Next Venture Rear Bumper Protection?

The only issue I have with my NV rear bumper is it isn't full width and I've landed on the corner of the tub more than once. After the first time I added corner armor. Otherwise it is a great bumper.

That does bring up the question of prioritizing protection or clearance.

I plan to get aluminum corner armor someday, but whether I can make corners survive until then is the bigger question.
 
Small modification in adding that recessed receiver.

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Just received and installed my Next Venture bumper, and here’s what it looks like underneath:

8AF7C90B-EA50-4AE2-BE44-BD2C32256E9C.jpeg


I noticed this only after I’d painted and installed it. I bought this bumper specifically for it’s crossmember protection, yet it lacks that. Not sure if this is a manufacturing mistake or new design (logo looks different too).

Any thoughts?
 
View attachment 430530

Just received and installed my Next Venture bumper, and here’s what it looks like underneath:

View attachment 430531

I noticed this only after I’d painted and installed it. I bought this bumper specifically for it’s crossmember protection, yet it lacks that. Not sure if this is a manufacturing mistake or new design (logo looks different too).

Any thoughts?

What are you worried about?
 
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What are you worried about?

The pic @rasband posted shows how his bumper fully wraps around the cross member:

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Whereas the one I received only half covers it, and hangs a half inch below it.

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I’m concerned about it leaving the crossmember exposed, and making the hanging “edge” predisposed to snagging on things.
 
View attachment 430530

Just received and installed my Next Venture bumper, and here’s what it looks like underneath:

View attachment 430531

I noticed this only after I’d painted and installed it. I bought this bumper specifically for it’s crossmember protection, yet it lacks that. Not sure if this is a manufacturing mistake or new design (logo looks different too).

Any thoughts?

The plate still wraps under the cross member. Mine goes a little deeper with cut outs for the gas tank skid bolts. My guess is that on a TJ, one can now remove the skid without removing the bumper plate. Mine captures the skid, so the whole thing has to be taken apart.
20191019_171719.jpg
 
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The pic @rasband posted shows how his bumper fully wraps around the cross member:

View attachment 430550

Whereas the one I received only half covers it, and hangs a half inch below it.

View attachment 430551

I’m concerned about it leaving the crossmember exposed, and making the hanging “edge” predisposed to snagging on things.

What jjvw said, those square bolts are for the carriage bolts that hold up the gas tank on a tj. In the pic of rasbands you can see some half circle cut out that I’d assume we’re for the purpose to get around the bolt as tight as possible but assuming it was more work than it was worth it so they changed the design to just trimming the whole edge back a little further. It seems far enough to not be a hang up point imo but the others here would know better than me.
 
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What jjvw said, those square bolts are for the carriage bolts that hold up the gas tank on a tj. In the pic of rasbands you can see some half circle cut out that I’d assume we’re for the purpose to get around the bolt as tight as possible but assuming it was more work than it was worth it so they changed the design to just trimming the whole edge back a little further. It seems far enough to not be a hang up point imo but the others here would know better than me.

The plate still wraps under the cross member. Mine goes a little deeper with cut outs for the gas tank skid bolts. My guess is that on a TJ, one can now remove the skid without removing the bumper plate. Mine captures the skid, so the whole thing has to be taken apart.
View attachment 430552

That makes sense.

Is yours flush with the crossmember? On mine, I can stick a finger in between the cross-member and bumper plate..
 
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Wish I'd known about this before purchase. Not sure how important it is to cover that small surface area, but at double the price of the barnes, I would've hoped for full coverage.
 
Wish I'd known about this before purchase. Not sure how important it is to cover that small surface area, but at double the price of the barnes, I would've hoped for full coverage.

I'd venture a guess that the likelihood of a rock poking in the small gap between the bumper and gas tank skid is probably pretty low. I see what you mean and am surprised to see the difference, but it'd have to be a pretty unluckily angled extremely pointy rock to be an issue, wouldn't it? I'm no expert but I'd think you'd be hitting either the corner of the bumper, or the GTS?