear you down! I follow few RV/camping/exploring creators but those I do all combine a bit of this, a bit of that. From She to Me, Playing with Sticks, Destination Adventure, Slim Potatohead and you...all bring something each and every video. Keep on keeping on, eh?

[@softroadingthewest]

Thank you, that is truly appreciated. 🙂 I try to let negative stuff roll off, but sometimes the sheer gall of people griping about content they watch for free just grates on me, LOL. It's dumb, but those are always the comments I remember. 😏

[@largemarge1603]

@@softroadingthewest "Your opinion of me is none of my business." I learned this from Stan Dale, founder of Human Awareness Institute ('HAI'). . "If you are easily offended, you are easily manipulated." I saw this meme, and printed it on quality stock... then burned it in a celebration of moving on. Weird, eh?

[@darrengray2309]

Good content I enjoy your build videos as they are not the usual ones where it has to be a name brand accessory.

[@nevv8581]

Great job, I like it! Thanks for sharing.

[@BackroadExploration]

I love the DIY projects. Excited for the future!

[@ChrisZBr0wn]

Coming along nicely! Your welds just keep getting better! Awesome progress and I’m looking forward to what you have in the future :)

[@softroadingthewest]

oof, thank you, but don't look too close, a lot of it is pretty ugly. Of course I ended up laying down some relatively nice beads I was super happy with on parts that will be completely invisible once the bumper is mounted. 😆

[@ChrisZBr0wn]

@@softroadingthewest Your prettiest welds will ALWAYS be buried somewhere and whatever is a super obvious place will have some defect. It happens!

[@oddballcreations2491]

Need to do the same on my frontier though it’s a later in the summer sort of project for me but I do need to relocate my hitch sense I do use it from time to time . Keep up the great content

[@BuccaneerOverland]

That looks awesome! Can’t wait to see the final product. Really enjoy your channel. Greetings from Florida

[@softroadingthewest]

Thanks for watching!

[@thomasquigley7040]

Looking forward to the evolution of your rig.

[@TACTICALNOMAD]

@softroadingthewest, personally, I like the DIY mixed in with the adventures. It's looking good. Looking forward to seeing what's next for the bed/camper, and looking forward to seeing the bumper finished. Keep up the great work! 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼

[@tomlauritzen9522]

We all have time off for building and life...... no problem keep up the great channel.

[@pawadventures5544]

The bumper is looking good.👍🏻

[@kevintrevors3921]

Building the truck out is part of camping in the truck. It’s all interesting. Keep the build videos coming ,it looks good !

[@LivingtheSmallTownLife]

Dogs say "ruff", people say "roof"! That's what I grew up hearing from my mom :) In Arizona, we drop "t" sounds from most words...so we aren't any better - "I'm headed to the moun-uns to camp this weekend" I'm excited to see the next phase of the Frontier build!

[@taco472]

I don’t know, for not being a ‘bumper build’ or DIY NISSAN Bumper video you showed a pretty straight forward and simple way to get to a utility bumper on a Nissan Frontier. Lots of good ‘idee-ers’ right there. I’ve said it before but when you learned to weld I knew you were off to the races. 👍

[@ryanb2182]

I look forward to the DIY videos just as much as the exploration videos. Something you might consider as you build your bumper is adding a second swing arm later on down the road as things evolve. It looks like you’ve left yourself enough on the drivers side to add one should your needs change. I’m looking forward to seeing whatever comes next. Maybe a pop up?

[@softroadingthewest]

Well the plan here is to build a full-width swingout. It will latch on the far opposite side. I quickly mocked up the fuel, propane and shovel while shooting this video but I also plan to incorporate some way to carry trash (as I have no rear-mounted spare tire for a trasheroo) and possibly a receptacle for some firewood. I have a buddy who fabbed a clever collapsing firewood basket on his swingout that I might try to replicate. What's coming next will be revealed soon. After my previous camper deal that didn't work out, I'm not taking any chances jinxing anything. 😆

[@blackpearlvoyager4174]

As much as I love watching your adventures, I do a lot of my own adventures, some of them based on your exploits by the way. When it comes to your DIY stuff I watch every episode. I do my own lifts and mods but I really enjoy watching you do whatever it takes and learn whatever you need to do on an overland rig that you can really call your own! Respects🤙🏼

[@donaldgerig9515]

Love your videos. Keep up the good work (as your time allows). Great to see what is possible (with your skills) when working and on a budget. Greetings from the "other" Don from Eugene......

[@softroadingthewest]

Thanks Don!

[@mycbtech]

I have a 2013 Pro4x and I did this same build as you are doing here but made my own brackets and ended up doing a duel swing out. Super solid build and has taken a fair amount of abuse.

[@softroadingthewest]

Awesome. What are you carrying on your swing arms?

[@mycbtech]

@@softroadingthewest spare tire and Jerry can holder. I uploaded a video to show kzbin.info/www/bejne/ppCWp42Ph6mBjc0

[@softroadingthewest]

@@mycbtech So sorry, I missed this reply! Just watched your video of your rear bumper. Really nice work, it looks great. Good point about getting around the full length of the single arm swingout in camp, I didn't really take that into consideration. That said, my setup is very driver-side oriented, with my fridge & small-item storage in the back seat driver side, cargo access to my (coming soon) new camper located on the driver side, eventual awning to be mounted driver side...once camp is set I *theoretically* don't have to access passenger side very often. I guess I'll see how that goes though. Based on some errors I've already made, I think this will likely end up being a v1 bumper that eventually gets replaced with a V2 bumper after I've seen and lived with all the additional errors I've yet to make, LOL. The jerry can holder is really nice. What secures the cans in place? Thanks again, this was awesome to see, very nice work!

[@utahjohnnymontana3373]

Donald, if you're putting a shell with a long cab-over section like the AT or Vagabond have someone check the bed of the truck. I put a Summit on my Frontier and partly due to how low it sits and partly due to a very flexy bed I'm getting way more vertical movement than I'd like. (Read: enough movement that the cabover hits the fin antenna). At this point I need to find someone who can determine whether the flex is in the cabover, the bed/bed mounts, or the frame. Get whatever reinforcements you can ahead of time.

[@largemarge1603]

@Ut, This reminds me of EarthRoamer built on the Ram 5500 foundation. Apparently, after several frame failures, EarthRoamer engineered a weld-in reinforcement.

[@Dutch1951x]

Great video! Getting ready to build one for my Bronco!

[@johndiaz7240]

Do what you need to do ,we’ll watch .

[@IcyReaper]

BTW, thanks for the vid, been jonesing for one. Going a bit stir crazy in winter. Want to get out and about again😆

[@subaruforester5062]

I smell a ruff top tent coming in the future!!

[@jenb.6440]

Thank you for the update; we've missed hearing from you!

[@bullzy5490]

Excellent stuff Donald. Keep the DIY stuff coming!

[@subaruforester5062]

Love the cut aways of Jason lmao "ruff"

[@waltsimonson2556]

Can't wait till your out and about , nice bumper .

[@asgamon9670]

Always exciting to see you uploaded looks good man!

[@IcyReaper]

Think putting a swing arm on the back is a great idea. But, since your talking heavy steel, have you talked to the all dogs guys about the extra weight on the back and if your current setup has an allowance for extra weight. Not sure what your plan is for another bed topper also. So you may have to add leaf springs or heavier ones. You know there are swing arms that fit into the trailer receiver so you can remove them when not needed?

[@softroadingthewest]

I actually meant to address this in the video and completely spaced it. My Alldogs parabolic rear springs are designed specifically for full-time load. They are waaaay underloaded currently, in fact even with my previous build fully loaded for a weeklong trip, I still didn't have enough weight in the rear and the truck was running raked. The new camp setup coming on the truck is ultra-light, and I've designed my bumper to be lighter than most swing-out bumpers. The removal of the stock bumper and removal of the aftermarket trailer hitch also sheds a very sizable chunk of weight. Based on my experience with this suspension and various loads I've run on it, I'm not worried at all about weight, in fact I'm hoping the end result is heavier than my previous build. 🙂 I'm not a fan of hitch mounted swing outs. The hitch is already a departure angle issue I'm constantly snagging. Part of the goal here is to improve that by eliminating that trailer hitch. In any case, commercially available hitch mount swing arms are generally set up for carrying a spare tire, which is not what I'm doing. What I'm building is overall going to be WAY less weight fully loaded than what the average overlander throws on the back of their rig.

[@scottymac5174]

That extra weight you plan on carrying... It could mean a rear suspension upgrade to handle it. I have a hitch carrier that I use for a small dual sport motorcycle. I needed to modify my 04 Tundra and added a set of rear airbags. About 350 extra lbs. with the MC carrier on. The airbag mod was cheap and simple.

[@softroadingthewest]

@@scottymac5174 I have a rear suspension upgrade. I'm currently running at what is effectively negative payload or whatever. I actually need more weight on the truck for it to ride properly. The new bumper I'm building is nonetheless relatively lightweight for what it is and is largely offset by weight I am removing. 🙂

[@scottymac5174]

@@softroadingthewest Right now zero bed weight...

[@scottymac5174]

Hitch weight/rear bumper weight. Extended over your rear axle.

[@bruceyyyyy]

I'm working on my second version of DIY bumper myself. I've got something wild planned for it that as far as I can tell hasn't been done.

[@softroadingthewest]

Oooh I look forward to seeing that. I should have credited you as well as a source of DIY welding inspiration, it was originally you and that used welder you bought that first got me thinking maybe I could actually do it too.

[@bruceyyyyy]

@@softroadingthewest Fun story. I traded a VEPR 12 for that Welder. I think I got ripped off.

[@softroadingthewest]

@@bruceyyyyy Oohhhh that's right!! LOLOL

[@sagebrushbob2321]

Just finished up the electrical on the Taco for now. Next will be an expedition Essentials steel dash mount for my cameras and navigation aids. After that will be a set of rock sliders. Now that winter seems to be slacking off the builds will go faster, I hope. 👍

[@softroadingthewest]

Nice!

[@prestonvilla3837]

Love your videos, each and everyone of them. I’ve been watching for quite some time now and i always look forward to your content.

[@brianadventures9622]

Love it, the swing arm is a great idea!

[@ethanoltean]

Love the context as always, thanks for the inspiration.

[@swidahooverlanding2867]

Looking good! I will be doing something similar for my XJ this spring. I purchased a DIY winch bumper for the front for Christmas. Lots of welding going on for sure. Thanks for sharing! George.

[@softroadingthewest]

Nice, looking forward to seeing your bumper builds! Thanks George!

[@kensterling8628]

just an idea, the hitch might be worth keeping on the truck. it's another connection point on the frame that increase rigidity. it is also good for rear collisions.

[@davezuber521]

Hey Donald, good start to the swinger. Don't be surprised when that wiggles when going down the road. Square/Rect tube is not very rigid when twisted. Add another brace from that end angling to the truck frame to firm it up. I'm a retired engineer with a metal shop near you if you want help, my last name plus dog gee mail

[@softroadingthewest]

Good to know. It *seems* so solid, LOL. 🙂 An extra brace angled in there would be simple to incorporate - great idea, thank you!

[@largemarge1603]

@@softroadingthewest Triangulate. The alternative for increasing stiffness is adding curves... similar to the factory bumper. I think a couple-three braces would be my direction.

[@mtnbound2764]

nice bumper build! ok so in regards to the truck build in general, I have 2 guesses: ruf top tent on top of a raised bed rack, or some sort of drop/ slide in camper with front overhang.

[@stevevick9946]

Nice bumper. That’s gonna be nice having all that lower to access

[@IcyReaper]

That new topper needs to be one of the AT Overlands, they are sweet. Talk nice to them about an atlas and how"Soft Roading The West Nation" wants you to have one.

[@mitchkman]

Aw shoot! I‘m working on the same exact thing for my frontier right now. Nice project, love your truck.

[@softroadingthewest]

You should definitely ping me when you're done. Are you making a video? I'd love to see what you end up doing.

[@mitchkman]

@@softroadingthewest Good idea! I should start posting some more videos again. I went with a 1/4“ 2x6 because I want do weld a hitch receiver into the tube. But I think the weight turns out a bit too heavy.

[@jdm8099]

Good idea using the factory bumper as a jig, its how i did a tube bumper on my last truck! I am curious what you end up doing for a plate light, and if you do a backup camera!

[@softroadingthewest]

I'm going to try to use the factory plate lights somehow. I haven't totally figured that out, it's one of those bridges I'm going to need to cross when I get there. 😆 I already have a rear-facing camera that is part of my dashcam system and which displays on a screen mounted on my interior rearview mirror (video about it: kzbin.info/www/bejne/hJisZWebprV3mLM ). I will figure out how/where that will mount after my new camping solution is in place on the truck. 🙂

[@GrizzlyPath]

I like the DIY stuff the most!

[@kennb.3389]

Thanks for the video. Looking forward to your next. Sounds like a wedge camper in the future?. Best of luck.

[@softroadingthewest]

Definitely something extending over the cab in the future. 🙂

[@drewolm]

I like the build videos. Good stuff

[@johndej]

Looks good! I like these videos too.

[@prolificnorthwest]

Love it! Nice work!

[@diypunx]

So what brand of canopy camper are you going with? I decided to try the upcoming Lone Peak wedge canopy camper, they definitely had the best price at $5k

[@softroadingthewest]

If I was ready to reveal what's going on the back of the truck, I would have mentioned it in the video. 🙂 But I'll be sharing it very soon. 👍

[@IronmanV5]

Looks nice

[@louiskudlak2256]

Hey great content buddy, looking good, it's good to do other videos, no need to apologise buddy,

[@nawaf50200]

A question, my friend, when will the vehicle be displayed in other countries? because this creativity must spread around the world, especially since it is from Nissan

[@oglanceparsons]

Great welder.. I have the 251Si.. Better then Lincoln all day, and I feel its better then Miller as well.

[@om617yota8]

I have the 211Si. Five years and hundreds of pounds of wire through it, and the only thing Miller or Lincoln would have done better for me is making my wallet lighter.

[@kencon74]

Love your channel Donald but I’m a lifelong Oregonian and definitely say roof like goof. But I do hear a mix with the way you say it too. 😏

[@softroadingthewest]

Imposter!! 😂

[@larryr.burfield1893]

Love the quality of your programs! Question: How much is mileage hurt by off road travel, compared to highway mileage?

[@softroadingthewest]

It depends. Sometimes you can cruise at 30 mph down a nicely groomed gravel road and get decent mileage. But most of the time, I would expect your mileage to drop similarly to stop & go driving in town. About a 5mpg loss for my truck.

[@black_widow_overland]

Great content. Love all your videos. Getting a wedge topper? 😬.

[@randy_qwardjr]

Looking good! Clearing the top? Are you going to go with a GFC topper?

[@softroadingthewest]

If I was ready to reveal what's going on the back of the truck, I would have mentioned it in the video. 🙂 But I'll be sharing it very soon. 👍

[@richardplunk3910]

keep doing what your doing,👍🍺

[@agamemnom]

wondering if you could use that hollow bumper as storage? :)

[@softroadingthewest]

Maybe, but it's a pretty small space, and the tongues for the recovery points pass through and cut off access to the central portion. Some people use tube bumpers like this as an air tank in conjunction with their compressor, but I definitely would not trust my fabrication to stand up to any amount of PSI or even be truly airtight at all. I've gotta try to make it completely sealed so water doesn't get inside, but I think it's gonna just barely keep water out. 😆

[@largemarge1603]

a -- 10:35 Would you consider adding an ear each side of -- and below -- each eyelet to protect them from scrapes? . b -- I asked the dogs about the pronunciation. Definitely 'roof!'.

[@e.c.8668]

Good stuff.

[@timewithtofu]

What’s the thickness of the wall of the metal for the rear bumper? I’m looking to do something similar. Thanks!

[@softroadingthewest]

I used 1/8" thick 3"x5" tube for the bumper base. Almost two years later, it has held up just fine including supporting the swing arm I eventually built onto it.

[@softroadingthewest]

(I did add some extra reinforcement inside and out surrounding the hinge area of my swing arm just to be safe; if you poke around in my final build vlog for the whole bumper you can see what I did: kzbin.info/www/bejne/pX3ch5WlgdF5hdE )

[@timewithtofu]

@@softroadingthewest thanks, Donald! Happy new year

[@timewithtofu]

@@softroadingthewest okay great, that’s the size I was considering

[@justinlucero6652]

I like your build diy and adventure too oh idea for you Donald put some back up lights on to your new metal bumper so u can see out when backing out or alternative put white lights " fog lights " onto the new bumper for when ur out doing prep dinner u can light up the back part at night time and idea

[@softroadingthewest]

I will be mounting small LED backup lights below the bumper. It's such a headache to cut a clean, accurate hole in the steel tube and keep the whole thing watertight that I decided not to even try embedding lights in bumper itself. 🙂 I will weld on mounting points like I did on my front bumper.

[@Apcrawler]

Morning, I do enjoy your watching your videos. I’m starting to armor my 2017 frontier and I just purchased Asfir skids after seeing them on your rig and All Dogs Off-road, I’d never heard of them before. What’s your opinion on them this far? Just wondering and how is it doing the oil filter change with them? Also like seeing the height difference with stock rear bumper vs your new one and how low the hitch sits. I tow quite often but definitely like the clearance without it. Thanks and keep doing what your doing 👍oh and how does the truck ride with the parabolic Springs you have without the extra weight of the cap and gear? I run empty half the time, so wondering if it’s too rough when empty?

[@softroadingthewest]

I'm able to change the oil without removing the skid plate. I end up needing to mop a little oil on top of the skid plate but overall much easier than removing the entire plate. Just enough room to reach in and access the filter. The ride is definitely stiff with no load on the parabolics. This is a temporary scenario for me as I'm planning to return to complete camping build on the truck full time. If you run empty some of the time it may not be the right choice. I would just talk it over with the guys at AllDogs.

[@Apcrawler]

@@softroadingthewest Thank you very much. 👍 I will certainly talk to them about what options would be best.

[@christopheranderson8619]

Will this new build include a full-size wood stove vs that dinky little stove Jason is installing over at @PrimalOutdoors? 🤣

[@softroadingthewest]

😂😂 Yes!! That is EXACTLY what this build needs! Thank you! 🤣

[@scottlane5164]

F*** yeah dude 2 thumbs up

[@sierramantrvlnus]

Yay!!

[@davidcolinstillman5585]

HI DONALD 👋 UNDERSTAND ! JUST DO WHAT YOU NEED / HAVE TO DO ! LIKE YOU SAID . ALL THIS NOW WILL HELP YOU GET OUT MORE FARTHER SAFER & LONGER . LOVE HOW YOU HANDLED & SAID IN THE BEGINNING OF YOUR VIDEO 📹! JUST PLEASE WATCHOUT FOR THE BLACK 🧊 ⚫ ICE WALKING 🚶‍♂️ DRIVING 🚗 BE SAFE ! HAVE FUN ! ENJOYED 🍨 🍨 🍨 🍨 🍨 🍨 🍨 🍨 🍨 🍨 GOD BLESS YOU ALWAYS ON YOU ADVENTURES & BUILDS 🙏 THANK YOU 🙏 😀 CAN'T WAIT TO SEE HOW IT TURNS OUT BECAUSE I MIGHT HAVE TO TO DO THE SAME AFTER WHAT MY NEPHEW & FIGURE OUT WHAT HE HAS DONE SO FAR . I'M JUST THE EXTRA HANDS . JUST NEED TO FINE TONE WHAT HE'S DONE SO FAR ON TASTY .

[@rcjames5286]

👍👍

[@robertsmith-zz7ot]

You gotta do this so you can go do that.

[@Sergiop4x]

AT topper? 👀

[@johnwalker3263]

You shouldn’t be using Jason for the correct use of your dialect. Everyone on the Internet knows he’s just one of us east side hillbillies! Love the channel, keep it up!!

[@Tarakian1999]

So is the roof rough? 😂. Just kidding. I’m from Texas and I have more “dialect” than most people.