HELP...Which Front bumper to Buy

[Trbocharg]

I recently returned from a trip out west in my 97XJ and due to a few real scares I realize the importance for a capable front winch bumper and winch when traveling off road alone with just my old lady by my side.(My girlfriend did not like the almighty Hi-jack and the 3 hrs it would take me to find every rock around for placement under my sunken tires..)But i will say that thing saved my life...
I curently have a A NAtes 4x4 front bumper that i bought off of ebay... Its a strong and well made bumper but I really need a winch.
Ive been reasearching for about 2 weeks and the best looking choices so far have been-
Warn Rock Crawler $555
TJM Front Bull Bar $575
ARB xj winch Bull BAR $720
NAtes (New winch Bumper) $300 www.nates4x4.com
Please help me out... which is the best? are there any other good ones?

 

[Kejtar]

Loose Nuts It's got a gear approach angle, very sturdy and well built.

 

[Trbocharg]

I forgot to mention that i would really like to stick with a wrap around bumper...im only running 31 inch tires and plan to stay at this size.

 

[C.diesel]

I see it is your first post, so welcome. However, one thing that you should learn fast is that the search feature is going to be your best tool on this board to quickly find the answers to the common (and sometimes, not so common questions). Usually at least one other person and most of the time, many others have asked the questions that you are going to have.

For now try these links...

http://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=46713&highlight=front+bumpers

http://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=59454&highlight=front+bumpers

You can find a ton of info by searching for the words "winch front bumper"

You may also want to consider...

http://www.tntcustoms.com/webv2/default.asp#

I just ordered mine from TNT last week. I had a chance to talk to Bob (the owner) in depth while at ColoradoFest this year and he will go out of his way to try and help you get what you need for a good price. Hell of a nice guy too.

 

[Trbocharg]

C.diesel thanks for all that info ...ive done some searches and really have not been able to find what im looking for... I like the bumper at tntcustoms, it reminds me alot of the Four real bumper.. (i am just a little woried about blocking that much air flow into the radiator)... what are your thoughts on that?

 

[C.diesel]

Part of that would depend on what winch you end up with. However, I don't see it being a serious problem. I think that the pictures on the site are a little deceptive. From the angle that they were taken it makes the coverage of the grill look a little more than it actually is in person.

 

[SharkXJ]

Warn.....

 

[Trbocharg]

I noticed a difference in temp when i mounted two 6 inch hellas on my current bumper, i can only imagine what a warn M9000 winch sitting dead on would cause...I just dont want to add any worries.. plus this is my daily driver and i drive from florida to utah for my vacations... Its a long drive.. keeping the engine cool is real important.. Thats why i really liked about the ARB... good airflow.

 

[steveareno]

Just installed Ridgid winch bumper. I run 31"s. I like it alot. Installed Ramsey 8.5 winch - you can also install Warn for more. Check with Terry at Ridgid about the strength and mounting of the bumper. Pictures have been posted on the web and look @ http://www.rigidco.com/

 

[Fullsizexj]

Hansen Enterprises makes a really great bumper and it wraps around

 

[Root Moose]

Warn.....

I have an ARB now. Bought it for the grille protection (deer/moose karma).

If I had my time over again I'd probably look real hard at the Warn.

Not familiar with any others with grille protection.

 

[Fullsizexj]

Hansen offers grill protection 3 different ways

 

[Trbocharg]

Root moose thanks for the reply what has changed your mind about the arb?

 

[Trbocharg]

Fullsizexj... those bumpers look very nice but what does the mounting system look like and what are the prices i cant find any of this info on your page...
Thanks

 

[fumble]

I highly recommend Rigid Co Winch Bumper! It is basically a 5 plate system to your XJ! Unbelievable how it works! Here is mine on my XJ.

 

[MontanaXJ]

Love my Rigidco FbW2 with Warn 9.5XP.

Greg

 

[Root Moose]

Root moose thanks for the reply what has changed your mind about the arb?

Mostly what I've seen/read about the ARBs on sites like .

The ARB is designed to "give" or "crush" in a collision. As a result, when wheeling in rocks it may get damaged depending on what you hit.

Don't get me wrong, I'm really happy with the ARB, it is probably the most "stylish" of the full grille protecting bull bars out there, and it's obvious after handling one that some thinking really went into the design.

It does take away from the approach angle more than some others. It's one of the reasons (minor reason) why I ended up with a 5" lift instead of a 3.5".

HTH

 

[BingBing]

I have a Protofab pre-runner front bumper. It sticks out a little too far for rock crawling if approach angle matters. But it's very solid and beefy. A few trees have felt it's wrath.

 

[93xj-jeeper]

i have 31s as well and an arb......honestly i think if i were going to buy a new bumper i would not get the same bumper again. for the money i believe you can get a better bumper. one of the main reasons is the mounting design. it just uses the 3 stock bumper bolts and IMHO that is not enough in many cases for wheeling and for winching, especially any angeled pulls.....however, i ended up making my own mounting for the bumper by first getting the C-Rok inner and outer steering box plates, then bolting on custom4x4fabrications tow hook mounts to both sides and then mouting the arb to the outside of all of this, thus it pulls from the farther back on the frame from the tow hook holes and also through the steering box brace on the drivers side.....

so overall i do like my arb but it did require this modification to have an adaquate mounting design in my opinion, and if the long run i think you would be better of purchasing a bumper that already has a mounting sytem like this, which most do now....good luck in your choice

 

[slowrider]

I have and reccomend the loosenuts bumper. It has great clearence and the mounts go back along the fram about 12" and use 4 bolts per side. The other thing I like is that the winch fits in the bumper instead of on it. The guy who makes them is a member and they cost about $450.