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Suggested winch and bumper

3K views 20 replies 17 participants last post by  Razer 
#1 ·
New to the Jeep world. Just got 2014 Rubicon and looking to start earning some badges yet keep it practical for everyday driving. Any suggested winch and bumper to hit the trail ready for anything without breaking the bank??
 
#2 ·
I like the Warn Zeon winch and the Warn Elite front bumper myself. But I'd only use the Elite front bumper if you plan on keeping the stock fenders. If you think you might ever want to go with flat fenders, a shorter bumper that doesn't match the stock fender profile would be better IMO. As far as not breaking the bank, it's best if you know (or are related to) an employee at Warn. ;)
 
#3 ·
For my 2012, I went with the Warn front bumper because it looked pretty good, kept the stock fog lights, was full length and was the cheapest at the time at just over $600. I also like how low it sits my winch to keep it from blocking the grill so Jeep runs cooler. There are tons of bumpers out now though, let your wallet decide. Winch can be a $300 Harbor Freight to a $1,500 Warn with built in air compressor. I do like the synthetic rope trend going on now with winches. Unless you winch out every weekend over sharp rocks, it's the way to go in my opinion. More wallet choices for you. Get on quadratech.com or northridge4x4.com and add to cart.
 

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#5 ·
Warn Stubby Bumper. Got it for just under $400 w/o the grille guard. I love the way it looks, and it also uses the stock fog lights. Installation was fairly simple, but took a bit more time than I expected due to how tight the workspace is and I have bigger hands.

Land vehicle Vehicle Tire Automotive tire Automotive exterior
 
#7 ·
Warn makes some great Winches. Unfortunately you'll pay for the quality. As far as Bumpers go, it's more about what style and features you like. The Barricade Trail Force HD Front Bumper lets you use the factory fogs, has a winch plate and comes with shackles.

Let me know what other questions you have or if you'd like a quote on anything!

-Ryan
 
#8 ·
Thank you all for the info. The plan is to start hitting the trails all over the country over the next couple years. I like the Warn Elite but will it be an issue when climbing over rocks??? I see rock climbing bumpers with no wings so wondering if gonna be an issue. Any ideas??
 
#9 ·
Check this thread for front bumpers. There are literally hundreds of options.

http://www.wranglerforum.com/f274/mega-front-bumper-thread-134959.html

As far as winches go like Ryan said warns are great quality but you will pay the price for one, Engo's are a popular choice as well for a few less bones (I have the engo 10000s myself). If I knew I would be using it more I would have gone Warn but for all the more im using it it is perfect for me.
 
#10 ·
Fan of the Smittybilt here.

Personally, I like what I put on my 2012 Rubicon.

A Smittybilt SRC Stinger and Smittybilt XRC8 winch with synthetic cable. Could have gone bigger in terms of price, but this car isn't a midlife crisis for me. I just want a capable vehicle for the mountains and to be able to swap out my wheels for a daily driver to work.

Total cost with the new fogs was right around $1000. $450 for the winch, $400 for the "bumper" and $225 or so for the lights including at 7.6% sales tax on each part.

My favorite part is that with that stinger people pull out in front of me in a parking lot and get that "OH (%&$!" look on their face when they see me coming. Fortunately I'm a cautious enough driver that I don't destroy their car.

The look on the face of some idiot in a Prius is effing priceless though!
 

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#11 ·
I just kept stock it is light and free. I lopped the ends off and added a VR10000S and no reason for anything else at this point.
 
#17 ·
The bumper looks good! There are a few customer submited pictures and reviews on the Barricade Winches. Check them out and it may help you make your decision. If you do decide to with a Barricade winch, shoot me a PM for a quote!

-Ryan
 
#18 ·
Keep the stock bumper, Free. take a saw zall to the ends and install VDP end caps to stub it up. 60 bucks. Install a RR Winch mounting plate, 160. Quadratec Q9000 with synthetic rope, 450. In all, 670 bucks to turn you stock bumper into a functional piece of equipment. that total price is close to what you would pay just for a decent aftermarket bumper. I can vouch that this set up is 100% functional, and looks good. Have a look for yourself. It's also VERY light, and won't soak up valuable lift inches.



 
#19 ·
jcr has a great line up. relatively cheap and very light weight compared to most. mine is a hand me down from my brother who sold his jk a month ago and i heard stories about him slapping the s^%t out of trees on the trail and this thing looks brand new. as far as winches go, warn has gone overseas for some of their cheaper stuff, i hear it works great but my brother ran an engo 10K and never had a problem. most of his wheeling was done by himself and he used it quite a bit with no issues
 
#20 ·
Smittybilt offers some inexpensive options, like this bumper. Yes, it's made in China. It also bolts on very easily and carries the winch nice and low. Good protection for the front end. Only thing I didn't like about it was losing the stock fog lights.



Smittybilt: XRC Front Bumper JK - Smittybilt

I have mostly good things to say about the Engo 10k with synthetic rope. Wow... It's a puller! Drove my Jeep into a nasty snow drift. Deeper, softer, and steeper than I thought. It took me a long time and seven winch pulls to get the JK out...

Seven.

The winch did great!

Just an option. I also like the idea of using the stock bumper, cut down... The guys who did that saved a large chunk of change and got something useful out of the deal. I was tempted...

CW
 
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