Newbie bumper questions...

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RachaelS

New Member
Joined
Feb 11, 2022
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4
Location
Hackettstown,NJ
So, I want to change out the front and rear bumpers on my new to me 2007 2dr JK. My 35 is too much weight for back door and I would like to move it to the bumper before it does more damage to the door. I was hoping to buy a bumper/carrier combo so I have no issues with the fit when we install but realize that may not be the best route.

Looking for suggestions for decent bumpers that won't break the bank.

I liked the Barricade Battilion Stubby front bumper but reading some bad reviews for the Barricade Trail force rear bumper with tire carrier.

Also, the bumpers come with hitches that are not tow rated....are there ones that are?
 
You'll probably have to get into the upper dollar range to get a bumper that's tow able. You can always get one of these for the towing

 
RachaelS said:
I have a hitch but most of the bumpers I am seeing come with a hitch as part of the bumper and installation instructions are saying I need to remove the original hitch.
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That's probably because the hitch on the bumper will hit the one on your Jeep.
 
BLACKJKU said:
How much weight are you planning on towing?
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Not a ton since the jeep isn't rated for much but would hate to replace my bumper and then buy a quad or something down the road and not be able to tow it or have to replace the bu.per again. I just found some DV8 bumpers that have a hitch rated for towing... some complaints about powder coat chipping off. Guess I would rather touch up paint once in awhile than not have the option to tow.
 
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RachaelS said:
Not a ton since the jeep isn't rated for much but would hate to replace my bumper and then buy a quad or something down the road and not be able to tow it or have to replace the bu.per again. I just found some DV8 bumpers that have a hitch rated for towing... some complaints about powder coat chipping off. Guess I would rather touch up paint once in awhile than not have the option to tow.
Click to expand...

I ended up getting the XRC gen2 bumper tire carrier combo to check all those boxes, but it's not cheap. Very solid bumper with built in tow rated hitch, hilift jack points, tow/shackle points, tire carrier that bolts to the frame and opens with the rear tailgate, built in rotopax mounts, keeps 3rd brake light, and ...... a bottle opener lol.

You could also go with a reinforcement kit like this from MORyde.

www.morryde.com

Jeep JK Spare Tire Carrier | MORryde

This spare tire carrier is just what you need to mount a heavy spare on your Jeep Wrangler JK with multiple mounting positions to hold tires securely in place.
www.morryde.com www.morryde.com
 
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saintnick81 said:
I don't know what you consider budget busting by my JK has a smittybilt XRC rear bumper and the attached hitch is a class III.
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Yeah it's a great bumper. Feel sorry for anybody that ever tries to bumper check me.

Sucks after I first installed it though. Banged my grape on it a couple times when I was replacing my exhaust. Sucker will make you see stars.
 
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Vman said:
I ended up getting the XRC gen2 bumper tire carrier combo to check all those boxes, but it's not cheap. Very solid bumper with built in tow rated hitch, hilift jack points, tow/shackle points, tire carrier that bolts to the frame and opens with the rear tailgate, built in rotopax mounts, keeps 3rd brake light, and ...... a bottle opener lol.

You could also go with a reinforcement kit like this from MORyde.

www.morryde.com

Jeep JK Spare Tire Carrier | MORryde

This spare tire carrier is just what you need to mount a heavy spare on your Jeep Wrangler JK with multiple mounting positions to hold tires securely in place.
www.morryde.com www.morryde.com
Click to expand...
I am looking at the getting the same bumper for my wife’s JK. She has the stubby on the front already and seems like a great bumper.

PS - Please let me know you like it.
 
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Danarch said:
I am looking at the getting the same bumper for my wife’s JK. She has the stubby on the front already and seems like a great bumper.

PS - Please let me know you like it.
Click to expand...

The instructions suck, but there is an installation video now that answers some of the witchcraft required to get it on there.

Mine's been solid for two years now with no problems. Mounts really sturdy.
 
Good to hear, to confirm talking about this one.

F90FFEAE-C62D-464F-BB2F-9E090999499E.jpeg
 
Vman said:
I ended up getting the XRC gen2 bumper tire carrier combo to check all those boxes, but it's not cheap. Very solid bumper with built in tow rated hitch, hilift jack points, tow/shackle points, tire carrier that bolts to the frame and opens with the rear tailgate, built in rotopax mounts, keeps 3rd brake light, and ...... a bottle opener lol.

You could also go with a reinforcement kit like this from MORyde.

www.morryde.com

Jeep JK Spare Tire Carrier | MORryde

This spare tire carrier is just what you need to mount a heavy spare on your Jeep Wrangler JK with multiple mounting positions to hold tires securely in place.
www.morryde.com www.morryde.com
Click to expand...
Wow, that does check all the boxes, will check it out...thanks!
 
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Danarch said:
Looks good, are those a couple of LED lights in the bumper?
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Yup.

I know Smittybilt gets a lot of grief from people who refer to them by their "alternative" name, but this bumper is well thought out and solid imho.

There are thick metal sleeves that go inside both left and right frames with a bunch of heavy bolts through each side, then four heavy long bolts that go through the middle of it where the hitch is. The welds and finish are nice. Sucker weighs a good 100 lbs by itself of thick steel.

If you install the tire carrier with the bumper you have to drill one hole on the passenger side frame where the tire carrier goes through the bumper and attaches to that.

If you don't have a helper you might need a jack to hold it in place while you get it leveled and bolted in. I used a transmission scissor jack to get it lined up.

Only negative to it is the instructions are horribad, but SB did put out this video on installing it finally.

 
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