Tongue weight on original bumper

[palallin]

To buck the trend, I'll say this much for a good step bumper: the receiver hitches bolt to the bottom lip of the frame channel. The bumpers usually bolt through the web (or side) of the "C." If the attachment points are the same in strength (as the are on my bumper), you can tow just as much weight with it. The reason I put a receiver hitch on as well was for the flexibility that the drawbar hitches provide. My 1/4" plate, fully welded and gussetted, overly-engineered bumper can tow more weight that the truck is capable of pulling and MUCH more than it is capable of stopping.