easy test to se how much it'll flex.
place a jack stand under the front bumper, mesure from the frame to ground under the notch.
now put a jack under the frame,start jacking until it just barely comes off the stand. re mesure from notch to the ground.
strength is determined by the vertical height of the rail, just like a shear panel in a race car, it doesnt need to be verry thick if its tall, to regain the strength just by plateing it it'll need to be plated on both sides with plates of un equal length, and preferably fish mouthed.
as far as wheel hop vs jumping.
the rapid loading and unloading causes repetitive flex causeing tears. a single impact from a landing will usualy just bend it. think of all the stearing boxes torn out of the frame etc.. even on a pavement princess, same concept.
dont read it as me bashing, im trying to share my knowlage, experiance etc with ya to build a better rig.
that notch is almost directly below your center of gravity. go ahead, throw it on the scales, prove me wrong. i hope it doesnt turn into a hinge.
