Can anyone tell me about this step bumper? (Aftermarket?)

[Scruffy49]

Had a guy that I worked with in the mid '70s. He bought a new Ford (Horrors!) pick up. It had no rear bumper. He got pulled over by CHP or local PD and given a ticket for "No Bumper". I told i to take it back to the 'stealer' show them the ticket and complain. He took it back to the stealer and they put one on for him. True story!

That’s an actual ticket in TN currently… Fortunately, they don’t care what actually is back there. My K1500 had Schedule 40 black iron pipe cut in half, backed with 3/4” steel and core filled with “fish plates” used to hold railroad rails together… About 300lbs of “you really do not want to rearend this truck”… Front bumper was 5” structural I-beam faced with heart pine 4x6s on railroad tie plates…

My 85 has stock bumpers, but also has a tag bracket/light combo on the driver rear corner. Have never seen a pre-1995 Chevy truck w/o that bracket combo…

 

[Grit dog]

That’s an actual ticket in TN currently… Fortunately, they don’t care what actually is back there. My K1500 had Schedule 40 black iron pipe cut in half, backed with 3/4” steel and core filled with “fish plates” used to hold railroad rails together… About 300lbs of “you really do not want to rearend this truck”… Front bumper was 5” structural I-beam faced with heart pine 4x6s on railroad tie plates…

My 85 has stock bumpers, but also has a tag bracket/light combo on the driver rear corner. Have never seen a pre-1995 Chevy truck w/o that bracket combo…

Wow, why? I’d just concentrate more on not running into schitt than to design and install 600lbs worth of bumpers. And maybe a trailer hitch which is also useful for towing when it’s not protecting from rear end collisions.
I got a truck with a back bumper like that once. aside from being ugly AF ANd blocking access to install a proper trailer hitch receiver (vs the hole torched in the bumper beam), it was also like 300lbs.
Painted the truck right before moving x country. Ended up digging a hole and burying that monstrosity next to the driveway. Couldn’t leave it for the new home owners that just signed on our house and wasn’t going to spend 2 hrs and a potential hernia taking it to recycle…lol.

 

[Scruffy49]

Was built by a now deceased friend for use on his cattle farm, no such thing as a “ranch” east of the MS River. Truck has a proper Class 4 frame mounted receiver hitch that is getting swapped to the front of my K3500.

The K1500, The Shipwreckrolet, cost me $300 in 2013, running and drivable with working 4wd. It is now a parts roach, as those f’n hydroformed frame rails under the firewall are rotten, as is the rear axle. It is donating the following parts, to the following: 1985 C10- rear gears, hotrodded 350, any power door guts that cross over; 1969 D100- gas tank, fuel filler door graft, body patches, door patches, sawblade 6 lug wheels on 80s K10 f/r axles, possibly seat (graft onto 69 factory frame), stereo and speakers, rear seatbelts (69 cab is 3 point ready, stock); 1999 K3500- receiver hitch (front mount, temp until hidden winch mount arrives), movable winch cradle; 1975 Kubota L1501 rice paddy tractor- f/r bumpers cut down for front ballast weights; 1970s Massey Ferguson 165- front LT265/75r16E HT steer tires.

Waste not want not. I was a SeaBee, improvise adapt and overcome.