texascrane
Adventurer
My 06 LX470 got smacked while parked a few weeks ago. The rear bumper is toast. An aftermarket rear bumper has been on my list of planned upgrades, but not anything that I was planning to do soon. However, I've got a check from the insurance company and it doesn't seem to make much sense to drop a bunch of money into a brand new oem bumper that I'm planning on ditching in a year or so anyways.
I've been looking at the Slee, ARB, and BIOR offerings. They all seem to have their positives and negatives. I'd like to get some feedback on these options from the crowd here given that the intended use is overlanding, not rock crawling.
I like the Slee option, however I'm concerned that it may be to difficult for my wife to get open easily with no strut assistance. It also seems to require both hands to open/close. That could potentially be an issue for her (or me) when dealing with children. On the plus side, it seems extremely well built and solid. I also like that the install seems quite a bit simpler than the ARB. The ladder on the second swing out seems like it gives you a lot of options to fabricate/attach whatever you want on that side.
The ARB seems to be easy to open/close. However, I've heard some say that it's huge. But that may not be an issue for me given my intended use. It also seems like a waste to me to only have a single jerry can holder on the second swing-out... there should be plenty of room for at least a dual can holder. I'm also not sure if it's a huge job to switch out swing arms (maybe taking them off while on mall duty?). The recovery points also seem a bit anemic although I suppose you can just attach a shackle via the receiver. I do like that it has a rated receiver. I don't tow anything right now, but it's nice to know that the option is there "officially". One thing that isn't clear is how the back-up cam is affected by the rear tire placement. I haven't seen an ARB camera relocation kit so I'm not sure if it blocks the cam or not.
I like the price on the BIOR. The strut/safety-pin configuration seems superior to the Slee. However, I don't think it's a great idea to cut into the rear crossmember to make room for the receiver. I know it can be ordered without the receiver (requiring no cutting), but then I would need to throw my factory receiver back on in order to tow if needed. It seems like having the factory hitch on there would negate a lot of the benefits from ditching the oem bumper - primarily departure angle. But then again, maybe not.
I did briefly look at the Kaymar. Seems awesome but it's $800 more than the Slee/ARB options. Maybe it's worth it, but $3600 just seems over the top for a rear bumper with tire and dual jerry can carriers.
Right now I'm leaning towards the ARB although that's been changing on a daily basis
What says expedition portal? Is there anything else I should be thinking about when considering rear bumpers? I know most of you have way more experience and exposure to these different options that I do so I'd really appreciate hearing the collective wisdom.
I've been looking at the Slee, ARB, and BIOR offerings. They all seem to have their positives and negatives. I'd like to get some feedback on these options from the crowd here given that the intended use is overlanding, not rock crawling.
I like the Slee option, however I'm concerned that it may be to difficult for my wife to get open easily with no strut assistance. It also seems to require both hands to open/close. That could potentially be an issue for her (or me) when dealing with children. On the plus side, it seems extremely well built and solid. I also like that the install seems quite a bit simpler than the ARB. The ladder on the second swing out seems like it gives you a lot of options to fabricate/attach whatever you want on that side.
The ARB seems to be easy to open/close. However, I've heard some say that it's huge. But that may not be an issue for me given my intended use. It also seems like a waste to me to only have a single jerry can holder on the second swing-out... there should be plenty of room for at least a dual can holder. I'm also not sure if it's a huge job to switch out swing arms (maybe taking them off while on mall duty?). The recovery points also seem a bit anemic although I suppose you can just attach a shackle via the receiver. I do like that it has a rated receiver. I don't tow anything right now, but it's nice to know that the option is there "officially". One thing that isn't clear is how the back-up cam is affected by the rear tire placement. I haven't seen an ARB camera relocation kit so I'm not sure if it blocks the cam or not.
I like the price on the BIOR. The strut/safety-pin configuration seems superior to the Slee. However, I don't think it's a great idea to cut into the rear crossmember to make room for the receiver. I know it can be ordered without the receiver (requiring no cutting), but then I would need to throw my factory receiver back on in order to tow if needed. It seems like having the factory hitch on there would negate a lot of the benefits from ditching the oem bumper - primarily departure angle. But then again, maybe not.
I did briefly look at the Kaymar. Seems awesome but it's $800 more than the Slee/ARB options. Maybe it's worth it, but $3600 just seems over the top for a rear bumper with tire and dual jerry can carriers.
Right now I'm leaning towards the ARB although that's been changing on a daily basis
What says expedition portal? Is there anything else I should be thinking about when considering rear bumpers? I know most of you have way more experience and exposure to these different options that I do so I'd really appreciate hearing the collective wisdom.
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