Baystate Jeepers

Hi Everyone;
I hope everyone is staying safe in today’s world. I am looking to replace my stock bumpers with something a little more durable. Since I already dented my front bumper on the 2019 101 ( my first run ). I like the look of the mid-with,with a recessed winch. I have not started to research winchs yet, so any input on those too would be appreciated. I know there are a lot of options out there was looking to get some input from my Baystate friends.
Thanks
Carl Goodman

Depends on budget and personal taste. Just put a Poison Spyder Bruiser bumper on my wife’s Jeep and it’s nice. Her biggest requirement was a recessed winch. I have a Hanson mid-width it’s a decent bumper but avoid those guys, they WILL screw you over. There should be good Easter sales and free shipping coming up any day now.

I've got an LOD Signature Series mid width bumper, and it's been a tank. Recessed winch, utilizes stock fogs, etc. The company was also very helpful in providing instructions/hardware sizes/etc as I picked it up used.

Anything made in the USA you can't go wrong with!

MDSRACING398 wrote: ↑Wed Apr 08, 2020 3:14 pm Anything made in the USA you can't go wrong with!

Thats a good point.
Go USA!

JCR!

Lots of choices when it comes to bumpers for sure. My advice , take your time deciding which one is right for you. Look at what others have and if possible ask them if they like or dislike it. You don't have to spend a fortune to get a quality bumper and almost anything would be better than the stock bumpers. Good luck and shop carefully. A call to Off Road Elements for some advice may be helpful and be sure to tell them you're a member.

I have been very happy with my HardRock4x4 bumper. It's now been mounted on three of my JKs and I bought it used. Hardrock stands behind their product too. When I damaged the bumper winching in a bizarre incident at Brookridge (shock mount was buried in a stump and pulled so hard I damaged the winch and bumper) Hardrock sent me a brand new replacement bumper. Not many companies stand behind a product that way. Aside from having to paint it occasionally due to having worn the original powder coat off of it its held up very well and is very stout.

Also keep in mind whatever you buy depending on the year of your jeep (2011-2017 iirc), you may need to relocate a canister on the front end, with this version you don't need to move it.

Untitled by [url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/183258306@N07/]

I'll second LOD bumpers, I have their stinger bumper and love it. The powercoating holds up very well. I also would recommend Motobilt bumpers but its all on personal taste.

I run the EVO Pro Series on My JKU... but it's all about Taste...





Sorry for the pics, I don't have any specifically looking at the bumper, Can take some if you're interested.

Bob

Guys, what are the pro/cons of a stubby vs full width bumper? I guess the theory is not dragging the bumper on rocks that you are trying to get a tire on?

How about for the rear?

Chris

with a stubby, you can approach a rock or obstacle and get that much closer to your tire before contacting any part of the body. stubbies also allow for body damage where a mid or full width will protect a bit more.

I had a full-width ARB bull bar that fully covered the clip of my TJ and even with 35s and a 4" lift my bumper would hit obstacles before I could start climbing them. The next bumper was a poison spyder stubby and stinger and that had a far better approach angle while protecting the hood and winch from debris. When I started wheeling my JKU I soon replaced the factory bumper with the mid-width Hard Rock, which was in 08 and the bumper has held up to a lot of abuse with only the need for paint aside for my winch mishap I mentioned before. I can not say enough good about that company or product. Im also a big fan of the poison spyder produts but when I bought my last bumper they only offered bare steel and I wanted powder coated.

BlackNBlue-ISH wrote: ↑Thu Apr 09, 2020 4:22 pm with a stubby, you can approach a rock or obstacle and get that much closer to your tire before contacting any part of the body. stubbies also allow for body damage where a mid or full width will protect a bit more.

I should have been more clear, the advantages of the stubby on the front is pretty clear.

I am trying to figure out the pros/cons for the rear. It looks like if you go with flat fenders the full-width bumper does not look as good?

I know I brushed my stock rear bumper at the last outing. I think the wider bumper probably protects quite a bit of the rear body panels.

Chris

Thanks eveyone for all the advise. I am thinking of the poison spider.
Any input on winches??