I could have sworn we just left this party...
The "before" picture.
Ok, what I can feel happening is the top plate with the hinge flexes the bottom plate when pressure is applied in either direction, kind of like a 4-link. So step one to elminate that is to run a plate ahead to tie all three sides together, that should elminate a lot of the flex in theory. Just in case I drilled a couple holes so if need be I can run a brace ahead to the frame for version 1.3.
And also I never should have built off the factory bumper brackets.
@Uncle Gump said it a few days ago and I fully agree. Of course now it is rather hard to do much about it. The brackets are narrower than the frame but not that much narrower... I should have just built my own. I still might but my bumper being built for the narrower than the chassis stock brackets rather complicates it now. Anyway I think I can kinda see the bumper itself twisting, it might just be the brackets its hard to tell. Neither should be able to... so for the cost of a little bit of steel (all this was $7 including $5 to cut it) I added some more structure to the bumper. Another "rib" in the center and another one on the far DS angle. For the way the swingout flexed the bottom plate I was concerned about the camper tie down doing the same on the other side. And everything inside the bumper is welded to all three sides.
Picture is horrible in the sun, I will try for a better one later.
How does it work? It is sitting on a milkcrate behind the truck waiting for the paint to fully setup.
And my gussets and tie downs came in from Ruffstuff for my sliders so maybe that project can advance now that I have the fuel tank about sucked dry.