What's a good TJ-compatible swing-away rear bumper?

I have the BP bumper setup. One thing I caution you on, do you really NEED to carry gas? I found that I use it about once every 2 years for one 5-7 day long off road trip - and I put it in the CJ's and Willys's that are with us. I dont need it for myself. But that is just me. If you dont have the hi-lift mount you can tuck the tire way up tight. the gas can mounts dont take up much space. Remember with a storage rack that that raises your center of gravity quickly when used. I run a Kilby gas tank skid and I had the shop who installed it cut a little bit off of the reciever hitch so that it didnt hit the gas tank skid. It is well made, it is strong, and it doesnt rattle much - when it does something is usually loose.

Are you in the PNW? If so, I would sell you mine. I got what I thought I needed and it turns out it isnt what I really do need. I dont need to carry gas/water outside, I dont need an outside mount for my hi-lift (it lives on the inside gear rack), I dont use the antenna mount either.

Also, look at Younger Brothers bumpers. I am not sure what exactly they have out, but I have some freinds with theirs and they like them a lot.

On Wed, 31 Dec 2003 15:52:23 -0800, jbjeep wrote: Thanks for your input, and Happy New Year! Comments inline...

Hmmm - that's what *I'm* planning on, too. We may be by ourselves for a couple of days at a time, and I figured the water and gas would be handy to have on-board, but I suppose there are other ways...

Yes - that's one of the features I liked, as well. In fact, this was also one of the reasons I thought that my infrequent need to carry Gerry cans was not a big deal with this bumper, since the tire can be mounted back in close when you don't have the cans in place. What's your opinion about this? I'm curious why you see the bumper as such a poor fit for your needs, if there is not a disadvantage to not actually carrying the Gerry cans. Do you object to the appearance without Gerry cans? Is it too heavy?

Yep - the outfitter I'm having build up the jeep cautioned against this option for this very reason. However, I believe for my own type of use that it won't be a big issue, and can run without the rack except for those times it is really needed.

The vehicle will be a Rubicon (want to buy a new Wrangler X? Can't believe I'm already selling it...) with the factory skid plate. I don't know if this one would have the same problem or not... If I decide to do the BP bumper, I'll make sure and warn the installer to watch out for this.

Thanks for that tip. I had briefly seen their web page, but hadn't really looked at their products. Seems like a viable alternative to the BP bumper, and I'll definitely check them out. The lighting options for the YB bumper are interesting...

Thanks again for your post - happy new year.

I've also been thinking of a BP bumper such as the one shown here:

I also got some information on Garvin's product: I like BP's warranty not to mention that I like buying from smaller companies, but I like that Garvin's receiver is welded inside the bumper itself (vs. on the bottom). Also, Garvin's is much less expensive than BP.

Does anyone have firsthand experience with Garvin's?

Thanks,

Trevor

Whatever bumper you buy... Make sure that it mounts/bolts to the FRAME, and not just the rear crossmember. The rear crossmember is too weak to hold up a large spare tire. My bumper has pulled through the crossmember already.

JP

Yep. That's the exact rear rack I have ('97 TJ). I thought it looked awesome first time I saw it, both in the catalogs, and on a couple of Jeeps here in the Denver area. So, I found one at "SportsRack" (cheapest price, and local, so I didn't have to pay so much in shipping), and installed it myself. I think it's a very good quality, durable bumper. And in response to someone else's posting here, it does have a couple of bracing reinforcements that bolt into the actual frame, not just the rear crossmember. It supports my 33" tire like it was nothing, and is advertised to handle up to 35" meats.

I would not recommend giving them the $75 for the axe/shovel mounts; the tabs for those mounts are already built-in, and I very easily fashioned my own mounts out of 2" corner brackets from the local hardware store, and long bolts. I bent the brackets into the shape I needed, spray painted them, and voila! $10 for brackets that looked almost exactly like the $75 brackets from garvin.

The gerry can mounts are extra charges, also, as is the cargo rack. Somewhat pricey ($75 each for the gerry mounts, not sure about the rack), so I haven't gotten them yet. Still considering what it would take to fashion my own (not to mention the fact I haven't seen a real need for the gerry cans when fourwheeling yet).

On a sidenote, I thought I'd mention how this bumper holds up under an actual vehicle impact. About a month after I installed it, a stupid Dodge Ram 3500 Quad Cab pickup decided hit me from behind at a stop light (Red means stop, dumbass!). He didn't hit me too terribly hard, plus I let off the brakes just as he hit me to try to lessen the impact jerk. Anyway, the bumper protected me well, but not perfectly. The swingaway mount obviously bent in (the truck hit my tire before it hit the actual bumper clevis mounts and hitch), although it DID spring back out again, so you couldn't tell it had bent in, and in turn it did bend in my tailgate somewhat badly (tailgate had to be replaced). The points where the bumper mounted to the rear crossmember also "punched in" (it got replaced as well) a bit, since the force was too great to be sufficiently distributed by the bumper mounts. Even with these problems, I think the bumper held up extremely well. I of course made the guy's insurance replace it with a brand new unit, because I was pissed my brand new, expensive bumper had just been slammed into. In all reality, though, the mounts kept their shape about to within

95% of original, and the bumper and hinge functionality were still working perfectly, from what I could tell. The fact that I was able to drive home with only slight damage to the rear crossmember and bumper, and a decently bunged-up tailgate, from an impact that would have totalled the rear of a car, and would probably also have done far worse impact to a stock jeep with a regular tailgate-mounted tire carrier, makes me feel this bumper is pretty solid and stout. I'm not saying this bumper can take any impact and just go away unscathed, but it can absorb a pretty damn good one and stay in very good, working shape. I give this bumper high marks for durability and impact protection.

/Bob

One more thing about the garvin wilderness bumper...it mentions "drilling required"--I didn't have to do any drilling. There are holes it specifies don't exist in the rear crossmember, but my '97 Sahara already had these holes predrilled. I don't know whether your Rubicon would or wouldn't have these holes, though. If it does, and I recall right, they would be a vertically oriented pair of holes on both ends of the bumper, just 6 to 8 inches inside of, and matching with, the two holes in the rear crossmember that your factory bumper bolts to. (See ascii drawing below)

Additional holes for Garvin Bumper that may or may not be predrilled on your rear crossmember ---------------- | | V V

----------------------------------------- | . . . . | | . . . . |

----------------------------------------- ^ ^ | | Stock Bumper Holes -------------------

Also, make sure not to get a tow package from the dealer; the bolt-in points on this bumper will interfere with the trailer hitch that would mount beneath the factory bumper (my jeep had a hitch already installed that I had to remove when I installed this bumper, due to this intereference in the mounting holes in the frame). You don't need it anyway, since this bumper comes with a built-in 2" hitch.

Finally, with regard to the CB antenna: There is no built-in mounting location for this, but I just used conduit/hose clamps to mount it to the side of one of the vertical members on the swing-away square tubing, and that is working great for me. I didn't have to drill into my nice bumper, and I used some all-weather rubber gasketing to protect the bumper's finish from the metal hose clamps.

/Bob

Ok, if anyone else ever wants info on bumper recommendations, they will just have to do a google NG search if they want to see all this crap written out again. I wrote a book here, and I ain't doin' it again ;-). If I get the time and care enough, I might put it up on a website one day. Yeah, right...I'm too lazy.

I've had one for about 3 years now. I like it a lot, carrying a 33" tire. The closing mechanism is a little awkward but it doesn't rattle. The carrier rests against a rubber bumper mounted to the tailgate, and I've noticed that I've had to adjust the bumper further out a little bit, I think the crossmember is getting a little soft. However, with the tailgate open it doesn't rock any more than the new one a friend of mine installed on his Rubicon, and his has the frame supports on the sides of the frame. The Garvin bumper ties into the frame on the bottom of the frame rails. Throw away the threaded insert things for the inside bumper bracket bolts, drop the fuel tank and put real hardware in there...the tank blocks access, hence the need for the "insert" which are just threaded hex tubing with a handle welded on.

good luck

matt

• * * Matt Macchiarolo
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Ok, if you are going to be ALONE, that is different. Way different. I am always with a group of at least two other rigs, if not 4-6+ on these long trips. In a group I dont worry so much about gas and water, as I do about spare parts, since there usually does not seem to be another TJ in the bunch.

No, and yes. I've use the cans exactly three times in the several years I have had it - and always for other people. The bumper is way heavy and thats one big thing I dont like about it. The gerry can mounts are no issue with or without cans on - the only thing is to be sure to get them on tight enough with no cans that they dont vibrate and rattle. One thing I did like about the setup was I went out and got

4 locks keyed the same, one for the spare, one for the jack, and one for each can. Its all set up for that.

Great. As long as you know the issues with using one you are ok.

Dont know how good the skids are on the Rubicons, but its something to be aware of. The Kilby one replaces the stock skid. This is actually something to be aware of on any bumper with a reciever hitch. If they hit, you have to trim on one or the other...my choice was dont mess with the gas tank skid - since it will save me more greif in the long run, and I dont tow with the Jeep at this time anyway. We just trimmed it in the back, still should work like it is supposed to.

Like I said I have not looked at what they have now, but some freinds have them. One the regular one and one the heavy duty one and they are well made and stout. I was impressed - and they are not as heavy as my BP either. They have different options on theirs, and I dont recall off hand what, but the latch setup is very good. No way that will ever come open on you (not that my BP has ever done that other than when I forgot to latch it).

As I modify the BP here and there it is getting better IMO. I think that next time I am around someone with a torch I will take off the ends for the jack mount so that I can drill and get the tire in closer when not carrying gas and it will be even better IMO. That big tire is a PITA, I run 33x12.5's and once these wear down a bit further will go up to 35-37's. One thing you can get, which I highly reccomend (I had my fab shop creat this after I rolled since I bent my backing plate) is the off set backing plate for the spare. So you can run it in the down position for regular driving and still be able to see, but can put it in the up postion on the trail so you are not dragging and or resting on that back tire in the rocks. They make one for it already, it was just more cost efficient for me to have the fab shop do it for me at that point.

Ok, one more thing comes to mind that I should mention. I do have a bias against them to some degree due to customer service issues. When I ordered it they shipped me the bumper, but waited a week and a half or more - without ever telling me they wouldn't ship them together - to ship the swing out. They also shipped the bumper without the hardware to install it. Later I had problems with the swing out hinge and needed a new pin. I had a hell of a time with them and didnt get it resolved until I posted to every usenet and e-mail group I was a part of at the time. Several weeks later it was finally resolved. I have a freind who damaged the backing plate for the spare in the early/middle of November (right of way argument with a tree). He was promised that a new one would ship out to him the next day. He still doesnt have it.