BEST BUMPER & WINCH COMBO FOR 1/2-ton CHEVY/GMC Z-71 4x4 ?

General Automag

Adventurer
We need some recommendations for a winch and perhaps a different front bumper for our 2001 Chevrolet Silverado. It's a 1/2-ton extra cab Z-71 with a short bed. The vehicle is mostly stock. We plan to install ReadyLift's http://www.readylift.com/c-35-chevy-silverado-1500-1999-2007-classic-4wd-6-lug-25.aspx 2.5" torsion keys in the front and their 3" blocks in the rear. This should improve the approach angle in the front and allow us to install 33" tires. (We occasionally tow and haul and want to keep the factory "rake" so the truck will sit level when you have a trailer attached or heavy load in the bed).

We had an accident yesterday in our Toyota Land Cruiser FJ40. Someone pulled out in front of us and we could not avoid hitting them broadside. The FJ40 took the hit well and can be repaired, but I believe the same hit to our Chevrolet truck would have caused a lot more damage. Since the Chevy truck is over 10 years old now, the "book" value is a lot lower than it used to be, and we don't want a hit like this to "total" our truck in terms of an insurance settlement payout. (We plan to keep this truck for many more years, so a good bumper up front is sort of an insurance in its on right)

We are looking first at the Warn winches, simply because we have had great luck using an 8274-50 on another vehicle. We know that the Warn 8274 is a great winch, but I don't believe that this particular winch will fit on a full size Chevrolet. Warn's Transformer winch mounts/bumpers http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/newthread.php?do=newthread&f=28 look all right, but I'm not sure that setup would withstand a hard hit from a deer or minor front or head-on fender bender.

The grill and light guards that mount where the tow hooks go are simply not strong enough, so we're not interested in these.

Does anyone have any good winch/bumper combinations that they've been satisfied with? If so, please post some pictures if you have them. Thanks for your recommendations! :)
 

1stDeuce

Explorer
Hey Greg, I looked around a bunch and finally found an ARB that was missing some small parts for a good price. It's a fair bumper, but if you have some skill, the 100 series landcruiser bumpers probably looks better on a 1/2 ton. The normal ARB sits high. And it won't fit an 8274. Nobody that I'm aware of makes a bumper to fit an 8274 anymore at all... Not in the states anyway. I'm chopping on my ARB right now to get my old trusty 8274 to fit. :)

On a 1500, you're going to want to try to keep the weight down, which means a lot of the bumpers out there are probably not such a good idea. (Buckstop, Ranch Hand, and most of the other big bumpers are HEAVY!) How about an Aluminess bumper? Or TJM if they're still making them for chevys. You need one that's made of lighter sheet metal. They'll still take a hit and save the truck w/o being overbuilt. (You want the bumper to get a little mangled in a good hit, or it transfers all the energy into the frame, and you're worse off than if you'd left the front alone.)

There is an ARB on CL in denver right now for your truck...

The brush guard mounts are proabably not really going to help your cause in an accident...

Good luck!
Chris
 

Spargman

Adventurer
Liquid Iron Industries sells the mounts to convert a Series 100 bumper for a Chevy...i did it on my OBS; but the hoops need to modified (raised)
 

1stDeuce

Explorer
I can't help with the Liquid Iron stuff, but here's a writeup on doing the install w/o the "kit".

http://www.expeditionportal.com/for...-Modded-ARB-bumper-Part-1?highlight=arb+tahoe

Do some searching on here for more pics. It seems that no matter which bumper you pick, they pretty much cover up the turn signals. The actual GM version sits pretty high on a half ton. Well, it sits pretty high on a 3/4 ton too. There's a picture on ARB's website of an '01-ish chevy with an arb and it looks pretty good, but my '06 GMC, with virtually the same nose, looked a little strange. ???
Here's a picture of mine:
http://i659.photobucket.com/albums/uu312/LittleBuddy73/IMG_0361.jpg
 

General Automag

Adventurer
What did you do for the rear bumper? Please post pictures if you have any.

Did the modified ARB bumper weigh down the front of the truck that much? Are you driving a 1/2-ton or 3/4-ton?

Did you have the modify any of the truck's mounting points on the frame where the bumper attaches?

The ARB bumpers on a Chevrolet/GMC look better than anything else I've seen for those trucks.
 

1stDeuce

Explorer
Oops, I think I misled you. The 100 series bumper install wasn't me, it was 02TahoeMD. You'll have to ask him almost all of your questions. My truck is the white 3/4 ton in the last link, and it's got the normal GM ARB on it.

The bumper by itself wasn't really noticeable to the front of the truck, but after I added the 8274, it definitely dropped the front of the truck a little when I set it down with the hoist. I'd say perhaps 1/4". A 1/2 ton would probably drop a little more, or perhaps not if you put a "normal" winch in it. :)

I would bet money that the ARB is the lightest full bumper you can get. I could pick it up and move it around by myself before I put the winch on, and I'm not a big guy. And I'd agree on the looks thing, I like that it's not all flat plate, or tube, it's very nicely finished, and very well built. And ARB actually does air bag certification testing so they can sell it in Australia. I don't think any of the other bumper mfg's can say that they know their bumper doesn't adversely affect the air bag operation...

Chris
 

Stuart Kent

Observer
don't know if I'm too late to help with your decision but...

I have been at this for a long time, and I just outfitted my 2003 Silverado 1500 4x4 Z71 with a pair of Buckstop Truckware 'classic' bumpers and a Superwinch Talon 12,500lb. submersible winch with synthetic line (I know about the pros and cons, but it dramatically cuts weight) I couldn't be more impressed with either of these products. Pound for pound I think the Buckstop bumpers are built better for full size applications that the competition. Both of these companies have graciously sponsored an upcoming project I am working on, and I might be able to get you a discount if you are interested. Contact me privately if you are.

cheers,
Stuart.
 

General Automag

Adventurer
No, we haven't decided on one yet. Would you mind posting pictures of your setup if you have any? We're thinking about a rear bumper too, just to protect the rear end from the all-too-common unaware texting driver. The ARB bumper for the Chevrolet looks all right in the few pictures I've seen, but there are a lot of posts showing folks using the Land Cruiser 100 Series ARB bumpers on Chevy/GMC full size trucks. I also looked at the Tough Country bumpers.

I'm don't see the need to replace the steel cable with synthetic line on our other winches, simply because the steel cables haven't broke yet, but I do see how the weight savings would make a difference on a 1/2-ton. (There's 150' of 3/8" cable on our Warn 8274 which has to weigh a few pounds).
 

Stuart Kent

Observer
These aren't the best quality photos, but you can see the truck and accessories clearly enough. The bumpers are 1/4" thick CNC cut, powder coated (and available in almost any color imaginable) mild plate steel. They are TOUGH!!! They come in a few different styles and you can order these bumpers with any lighting configuration, I prefer the dual recessed cans. Another nice feature is the that bull bar is removable if you only want the bumper or need to reduce weight. But don't let that fool you, the mounting mechanisms are BEEFCAKE. There are a lot of reasons to like these bumpers, but mostly because they are made by a small company that only makes bumpers and they are made in the USA - which in this case is a really good thing! They don't skimp on anything. As for the winch, the Superwinch Talon is lightning fast (I think it is 62 feet per minute) totally sealed against dust and water, lower current draw than other 12,000lb winches, and really high quality solenoids. This is a winning combination and I strongly recommend this setup.

Again, if you decide to go with either of these products I might be able to help you out with a discount because they sponsor my work.
hope this helps.

View attachment 127402

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here are a few extras of the new rig.

underseat storage - I will never own another truck without this!
View attachment 127410

wheel well toolboxes. very narrow but I like the bed length and this works for my needs, so I like this trade - not for everyone though.
View attachment 127411

good luck with your truck, I look forward to seeing how you set up.
 

Stuart Kent

Observer
sure thing, not sure what happened there, let's try this again.

Buckstop Bumper angle.jpgBuckstop Bumper front.jpgBuckstop Bumper side.jpgfront bumper accessories.jpglight cans, interior.jpgrear bumper 2.jpgrear bumper installed.jpgTalon hawse lead (8).jpg

here are the toolboxes and the under-seat storage solutions - very cool.
IMGP9430.jpginstalled, full of straps and tools.jpg
 

General Automag

Adventurer
'Very nice bumpers! Actually, they're the best I've seen for this model, especially because they make a rear bumper that matches.

Is your truck a 1/2-ton or 3/4-ton? What size of lights did you install on the front bumper? Did you use the stock (factory) fog light switch and connectors to power one set of those lights? Regarding the lights in the rear bumper, what size did you use and did you wire them with a separate on/off switch or wire them into the reverse (backup) lights? Thanks :)
 

Stuart Kent

Observer
I agree, they are the best I've seen also, and I cannot stress enough how nice they are. My truck is a 1/2 ton, with a 5.3 litre gasoline engine.

It was a happy accident that the Superwinch hawse fairlead and the synthetic rope are both blue. It never occurred to me, but it sure does look good-like it was planned for a blue truck.

All accessory lights are PIAA ATP, wired into factory controls. The outer lights in the front bumper are 4" wired in to the factory fog light control.
The inner (larger) lights in the front bumper are 6" wired into the high beams. They cannot all be used simultaneously, which is okay because they draw a lot of current, and will most likely be used with the winch at the same time - heavily taxing the batteries. The rear lights are wired into the factory reverse lights.
 

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