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07-01-2021, 12:40 AM
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#1
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Senior Member
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: 2020 Magnitude SV34
State: Florida
Posts: 4,147
THOR #12751
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Magnitude SV34 Front Bumper Upgrade
Like many others, I wasn't a hug fan of the Omni / Magnitude front bumper but I was happy enough with it. Then I got worried that one of our long trips out west (and to Alaska in a couple years) could be derailed by an animal strike or fender bender taking out the radiator, transmission cooler, etc..
I looked a many different bumper options over the past few months and then found what I thought was the best bang for the buck and a very strong one-piece construction.
I decided to go with the SteelCraft Elevation Fine Textured Bumper and found one on eBay for a great price with free delivery.
https://steelcraftautomotive.com/i-3...20SUPER%20DUTY
I got it two weeks ago but didn't have time to install it before our trip to Ashville last weekend. Then our nephew did some serious damage to the front of his truck hitting an elk outside of Denver on 70 last weekend.
On top of that on the way down to Ashville last weekend an idiot in a BMW doing about 80 decided he wanted to exit at the last minute from the far left lane when I was in the far right lane and already passing the exit. He was perpendicular to my front end and I still don't know how I missed him. If I would have clipped him he would have rolled over and I would have had serious damage.
That was enough motivation for me to get the bumper installed today.
Removing the factory bumper was not too difficult. Thor has the plastic cover held on with only one screw on each side of the Ford stock bumper (you can see the screw hole in the pictures below) and then about six screws under the radiator support. Then the top of the plastic is glued down to the metal of the Ford bumper. Once I removed all the screws it lifted off pretty easily without damaging it in case I ever want to reinstall the stock bumper.
Like others have reported Thor cuts off the factory tow hooks and they bury the engine block heater cord behind behind the Ford stiock bumper and it is all but impossible to get to without removing the bumper. I was able to relocate the engine block heater cord so I can now get to it easily through the passenger side tow hook opening on the new bumper if I am ever in cold enough temps to need it.
I am very happy with the results. It looks much better and there is much more protection than the stock bumper provides. The stock bumper would not provide much protection in a small impact plus it would not protect the lights or grille area.
I also ordered some LED Fog Lights on Amazon that fit the Ford Super Duty to replace the crappy fog lights that Thor added and put out almost no visible light. The new bumper provides a plug-and-play fit for Ford factory fog lights so that was an added bonus.
The LED lights were also plug-and-play from a Ford connector perspective but Thor tripped me up once again. Thor did use Ford connectors but when I turned on the new lights.... nothing. I thought I got a bad set from Amazon. I plugged the stock lights in and they worked. Then I hooked up the LED lights directly to a battery.... and they worked. Then I plugged the new LED lights into the wiring harness..... and nothing.
After getting my meter out to do some testing it turns out Thor wired the connectors backwards. The white wire was + and the grey wire was - so that was the issue with the LED'S not firing. A regular bulb would still work with the wiring backwatds but not the LED's. Forturnately the connector is not keyed so I only had to flip it to get the + where it needed to be. The connector does not lock in place now so I zipped tied it together.
Here are some before pictures......
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07-01-2021, 12:45 AM
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#2
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Senior Member
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: 2020 Magnitude SV34
State: Florida
Posts: 4,147
THOR #12751
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Magnitude SV34 Front Bumper Upgrade
Here are some after pictures.....
One of the things I really liked about this bumper is there is an opening to add a light bar into the center of the bumper. I am not planning to do that because it is right in front of the lower radiator intake that allows more airflow for cooling. When Thor added the plastic cover to the Ford stock bumper, they covered that air intake and reduced the cooling airflow. You can see the long rectangular opening in the middle of the new bumper in one of the pictures below.
I also decided to add a set of chrome tow hooks since Thor cut off the Ford stock tow hooks. I originally was not going to use tow hooks but after thinking about it, they could come in very handy if I ever need a tow out of somewhere that the 4x4 can't handle. The chrome hooks are also a nice accent to the black bumper.
The quality of the SteelCraft Bumper is excellent. It is heavy duty all the way around from the frame mounts to the physical one-piece construction. The design provides protection for most of the front of the cab. The powder coating is also top notch for a very nice look. It was very well packaged and protected from the factory. Not a scratch on it even though the pallet it was shipped on had seen better days. The price was also great. I have seen bumpers like this one for $1500 - $2500. I got it for $1075 and free shipping.
The new bumper won't save me from everything but it should provide better protection and hopefully keep the radiator and transmission cooler in tact in a fender bender or animal strike…. and it might allow us to finish a trip.
It also just makes the Magnitude look a little bit meaner than it already did. Next time that BMW tries to cut me off, I'm not too worried if I would hit him. I'll just push him out of the way and keep on trucking....
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07-01-2021, 01:29 AM
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#3
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Site Team
Brand: Entegra
Model: Accolade 37TS
State: South Dakota
Posts: 8,726
THOR #1469
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Judge,
Looks good. Now you have the radiator protection for a trip to Alaska.
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07-01-2021, 01:32 AM
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#4
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Senior Member
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: 2020 Magnitude SV34
State: Florida
Posts: 4,147
THOR #12751
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Thanks Dave!
That was the goal and I think it hit the target.
Safe travels!
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08-11-2022, 02:33 AM
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#5
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Senior Member
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: Magnitude SV34
State: Florida
Posts: 221
THOR #20809
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Judge, now that you've had it on there a while, what are your thoughts? I'm considering the exact same bumper. Any complaints?
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08-11-2022, 10:06 AM
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#6
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Senior Member
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: 2020 Magnitude SV34
State: Florida
Posts: 4,147
THOR #12751
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Quote:
Originally Posted by LarryD
Judge, now that you've had it on there a while, what are your thoughts? I'm considering the exact same bumper. Any complaints?
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I am very pleased with it. After a year no signs of rust or flaking. It is still solidly mounted. I think it makes the Magnitude look bad-a$$ too!
It was a good upgrade and adds a lot of protection.
I just added a 20" double-row LED light bar. The headlights on the '19 F-550 are such a dull yellow they hardly throw any light. I wired it to one of the uplifter switches and can turn it on if I get into a situation I need more light.
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08-11-2022, 12:10 PM
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#7
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Senior Member
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: Freedom Traveller A27
State: North Carolina
Posts: 2,407
THOR #17765
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Nice! I’m seeing more and more OTR trucks using brush guards as well. I haven’t searched but does anyone have one for a Hurricane type front end?
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08-11-2022, 03:36 PM
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#8
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Senior Member
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: Magnitude SV34
State: Florida
Posts: 221
THOR #20809
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just got of the phone with a guy out of GA. 1195 + 230 shipping. not the deal you got but far better than the 4k I was going to spend on another model. My only grip is the $400 Led light bar I currently have wont fit. As far as headlights, the stock ones should be illegal, I found them to be nearly worthless. I can whole heartedly vouch for the morimotos though. They made a HUGE difference.
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08-11-2022, 04:24 PM
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#9
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Senior Member
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: 2020 Magnitude SV34
State: Florida
Posts: 4,147
THOR #12751
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Quote:
Originally Posted by LarryD
just got of the phone with a guy out of GA. 1195 + 230 shipping. not the deal you got but far better than the 4k I was going to spend on another model. My only grip is the $400 Led light bar I currently have wont fit. As far as headlights, the stock ones should be illegal, I found them to be nearly worthless. I can whole heartedly vouch for the morimotos though. They made a HUGE difference.
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That's still a pretty good price. Between inflation and diesel causing shipping ro skyrocket, I'd say you can't do much better than that.
I saw how much of a pain in the arse it is to remove the front end to change out the lights or bulbs. I didn't want to remove the bumper to do it since it is so heavy. I got a $70 light bar from Amazon and it works great. I have a Steelers logo plate on the front bumper and it splits the light such that I may be able to get away using it on the highway.
I'll post a picture.....
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08-11-2022, 07:47 PM
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#10
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Senior Member
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: 2020 Magnitude SV34
State: Florida
Posts: 4,147
THOR #12751
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The sun is shining on the bumper but you can still get an idea of the lightbar with the license plate installed. I'll take another picture at night..... but it puts out a good deal of light with the license plate covering 60% of it.
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08-11-2022, 08:59 PM
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#11
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Site Team
Brand: Entegra
Model: Accolade 37TS
State: South Dakota
Posts: 8,726
THOR #1469
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You had to screw it up by adding the plate
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08-11-2022, 09:08 PM
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#12
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Senior Member
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: Hurricane 35m
State: North Carolina
Posts: 866
THOR #13505
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That looks awesome!!
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Retired Squid who has a Retired Squid that drives him around in a RV!
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08-11-2022, 11:18 PM
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#13
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Senior Member
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: 2020 Magnitude SV34
State: Florida
Posts: 4,147
THOR #12751
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Could be worse..... at least it's not a Cleveland Brown's plate!
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08-11-2022, 11:37 PM
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#14
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Site Team
Brand: Entegra
Model: Accolade 37TS
State: South Dakota
Posts: 8,726
THOR #1469
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Judge
Could be worse..... at least it's not a Cleveland Brown's plate!
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That would be a massive improvement.
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08-11-2022, 11:45 PM
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#15
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Senior Member
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: 2020 Magnitude SV34
State: Florida
Posts: 4,147
THOR #12751
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Quote:
Originally Posted by EA37TS
That would be a massive improvement.
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The "Mistake on the Lake"......
They give Deshaun Watson guaranteed money... and more money than his skills deserve.... now they are talking about trading for Garoppolo of the league wins their appeal and he gets a year suspension.
Can any one franchise be any more of a pathetic joke?
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08-14-2022, 03:41 PM
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#16
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Member
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: RB34
State: New Mexico
Posts: 79
THOR #21936
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Hey Judge, what tow hook did you go with?
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08-14-2022, 06:22 PM
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#17
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Senior Member
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: 2020 Magnitude SV34
State: Florida
Posts: 4,147
THOR #12751
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Zenith
Hey Judge, what tow hook did you go with?
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I just went with a set of the stock Ford chrome tow hooks.
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08-20-2022, 05:53 PM
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#18
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Member
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: RB34
State: New Mexico
Posts: 79
THOR #21936
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Judge, thanks for the information. It made things a lot easier, no need to spend days browsing bumpers to try to find a quality one.
My plastic bumper cover was separated left and right side from the 4 clips holding it to the factory bumper. It also cracked the whole way through where the adhesive was securing it to the factory bumper. One of my fog lights was smashed and the opposite side had a crack going halfway up the cover. I was just one strong breeze away from losing it, I just grabbed and tugged and it popped right off!
My factory bumper underneath was intact, but the side with the crack had a bend in it. I've hit plenty of road debris at this point, so it was probably from one of those times.
I bump curbs, go on gravel roads, and have a lot of mileage for my Magnitude's age, so I think my use case exasperated an already insufficient quality front bumper. I've had more than enough close calls with elk and deer, and run a plate bumper on my Tacoma after I used the factory one to kill Bambi, so this mod was easy for me to justify.
I was able to get new tow hooks on Ebay for under $100, then the bumper from Amazon for $1400: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B078978XHK . The bumper arrived in 3 days and was meticulously packed and high quality.
It took under 30 minutes to remove the factory bumper and around 2 hours to install the new one. I skimmed the instructions before starting, but removal of the factory bumper and installation of the new one is so straightforward it was trivial. I have a shop of tools and a decent amount of experience wrenching, so it may take someone with normal garage tools a bit longer. I did need to ask my neighbor to help me lift it into place, it's heavy duty. It was maybe a 2 beer job. No big deal.
I have new foglights on order, I'm just going to use some generic LED pods.
Magnitude RB34 with new bumper attached.
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08-20-2022, 06:09 PM
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#19
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Senior Member
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: Magnitude SV34
State: Florida
Posts: 221
THOR #20809
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Zenith
Judge, thanks for the information. It made things a lot easier, no need to spend days browsing bumpers to try to find a quality one.
My plastic bumper cover was separated left and right side from the 4 clips holding it to the factory bumper. It also cracked the whole way through where the adhesive was securing it to the factory bumper. One of my fog lights was smashed and the opposite side had a crack going halfway up the cover. I was just one strong breeze away from losing it, I just grabbed and tugged and it popped right off!
My factory bumper underneath was intact, but the side with the crack had a bend in it. I've hit plenty of road debris at this point, so it was probably from one of those times.
I bump curbs, go on gravel roads, and have a lot of mileage for my Magnitude's age, so I think my use case exasperated an already insufficient quality front bumper. I've had more than enough close calls with elk and deer, and run a plate bumper on my Tacoma after I used the factory one to kill Bambi, so this mod was easy for me to justify.
I was able to get new tow hooks on Ebay for under $100, then the bumper from Amazon for $1400: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B078978XHK . The bumper arrived in 3 days and was meticulously packed and high quality.
It took under 30 minutes to remove the factory bumper and around 2 hours to install the new one. I skimmed the instructions before starting, but removal of the factory bumper and installation of the new one is so straightforward it was trivial. I have a shop of tools and a decent amount of experience wrenching, so it may take someone with normal garage tools a bit longer. I did need to ask my neighbor to help me lift it into place, it's heavy duty. It was maybe a 2 beer job. No big deal.
I have new foglights on order, I'm just going to use some generic LED pods.
Magnitude RB34 with new bumper attached.
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thats great Zenith! Who was your seller on amazon? The guy Im dealing with in Ga is out and waiting for a new shipment + I have to arrange shipping so Amazon would be much easier at very little more $.
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08-20-2022, 06:54 PM
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#20
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Senior Member
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: Magnitude SV34
State: Florida
Posts: 221
THOR #20809
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just ordered mine directly from Autoplicity.$1,297.52 total with free delivery.
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