XJ Winch Bumper
- Thread starter saburai
- Start date
getlost4x4
Expedition Leader
why would you want your winch in your bumper if you ever plan on using it? if you don't plan on using your winch, just hang a piece of cable with a hook out the fairlead.
if you use your winch, its much better to have it up where you can see how its spooling the cable, if it jams you can un-jam it without removing the whole bumper. you can service your winch, you can also make sure your cable is spooling correctly and won't bind up and break your winch.
arb bumpers are nice, but a little bit of a poser thing if you ask me. get one with the winch exposed, and enjoy your winch, a well designed winch bumper will have the winch exposed, and the mounting bolts inside the bumper to help deter theft.
my humble opinion. i use my winch a lot in the snow, i like being able to see what its doing.
if you use your winch, its much better to have it up where you can see how its spooling the cable, if it jams you can un-jam it without removing the whole bumper. you can service your winch, you can also make sure your cable is spooling correctly and won't bind up and break your winch.
arb bumpers are nice, but a little bit of a poser thing if you ask me. get one with the winch exposed, and enjoy your winch, a well designed winch bumper will have the winch exposed, and the mounting bolts inside the bumper to help deter theft.
my humble opinion. i use my winch a lot in the snow, i like being able to see what its doing.
saburai said:
DaJudge
Explorer
w_b
Observer
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]XJ TrailBlazer Winch Bumper Package $640.00[/FONT]
Rusty's Pre-Runner $350
Rock Hard $380
Rigid $460?
Hansen Offroad $680 - $870
TNT Customs $490
MORE $550
Nate's $380
This is by no means the complete list. There are others. Look at the picture of the bumper on Nate's site. See the long "ears" that attach the bumper to the frame rails of the XJ? If you ever plan on using your winch or using your front bumper as a recover point, make sure the bumper you select has a similar setup. I've read the "ears" have to go about 14" back to tie into where the frame is sleeved.
Rusty's Pre-Runner $350
Rock Hard $380
Rigid $460?
Hansen Offroad $680 - $870
TNT Customs $490
MORE $550
Nate's $380
This is by no means the complete list. There are others. Look at the picture of the bumper on Nate's site. See the long "ears" that attach the bumper to the frame rails of the XJ? If you ever plan on using your winch or using your front bumper as a recover point, make sure the bumper you select has a similar setup. I've read the "ears" have to go about 14" back to tie into where the frame is sleeved.
Maximus Ram
Expedition Leader
have ya checked e-bay. never know, may find a good deal.
[/quote]
This is by no means the complete list. There are others. Look at the picture of the bumper on Nate's site. See the long "ears" that attach the bumper to the frame rails of the XJ? If you ever plan on using your winch or using your front bumper as a recover point, make sure the bumper you select has a similar setup. I've read the "ears" have to go about 14" back to tie into where the frame is sleeved.[/QUOTE]
I'm a little skeptical of the massive frame tie-in type bumpers. An old body shop guy once told me that a even a light collision with that type of bumper can seriously tweak your frame, or unibody. I trust ARB's design. They have probably sold more than anyone else, and the Aussies offroad as a way of life.
This is by no means the complete list. There are others. Look at the picture of the bumper on Nate's site. See the long "ears" that attach the bumper to the frame rails of the XJ? If you ever plan on using your winch or using your front bumper as a recover point, make sure the bumper you select has a similar setup. I've read the "ears" have to go about 14" back to tie into where the frame is sleeved.[/QUOTE]
I'm a little skeptical of the massive frame tie-in type bumpers. An old body shop guy once told me that a even a light collision with that type of bumper can seriously tweak your frame, or unibody. I trust ARB's design. They have probably sold more than anyone else, and the Aussies offroad as a way of life.
saburai
Explorer
Good Point
[/QUOTE]
I'm a little skeptical of the massive frame tie-in type bumpers. An old body shop guy once told me that a even a light collision with that type of bumper can seriously tweak your frame, or unibody. I trust ARB's design. They have probably sold more than anyone else, and the Aussies offroad as a way of life.[/QUOTE]
How do the ARB's tie in?
If they don't use some frame meat to attach, how can they hold up to year after year repeated extreme use?
I don't think that the stock bumper mounting locations were designed with recovery in mind.
I do think that you make a good point. There has to be a trade off between rigidity and crumple - ability.
Perhaps there are some here with impact/collision experiences who could give us some real world feed back.
Many thanks
Rich
[/QUOTE]
I'm a little skeptical of the massive frame tie-in type bumpers. An old body shop guy once told me that a even a light collision with that type of bumper can seriously tweak your frame, or unibody. I trust ARB's design. They have probably sold more than anyone else, and the Aussies offroad as a way of life.[/QUOTE]
How do the ARB's tie in?
If they don't use some frame meat to attach, how can they hold up to year after year repeated extreme use?
I don't think that the stock bumper mounting locations were designed with recovery in mind.
I do think that you make a good point. There has to be a trade off between rigidity and crumple - ability.
Perhaps there are some here with impact/collision experiences who could give us some real world feed back.
Many thanks
Rich
w_b
Observer
wb said:
Skepticism is good. I believe there is a lot of misinformation out there from old guys in the business (whatever that business may be). Opinion does not always equate to an objective personal experience and one person's experience is probably not obtained from examination of the whole picture.cnskate said:
For example, a body shop guy sees a rig with a steel bumper come in that only has a light dent and a small deflection on the left-front corner. Upon further inspection he finds the frame has been tweaked from the impact. His conclusion may be the bumper caused the frame tweak. What he hasn't considered is this apparently light collision (apparent because there's not a lot of visible damage), with a stock bumper would have caused a foot and a half of intrusion into the left-front corner of the vehicle (which for insurance purposes, would total most vehicles).
Any bumper that is not specifically designed and made to collapse will transmit the energy of an impact to where ever the bumper is mounted. If that bumper is mounted strictly at the front of the frame, the force will be transmitted there. If the bumper is affixed to a longer length of the frame, the energy will be transferred over a greater distance and reduce the amount of energy, per square inch, over that distance.
You can argue that ARB designs their bumper to absorb energy from an impact and that may be true as they use a lighter material than most aftermarket heavy bumpers. The lighter metal would absorb some energy because it'll crush. I don't see the relationship between energy absorbency and mounting unless it's desirable to have the bumper ripped off in an accident. What I do see with a minimalist mount is directing more energy over a smaller area, causing more damage to that area.
Plus I've seen frame straighteners used on uni-bodies and I've seen pictures of an ARB front bumper pulled off during winching. (My experience...)
Last edited:
DaJudge
Explorer
As with everything there is a compromise. The tie-ins will affect the crumple zones of the "frame". However, the bumper will not pull off in a recovery situation. For every modification these type of things need to be weighed out. Personally I prefer to have confidence in the ability of my equipment to get me where I want to go and get me out of a bad situation (winch out) with confidence when needed.
I recommended AJ's bumper because I know from experience (mine and others) that it will hold up.
I recommended AJ's bumper because I know from experience (mine and others) that it will hold up.