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Huge front bumper review thread

47K views 60 replies 35 participants last post by  4x4mickey 
#1 ·
Ok, since someone on another thread suggested something like this:

Here are the rules:
1. post a picture of YOUR after market bumper after install (if possible, a before install picture of your Jeep as well)
2. list suspension mods already existing on your rig
3. intended use (rock crawling, DD, Mudding, light trail, etc)
4. list the following:

manufacturer
construction material(s)
weight of bumper
ease of installation
modifications needed
where purchased
cost
satisfaction

All bumper mods welcome

now THIS should be interesting.:popcorn:
 
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#4 ·
1. EVO manufacturing 1/4 bumper/stinger
2. suspension OME standard 4door 2.5" kit

Bumper is 90+ lbs. all steel. packaging was decent, although the bumper better than the stinger (they ship separate). Because of the openings in the stinger, damn thing filled up with packing peanuts! The installation is not for the faint of heart! Install includes drilling the bumper (it does not come pre drilled to fit the stinger) and removal of the cross frame (need a sawsall or some type of metal cutter). Install is also very difficult due to the weight, as well as there is almost no easy way to get to any of the bolts. Instructions that came with it were awful (especially with the stinger, which required additional notching of the frame rails). Come with tons of hardware, more than needed (because the bumper ships with hardware, and then the stinger ships with hardware as well). Other negatives is I don't particularly care for EVOs powder coating. It's chunky and uneven, and so far I've had to rattle can both my bumper and the rock star skids I got because of incomplete coverage. That being said, the bumper itself looks awesome, the welds look amazing, and the thing is rock solid. I love it, and would purchase again. it does come with d ring mounts, as well as a winch mount. However it does not come with a license plate or fog mounts, nor an easy way to add them (although it's 1/4" steel, so you can drill anywhere)

Intended trail use is moderate trails to moderate rock crawling.
Satisfaction is very high :thumb: I would recommend, but again, this is not for the faint of heart. If you are building a mall crawler, don't bother
I bought from Krawl-Offroad here on the forums, I think it was around 800 shipped?
One thing to note, evo makes each item individually, so they are prone to individual quirks. for instance, one of my d ring mounts is a touch too close to the stinger, making it a very tight fit for the one d-ring.




 
#5 ·
I got the Rugged Ridge XHD w/ Stinger. It’s powder coated steel. Weight w/ everything probably over 100lbs. My Jeep has 3.5” of lift, a combo of Teraflex and Synergy components. I do everything with my Jeep, daily drive, trail, mud, rock… The bumper was real easy to install and is heavy duty. I bought from AutoAnything.com

-Dan
 

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#6 ·
Rugged Ridge Heavy Duty with winch. 140 lbs! and that is with synthetic rope. Has a 2" Coil/Shock lift. Have the rugged ridge rear bumper and tire carrier on order. All things considered, I like it. It dropped the front end a bit but the new rear bumper should level it out. Might add 3/4" spacer up front.

Bob
 

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#7 ·
sneck said:
1. EVO manufacturing 1/4 bumper/stinger
2. suspension OME standard 4door 2.5" kit

Bumper is 90+ lbs. all steel. packaging was decent, although the bumper better than the stinger (they ship separate). Because of the openings in the stinger, damn thing filled up with packing peanuts! The installation is not for the faint of heart! Install includes drilling the bumper (it does not come pre drilled to fit the stinger) and removal of the cross frame (need a sawsall or some type of metal cutter). Install is also very difficult due to the weight, as well as there is almost no easy way to get to any of the bolts. Instructions that came with it were awful (especially with the stinger, which required additional notching of the frame rails). Come with tons of hardware, more than needed (because the bumper ships with hardware, and then the stinger ships with hardware as well). Other negatives is I don't particularly care for EVOs powder coating. It's chunky and uneven, and so far I've had to rattle can both my bumper and the rock star skids I got because of incomplete coverage. That being said, the bumper itself looks awesome, the welds look amazing, and the thing is rock solid. I love it, and would purchase again. it does come with d ring mounts, as well as a winch mount. However it does not come with a license plate or fog mounts, nor an easy way to add them (although it's 1/4" steel, so you can drill anywhere)

Intended trail use is moderate trails to moderate rock crawling.
Satisfaction is very high :thumb: I would recommend, but again, this is not for the faint of heart. If you are building a mall crawler, don't bother
I bought from Krawl-Offroad here on the forums, I think it was around 800 shipped?
One thing to note, evo makes each item individually, so they are prone to individual quirks. for instance, one of my d ring mounts is a touch too close to the stinger, making it a very tight fit for the one d-ring.
Hey what size lift is on your JK?
 
#9 ·
Smitybilt stinger on stock suspension.

-does not offer winch mount so i had to buy a mount separate.

-base is 3/16 steel and uses factory mounting locations with no cutting/drilling/welding. Bolt on.

-powder coating seams to chip easily and needs torched up often.

-D ring mounts have been pulled on by using a chain as a snatch rope with no "tin can" effect, bending or tearing at all what so ever. I'd trust one d ring on that bumper with anything

-Weighed about 80-100lbs with no winch or d rings

-Got it for 200$ at 4 wheel parts.

-would I do it all over again? Plain and simple it does it's job with flying colors but is it the best looking or do the job of a "stinger" as well as other? Probably not, but if I had the money and had to choose I'd buy the smitybilt again and a nice skid plate or something instead of a 800$ bumper haha

7/10 stars
 
#10 ·
97wrangler-242 said:
Smitybilt stinger on stock suspension.

-does not offer winch mount so i had to buy a mount separate.

-base is 3/16 steel and uses factory mounting locations with no cutting/drilling/welding. Bolt on.

-powder coating seams to chip easily and needs torched up often.

-D ring mounts have been pulled on by using a chain as a snatch rope with no "tin can" effect, bending or tearing at all what so ever. I'd trust one d ring on that bumper with anything

-Weighed about 80-100lbs with no winch or d rings

-Got it for 200$ at 4 wheel parts.

-would I do it all over again? Plain and simple it does it's job with flying colors but is it the best looking or do the job of a "stinger" as well as other? Probably not, but if I had the money and had to choose I'd buy the smitybilt again and a nice skid plate or something instead of a 800$ bumper haha

7/10 stars
Oh, and it gets used on the hardest rocks and trails my 31" tires will take me but still DD the jeep
 
#11 · (Edited)
Mine's the Rampage Recovery bumper. I wanted a full-width, heavy bumper, preferably something one-piece to minimize areas where road salt could get into it in the winter and start chowing down. Intended off-road use is moderate trails, a good deal of mud and woods trails. For work I sometimes have to go off-road where there are no trails, and the Rampage will surely excel at making a path through brush and other hapless small-growth foliage I might need to dominate. Hence the bull bar.

Both front and rear are all steel. The front weighs around 115 lbs with the winch plate installed (in my photos, it's not). To mount a winch, you need countersunk hardware, since the holes for mounting are already drilled and have threaded inserts. It has two recovery points with d-rings.

The rear weighs about 95 lbs. Also has two recovery points with d-rings. Only downside to the rear is that there's no tire carrier...I'll deal with that in the spring.

I bought both in powdercoated black. They also come in semi-gloss.

They were shockingly easy to install. If you've got somebody to help hold em in place while you start a couple bolts, you can handle this job. :D

No grinding and no cussing was necessary. You don't even have to move the vacuum pump on the '12, though it did make tightening the upper, outside driver's-side bolt a little bit tricky.

Amazon had the best price on these bumpers by a wide margin. Plus free shipping. Front was $480 and change. Rear was more (oddly) at $520.

These things are BEEFY. Indeed, saplings will no doubt squeal in terror as my Rampage bumper bears down on them.

My only issue with deciding on them was how they'd look with 35's and Bushwacker flatties. Couldn't find a photo of that combo anywhere, despite casting a wide net. Eventually I just figured that if they ended up looking like Dumbo's ears on my Jeep, I'd give em a trim w/the sawzall.

Once I got em on, however, I thought they looked pretty sweet. So I'm happy all the way around.

Some pics:

On the way home from the dealership. So new and innocent and unsuspecting. Fond memories.

View attachment 93240

While installing lift, bumpers, wheels at my buddy's garage. Looks like something satan would drive. No offense god-fearing peeps!

View attachment 93241

A gray, industrial photo for the WF folks.

View attachment 93242

Almost forgot: I liked that the rear had mounts for lights...they've already come in handy once, during a Holiday standoff in the wee hours near Green Bay. :thumb:

View attachment 93243
 
#15 ·
Stock suspension
DD, Towed 4down behind MH, Light trails
RockHard4x4
¼ in. steel plate
86lbs
Not bad if you have thin hands.
No Modifications needed
4Wheelparts Mesa, AZ
$499 for the bumper and $70 for the BlueOx towing brackets
 

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#16 ·
Where did you mount the blue ox brackets? To the bumper it's see or below?
I would love to mount the tow brackets to the D-Ring brackets on the bumper. Just haven't found the right set up. Have gotten suggestion to weld the brackets to the bumper - but then you need to paint or powder coat again..

We are trying to do the same thing to tow our Dozer Rubi as well..

Thank you..
 
#17 ·
If you open up the after pic you can see the brackets but I painted all the bolt heads so they are hard to see. But they mount up to the bumper mounts through the bumper. Then use the "D" rings to hook up the safety cables(or chains).

What bumper do you have?

I can send you a larger pic is you need.
 
#18 ·
We don't have a bumper yet. I was looking for one where we could have to tow bar brackets attached to the bumper vs below the bumper. None of the RV shops have been too helpful. I'm going to hit a few 4x4 shops next.

I just don't really understand it enough to know what will work and what won't..
 
#21 ·
Bumper for Boots

Suspension Mods - Heavy Duty Wrangler coils, about 1.5" lift.
Use - Moderate trails, washboard roads, service alleys and some DD.
Mfgr: Shrockworks
Const: Steel, baby!
Wt: 80lb, w/o winch plate.
Ease: Mark, the Mechanic.
Mods needed: Bolt-on.
Purch from Shrockworks.
Cost: $xxx.00
Satisfaction: High. Also makes a great seat for two.
 

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#23 ·
PSC Brawler Lite

1. Land vehicle Vehicle Automotive tire Tire Bumper



2. Suspension mods already existing on your rig: Body Armor 4x4 Front Skid fits great with stock bumper and new PSC Bumper
3. Intended use: Everything except DD, I have a sport coupe for that
4. List the following:

  • Manufacturer: Poison Spyder Customs
  • Construction material: 3/16" Steel
  • Weight of bumper: 63 pounds; I weighed the stock at 38 pounds with the plastic piece behind the bumper but without the fog lights. So I only added about 25 pounds. It was very important to me to have a solid steel bumper without adding a ton of weight and that could use the stock fog lights.
  • Ease of installation: Very Easy; removing the stock bumper was harder than the install. Damn I hate those plastic screws! It came bare steel so I had to paint it with 5 coats (2x Primer, 3x top coat). That was just time consuming. Get good etching primer and paint!
  • Modifications needed: None; mounts directly to frame rails with 8 bolts just like stock. No need to move the canister behind the bumper. Not sure what that is. Some of the stock fog light screws didn't hold that well so I used a few slightly bigger screws.
  • Where purchased: Northridge 4x4; Free Shipping!!
  • Cost: Over $500 with the added shackle tabs. :whistling: Happy Bday to me!
  • Satisfaction: High so far. The bumper is very well thought out and high quality. It feel solid. I painted a piece of steel orange and bolted it behind the spyder logo so it would show through and match my Jeep. I used the winch mount holes and an angle bracket to mount my license plate until I get a winch.
 
#27 ·
Emperor's Bumper

The Emperor's clothes are piled right in front of the Emperor's bumper and the Emperor's grille. These pics are for anybody who hasn't seen behind the bumper of their 2012 yet. Basically, pop the grille, drop a couple plastic parts (frame filler and airdam), squeeze and pull plugs off the foglights, unscrew 8 nuts; and when your bumper hits the ground, this is what you'll see. You won't see the electronic swaybar disco if you don't have a Rubi, but you will see the vacuum that has to be relocated for just about any winch you care to install.
 

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#31 ·
2 1/2" Budget boost
Smittybilt SRC8 Winch
Smittybilt SRC
3/16 Steel
Weight? I'm guessing about 45 pounds without the winch
Small amount of metal trimming on a cross support at the front end of the frame.
Cost? I paid $150 for the bumper USED, I then paid a guy $150 to remove the bedliner type coating and then to apply 8 coats of Imron paint. I also purchased 5 SpiderTrax backup lights to place in the five holes in the bumper, this was an additional $150 or so.
Satisfied: Yes, I like it a lot! My Jeep is only used for cruising the beach, no mud, no rocks... she is babied quite a bit and sits mostly in the garage!
 

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#33 ·
LoD Offroad Mid-width bumper



2. Rock Krawler 2.5" springs, Bilstein 5100 shocks, JKS front lower control arms, JKS rear lower and upper control arms, JKS front and rear track bars, Teraflex front and rear bump stop extensions, Procomp steering stabilizer.

3. Built for trail riding and daily driving.

4.
manufacturer: LoDoffroad.com [Made in USA]
construction material: 3/16" steel
weight of bumper: 75-ish pounds
ease of installation: very easy
modifications needed: none
where purchased: Northridge4x4.com
cost: $728 shipped
satisfaction: 5 out of 5 stars
 
#36 ·
97wrangler-242 said:
Smitybilt stinger on stock suspension.

-does not offer winch mount so i had to buy a mount separate.

-base is 3/16 steel and uses factory mounting locations with no cutting/drilling/welding. Bolt on.

-powder coating seams to chip easily and needs torched up often.

-D ring mounts have been pulled on by using a chain as a snatch rope with no "tin can" effect, bending or tearing at all what so ever. I'd trust one d ring on that bumper with anything

-Weighed about 80-100lbs with no winch or d rings

-Got it for 200$ at 4 wheel parts.

-would I do it all over again? Plain and simple it does it's job with flying colors but is it the best looking or do the job of a "stinger" as well as other? Probably not, but if I had the money and had to choose I'd buy the smitybilt again and a nice skid plate or something instead of a 800$ bumper haha

7/10 stars
I really like how the smittybilt stinger looks on the JKs.
 
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