I am just about to order a new Front bumper and I figured that y'all could help me. I am leaning towards getting the fabtech bumper that includes a pretty beefy front skid plate, but I am also looking at a poison spyder BFH either with or without the shackle tabs. The poison spyder doesn't include a skid, but it does include a winch mount, and I am wondering if the skid is really that important up front. Can y'all give me your opinions? Also, are shackle tabs just D-Ring mounts?

Spyder: Poison Spyder Custom Part 17-16-020-DS - BFH Front Bumper with Shackle Tabs and Trail Stinger in Bare Steel

Fabtech: Fabtech Part FTT10039BK - Tubular Front Bumper

Im just going to talk about poison spyder's (PS) bumper, because I don't know about the fabtech. PS has a great reputation as a top of the line bumper.

FRAME CUTTING
The Poison Spyder BFH bumper you have to cut your frame rails. The have great clearance and looks. I read a post where someone said a car dealership cannot sell a car after its frame has been modified. I don't know if that was a particular state or what. It might have just been that dealerships policy? I would call up a car dealership by you and ask if it would matter. I just bought a brawler lite that requires no trimming of the frame rails, and doesn't require relocating the vacuum pump canister as many bumpers do for 2012+ models. I am almost positive you can get a skid for the BFH bumper. I got one for the brawler lite. It's better not to have one for better clearance. I got one to protect the Rubicon's electronic sway bar disco motor (it can also be flipped if you cut the crash bar that I didn't want to do). Also the brawler lite looks better with the skid to me. If you don't have a rubicon it's not as big a deal not to have a bumper skid. I think a skid will help slightly with airflow and mpg.

SHACKLE TABS
They are for D-rings. A shackle is the proper term for d-rings that go in slightly at the clevis bolt, and are preferred for strength reasons. True D-rings that look like a D and have a longer bolt. I would defiantly get the shackle tabs. Otherwise you don't have a front recovery point if you winch was to fail. Also you would want the spot for D-rings if you use a snatch block when winching. Many people use a shackle to hang their winch hook on also.

WINCH
To mount a winch you will also need to get a fairlead mount on the PS. They are about $50.

I'm pretty sure this skid would work with the BFH PS bumper.
http://shop.poisonspyder.com/Jeep-Wr.../17-16-030.htm

What kind of off-roading do you plan to do? Dunes or mudding I can see it being handy.
I have a front skid- but I could probably do without it for rock crawling. You can see in the pic where the skid- and my tie rod- got nailed. Where it hit the skid it would've just hit the metal bar (or air). A front skid doesn't protect the important stuff (stabilizer, tie rod, drag link). The Fabtech appears to come down pretty far so that's good- extra armor isn't bad. But I wouldn't pick a bumper base on a front skid- I would however pick it based on a winch. IMO more important than a skid. But you know how opinions are....