California’s State Route 9 isn’t exactly a major highway. Extending north from Santa Cruz to metro San Jose, it covers miles of winding, wooded terrain through the Santa Cruz mountains and state parks, mostly with two lanes. Large parts of it have a speed limit of 35 miles an hour.
It is not, authorities would tell you, an appropriate place to push the limits of your driving skills – but that’s what it’s become for many area driving enthusiasts who seek the challenges of its remote curves. Even Wikipedia notes its local nickname of “9burgring,” after the Nürburgring racetrack in Germany.
In May, one such driver overestimated their skill on SR 9 and totaled their $400,000 supercar. That motorist flipped a 2023 Lamborghini Huracán STO in an accident the California Highway Patrol attributed to excessive speed, leaving it helplessly turtled in lanes.
On a twisting two-lane mountain road, that’s a dangerous impediment, and CHP responded quickly. As shown in this video from local station KSBW, a trooper used their vehicle to shove the overturned Lambo out of the right of way.
“This crash was preventable,” CHP said in a subsequent Facebook post. “Please slow down! Highway 9 is not a racetrack.”
Push bumpers, then and now
What allowed that CHP trooper to make quick work of that expensive debris was a familiar police tool: the push bumper.
While the first commercial push bumper for police was developed in the 1970s, earlier, cruder approximations were in many places already part of officers’ arsenals. Their use originated several decades prior with farm and utility vehicles, to which operators attached front-end guards to protect radiators and help move stalled vehicles and equipment. Law enforcement logically adapted the idea for clearing roadways and intersections after accidents.
Early push bumpers were often homemade or installed after purchase and made of simple steel tubing bolted to the vehicle’s frame. As their use grew, the CHP ultimately began having an early version produced, along with other accessories for its vehicles, by inmates under the California Prison Industry Authority, a state correctional program that employs incarcerated individuals in manufacturing, agricultural and service positions.
Setina – the prominent Washington-based upfitter that first developed prisoner partitions for police vehicles – was also among the first to commercially produce dedicated push bumpers for law enforcement.
Its earliest models, developed around 50 years ago, built upon the straightforward designs that had evolved to that point, basically consisting of two simple metal loops and a crossbar. “What they had before that was just two little metal bars – it wasn’t even really a push bumper per se,” company Vice President Judy Setina recalled. The company added a sturdy mounting system and made that first model, the PB100, a viable accessory that could be transferred among vehicles.
With continued improvement and technological progress, more modern designs are built with more intention and attention to issues like durability, safety and weight. The result is greater structural integrity.
“I think the biggest change is that there were many components then,” said Brett Ware, Setina’s national sales manager. “The bumpers now are one complete welded structure – the pieces interlock and are welded together. Back then they were bolted.”
‘Hit the intersection first’
Setina offers three core options in push bumpers.
Its primary model, the PB400, is the top-selling push bumper in law enforcement. Its features include an interlocked and welded cross support system, replaceable push pads and a sturdy steel mounting framework. Accompanying fender guards add further protection. It can come in steel but is more commonly made from high-strength aircraft-grade aluminum, which keeps things lighter without sacrificing performance.
“Aluminum is usually a better choice,” said Ware. “It’s lighter weight and more than strong enough for the task it’s designed for, which is pushing vehicles.”
The PB450 integrates front-end LED lighting; Setina was also the first to do this. It comes preassembled, and the wiring harness within its bumper assembly powers recessed front and optional side LED warning lights.
“A lot of people want their vehicle push bumper to kind of hit the intersection first,” noted Judy Setina. “With lighting and speakers, it can also become a warning device.”
A third model supports adding a winch. This can also come with lighting.
All Setina push bumpers are constructed with Grade 8 hardware – that’s an SAE International classification that requires use of medium carbon alloy steel and attests to high tensile strength and durability. “Some makers use black stainless, which is a much softer material, so you run the risk of those bolts shearing under load,” noted Ware. Aluminum is also 40%–60% lighter than steel, preventing the front of the car from becoming too heavy.
Greener process, better results
Setina’s push bumpers receive a multistep OEM-grade primer and powder coat finish to enhance durability and preserve color. “That’s all been laboratory tested to exceed automakers’ corrosion standards,” said Ware. It’s also done with an environmentally friendly focus.
The company’s “Eco-Treat” sealing process is based on a zirconium pretreatment method employed by BMW, among others, followed by an automotive-grade zinc-free primer with no VOCs (volatile organic compounds), phosphates or hazardous pollutants. Powder coating follows, tested by a major automaker and shown to surpass PPAP (production part approval process) corrosion standards. This produces a stronger protection than electrocoating (e-coating) without the caustic chemicals produced by that process.
“E-coating produces a good product, but it’s very caustic and not environmentally friendly at all,” said Ware. “We’re achieving better results with environmentally friendly processes.”
Setina also has gravel and salt spray testing conducted by independent parties, as well as scribe testing and creep testing for corrosion and rust. Hardware endures more than 3,000 hours of continuous salt spray (three times the industry standard) and 2,000 hours of gravelometer testing (more than twice the industry standard). It also undergoes Florida exposure testing to ensure resistance to color fade.
Crash testing proves performance
Moving disabled cars out of the way isn’t the only purpose of push bumpers. They offer front-end protection, of course, and another valuable use can come in pursuits, where they’re strong enough to disrupt heavy vehicles – witness this 2024 PIT maneuver on a stolen fire truck in California.
Setina’s aircraft-grade aluminum is sturdy enough for that but, with more give than steel, can also protect drivers in front-end collisions. Absorbing some of that force results in less being transmitted to the cabin and its occupants.
In fact, the company’s push bumpers have been specifically crash-tested. Roughly 15 years ago, Setina collaborated with a major auto manufacturer that was introducing an upgraded new model for police and upfit more than two dozen vehicles to be put through collisions.
“They were crash-tested and went through all sorts of SAE evaluations,” said Ware. “We changed the design a little bit for them – they wanted to be able to see the turn signals from off angles and things like that. But we were a top-tier supplier for them, and that’s the only push bumper in law enforcement history that has gone through that rigorous testing.”
For more information, visit Setina.
