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Full steel / alu bumper vs "hidden" / low profile winch mounts

13K views 49 replies 27 participants last post by  Cruiser47 
#1 ·
Ok. I've searched the forums, and I've read the bumper compare thread, but I haven't found a great explanation for why everyone puts a ~100 lb steel bumper on the front of their vehicle (in addition to a ~60 lb winch) when they're not rally racing or pushing through jungle.

I'm not saying this as a criticism, just trying to understand myself before making a bumper decision - I know I need/want a winch and front shackles, but I'm trying to figure out the best bumper option.

I drive in NorCal / Western US. I can't recall ever having to push through anything with my bumper (nor have I ever seen someone's bumper with damage indicating they did that.) And it seems like doing so would damage the powder coat on a $1300 bumper anyway. My vehicle is intended for DD plus overlanding and occasional solo offroad on medium-difficulty trails (hence the desire to add a winch for self-recovery in an pinch.) Because of where I live it's often a multi-hour drive to where I want to go offroad, so keeping highway performance solid is important to me.

Meanwhile, it seems like there's a number of disadvantages to the steel full bumpers - they're a bunch of weight right at one of the worst locations to add weight (the far ends of your vehicle) and they may require some cutting of your frame to fit.

I'm trying to decide between an Exp-One bumper (maybe alu) or one of these "hidden" mounts like the US Off Road.

It seems like a hidden mount 1.) saves me ~$600 vs a full bumper, 2.) maintains the original aerodynamics and styling and 3.) is something I can install in my city garage rather than paying someone to install at a more equipped shop.

Is the full front bumper a cosmetic mod, or a practical one? On a DD that isn't being rock crawled, am I going to get use out of a full front bumper?

Apologies if this is a repeat (I'll happily take a link) but I did try searching a bunch of different ways.
 
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#3 ·
Not a stupid question at all!
Aftermarket front bumpers are designed / manufactured for 3 main purposes:

1 - Somewhere to mount a winch
2 - To keep animals out of your radiator / lap (e.g. Sheep, Goats, Deer, Kangaroos, Bears, Lions...)
3 - Aesthetics

They may also be useful as brush guards and to provide additional towing / recovery points as you mentioned already

Things aftermarket bumpers do not do:

1 - Improve vehicle strength in an accident (controversial I know, but I've ranted about this before, and I'm 100% correct)
2 - Improve aerodynamics
3 - Reduce weight
4 - Make pedestrians happy
5 - Make you more attractive to the opposite sex

So, for functional purposes, if you just want to mount a winch, go for the US Offroad style option. If you live in an area where animal strikes are a reality as well, get one designed for that purpose (e.g. ARB & plenty of others). Once you have a shortlist of bumpers that meet criteria 1 & 2, then choose the one that your wallet & eyes agree with most :)

Typically, aluminium is 30% stronger for the same weight, but in an animal impact, expect your bumper to sacrifice itself regardless of what it's made of.

Horses, Moose, Camels, Elephants are still likely to mess your roof & windscreen up even with the best barwork - try to avoid them if at all possible.

HTH,
Andrew
 
#4 ·
I've owned many off-road vehicles over the years. My first choice of bumper for mounting a winch on my old Land Cruiser was a TJM which was the only thing available at the time. It was stupidly heavy and when I removed it (replaced with a custom made hybrid) the front of the LC came up 2" despite adding a winch that weighed near double the one in the TJM.

I, like you, have spent a huge amount of time trying to find a bumper I like for my FJ. Some of the designs I like best are only available in steel and I'm not going back to the weight or hassle of keeping the rust at bay. I toyed (excuse the pun) with an in bu,per mount for the OE but ruled it out on accessibility to the winch and on rusting again.

I finally found an aluminium option I really like and it weighs anout the same as the OE bumper so overall is lighter than the in bumper mount and OE bumper.

As far as I'm concerned it is a practical choice, no cosmetic considerations other than rust and not changing the look of the FJ too dramatically. I want to keep weight to a minimum whilst providing me with a easy to work with winch mount.
 
#7 ·
I finally found an aluminium option I really like and it weighs anout the same as the OE bumper so overall is lighter than the in bumper mount and OE bumper.
Which one have you decided on? I'm interested - especially if it isn't super heavy... e.g. can be checked in as luggage on a flight :)
 
#5 ·
Thanks for that response. We do have deer (and bears - I had one *pass* me on a state highway once) up here in NorCal, but there's lots of people driving regular cars around on the same roads, and I'm not driving off-road fast enough that it would materially increase my chance of a strike.
 
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#6 ·
As you can see from my sig, I don't have an after market bumper (yet) because:

1 - I don't have a winch (not as useful on dunes as in a forest, but still useful nevertheless)
2 - Animal strikes are pretty rare (good visibility either side of the road, Camels are relatively easy to spot at a distance & don't tend to startle)
3 - The law - many aftermarket bumpers are illegal (pedestrian safety, etc), especially if they have shackle mounts on the front (this is why ARB & US Offroad offer models without shackle mounts).
4 - Weight is not your friend in dunes. This is also why I only have 8mm Aluminium skid plates from the bumper to the sump (mostly for impact protection on the sand etc not to slide over sharp rocks)

I'd probably lean toward a US Offroad style if I got a winch, but local availability is a major consideration, and ARB & Ironman are well represented locally... Decisions, decisions...
 
#8 ·
Because of where I live it's often a multi-hour drive to where I want to go offroad, so keeping highway performance solid is important to me.

Meanwhile, it seems like there's a number of disadvantages to the steel full bumpers - they're a bunch of weight right at one of the worst locations to add weight (the far ends of your vehicle) and they may require some cutting of your frame to fit.

I'm trying to decide between an Exp-One bumper (maybe alu) or one of these "hidden" mounts like the US Off Road.

It seems like a hidden mount 1.) saves me ~$600 vs a full bumper, 2.) maintains the original aerodynamics and styling and 3.) is something I can install in my city garage rather than paying someone to install at a more equipped shop.

Is the full front bumper a cosmetic mod, or a practical one? On a DD that isn't being rock crawled, am I going to get use out of a full front bumper?
I think you lose as much or more MPG by lifting the truck than you do by adding an aftermarket bumper, especially highway MPG. Lift + bumper means so much more of your front tires are dragging through the air as you drive. The weight will hurt stop/start city MPG, but FJ's aren't known for city MPG anyway. Your post doesn't mention, but are you planning on a lift? If so, I wouldn't let stock bumper MPG benefits over steel bumper concern you too much.

My main complaint against the US Offroad / Lucrum style hidden winch bumper is that it's actually more difficult to install (no, I'm not kidding) and much more $ per pound / square inch of material than a comparable full steel bumper. Respectfully, they're overpriced. The frame mount points that it uses to attach are the same as the standard bumper, and you have to take the stock bumper off to install it anyway. So any cutting you have to do back on the stock bumper is just more work.

I've got the Expedition One Kodiak bumper, and if your goal is ease of install, you've come to the right place. I've installed Fab Fours, Demello, Metaltech, and the Expedition One is the second easiest of those (come on, tube bumpers are cheating :rofl:) that I've seen. Especially when it comes to dropping your winch in, something that the Demello bumpers have to be completely removed to do.

My advice: if you're worried about your FJ's post-mod DD capabilities, you're doing it wrong. If you can afford a $20-30K+ truck plus mods, you can afford another $5-7K for a beater car that will get 35+ MPG and save your FJ for only doing what it does best.

Good luck!
 
#9 ·
The Ironman bumper I have is a full plate, steel bumper and I probably wouldn't have it any other way. After market bumper can increase your approach angles if you get the right ones even with an increased approach angle I have dumped my front bumper into the dirt and rocks. What would have caved in the plastic barely scratched the powder coat and I fixed it with a can of black Rustoleum. Also where I am you can get some decent saplings popping up on less driven trails the full bumper makes short work of them with no damage to the vehicle.

The bumper is all the "3 hoop" style that protects the lights and edges of he hood. Tall grass, saplings and bushes have hit these rails so much I have wear marks on the bumper. If I didn't have this I would have those wear marks or worse on the body of the FJ.

The weight does matter and I have the OME heavy suspension for it. Economy, sure I lost a few MPG but I have done so much I don't know how much the bumper itself really changes the MPG. Right now I'm getting 14-16.

Cutting the frame? I know mine didn't. Bumpers are like skid plates they will help you for minor damage mitigation but won't save you from the big one.
 
#10 ·
I bought my fj new in December 08. It now has 150k on it. I want to keep it forever.

They're not making new ones anymore, and after awhile a man doesn't want to carry full coverage on an older vehicle.

So, in addition to several other good reasons, part of my logic is if I'm involved with a collision with another vehicle or a deer, it would serve me well to minimize damage to my truck.

So, that was part of my reasoning for getting a big steel bumper.
 
#11 ·
If you run trails and the OEM bumpers survive then your good to go.

I don't consider myself a rock crawler and I have knocked off the bumper wings and seen many others do the same, the "TupperWare" bumper covers are delicate.

I have steel on the front and rear, they have been struck by 2 trucks and 1 suv with no damage beyond scratches (<5MPH = SUV $3,700 in repairs). The winch has been more useful helping others, only occasionally for self extraction or a tree stump or kids zip line tensioning.

They are heavy and will force you to make suspension upgrades, decreasing your MPG and yet most do not regret the trade.
 
#14 ·
If you run trails and the OEM bumpers survive then your good to go.

I don't consider myself a rock crawler and I have knocked off the bumper wings and seen many others do the same, the "TupperWare" bumper covers are delicate.
Can I ask how you knocked off the wings - on the ground or on trees? I've run a limited number of runs but at least out west, I've never felt like I was close to taking out the bumper. I do agree about the clearance being slightly better but it seems to me that once you're more than about 1/4 the height of the wheel up, that's getting kind of moot since you probably don't want to go over something higher than that.

FWIW I am intending to upgrade my suspension - probably Icon stage 2 or 3. But I may wait until after the winter to do that, to save those new parts one winter's worth of abuse on sanded highways. A winch and rings up front is potentially useful any time of the year, however.
 
#13 ·
Here's one I saw recently on a captured Hilux technical in Vietnam. Should be good for small arms protection :)
 

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#17 ·
Hit more than that with my Subaru :frown (it survived them all with minor damage)

But seriously remember that if you put a solid bumper on the front it will protect from this sort of impact but in a RTC the energy had to go somewhere and a strong bumper can transfer the energy to the frame, I'd rather the bumper absorb the impact as much as it can it's easier to replace.
 
#18 ·
Great question and I know you didn't tag us so I will keep the references vague to not take away from the thread.

The biggest difference you are going to see between a full bumper and a winch plate is a winch plate is more for those that aren't doing serious off road. More of a daily driver that may see some dirt roads and just wants the winch incase there is a a mud hole or something they fall into.

A full winch bumper usually has more benefits for off road, one of the biggest is clearance. Ours as well as most aftermarket bumpers have more ground clearance so when you approach a obstacle you have sufficient clearance to get over it with out rubbing your bumper.

There is how ever a weight loss when going to a winch plate verses a full bumper, but it's a trade off.

I'm all for less weight on our vehicles. That's why we have an aluminum bumper for the front and rear that saves considerable amount of weight. Something to consider though, we install and build a lot of toyota's. we get a lot of people who insist on the weight savings of a Aluminum bumper but then carry around full cans of gas in town along with a full set of tools. Just some food for thought.

Good luck with your choice.:rocker:
 
#20 ·
I bought a used HMWS hidden winch mounting plate. Works well for me.
Was a better option, as in cheaper and lighter than a full bumper. As far as installation, was not difficult
 
#27 ·
Did you compare this with the US Offroad one? The US one is $40 more and it looks like it weighs 15lbs more but it does come with two recovery points.

How much weight of the original bumper do you think you removed?
 
#22 ·
I opted for a Warrior Products bumper, as I wanted to have a steep approach angle with a winch mount and shackles for recovery. The Warrior is on the smaller side of things and my tires are usually the first thing to come in contact with steps/ledges. I definitely saw my highway MPG drop, some of which I recouped with a CAI and cat-back system. I had to beef-up the front suspension to carry the added weight, but wouldn't go back to stock if you paid me. Like others have said, it really depends on what you want out of your truck. For me, approach angle and the ability to mount a winch were important considerations.

Here's what mine looks like. It sweeps up high on the sides, in front of the tires and has one of the sharpest approach angles of any aftermarket bumper you can get for the FJ.


Good luck with your decision! :rocker:
 
#24 ·
I noticed the lift and tires more then my bumper. I have 285 70 17 Cooper St Maxx. Steel Demello front bumper and all pro rear steal bumper. I like the look of the Demello more then most. I also have the synthetic winch line which helps with weight. I did get a great deal on my bumper setup used I couldn't pass it up. I have seen some aluminum bumper that see use with cracks and bent D ring mounts. About a week after the install someone backed into me with their van. Zero damage to the fj one scratch on the bumper and destroyed the rear door of the van and the glass.
 

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#26 ·
I've gone for the stock with cable ties holding it on on one side look.
 
#28 ·
Question about bumper weight and a lift. I have been running the OME heavy for five years but I don't have any extra weight on the front or back. Does not having extra weight on the front or back affect anything except maybe giving me a bumpier ride?

Wanting to get a winch/bumper and was looking at the hidden ones due to the weight/cost but wonder if the FJ with the heavy OME setup would benefit from a heavier one.
 
#29 ·
When I first got my FJ I wanted to keep the stock look. A buddy of mine won a Demello Hybrid bumper at Summit IX, so he sold he his used US Offroad one.
I love it! It's not much more weight than stock. I swapped out metal cable for synthetic line, so the weight is down, the aerodynamics are still good.

I started out building up my rig for overlanding, which is STILL the direction I'm going but I'm wheeling a little harder now a days and I've crushed my rear bumper when a tree jumped behind me at Jambo 9.
I guess I crushed the plastic on the underside of my front bumper at Jambo X or a month after when I went wheeling.
I need better protection and angles on the trails.

I'm next getting a rear bumper from Trailworx before Xmas.
Next year sometime I hope to upgrade to one of his front bumpers.

In the picture you can see the US Offroad Winch plate/bumper I've got.
So far it's about the only thing I'd change or replace on my build.
Not because I don't like it, but because my needs have changed.
 

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#43 ·
Just wanted to follow up - I just bought a single hoop, aluminum front bumper in the current Demello group buy sale. I made the decision after looking at the bumpers of the folks I wheel with (and getting winched out by one from being hopelessly stuck in some mud.) I recognize it's probably costing me $1K more than a hidden winch mount, but after realizing how cosmetic the stock bumper is - really just a plastic shell - I just wanted to replace the whole thing with something that won't collapse the first time a nudge a fallen tree by accident. I went with a single hoop both for looks and also to protect my lights and front end a bit more from branches.

Thanks, everyone! Really looking forward to my new bumper.
 
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