Need a new bumper

Bird Dog

TJ Enthusiast
Joined
Jan 8, 2017
Messages
146
Location
Lexington, SC, United States
My factory bumper did its job in the woods today and took out a stump about the size of my calf. I now need a new front bumper since the factory is now bent and probably won’t straighten out. I want a sturdy bumper that is a bumper and covers the front tires and actually protects the front end. I don't rock crawl - most of my off-roading is in the woods during hunting season and it is my daily driver the rest of the time. Just. Wanted to see what is out there and see if any of you “low billys” had some suggestions.
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There are a number of after market bumpers to choose from. Most are made to order and are around the 300 range with shipping. Which is best is largely a matter of taste. A couple come to mind but nearly all require a DIY finish. You could also get an E-Autogrilles off Amazon for around 200
 
If you like your bumper... a body shop with a frame machine could pull that out.
 
I have to agree with Cracked. You state that you want "a full width brush bumper that doesn’t weigh a ton" but what you are actually looking for is the LOOK of a full width brush bumper that doesn’t weigh a ton. Nothing wrong with that at all but performance suffers as you found out. The stock bumper is always going to fold when hit on the corners.
 
My stock bumper was bent outward 90* when a small tree wedged itself between the fender and bumper. Another tree help get it fairly straight again. Luckily this happened when my friend owned it, so when I got it it had new fenders.
Last week my wife bought a perfect oem bumper including tow hooks for $50.
I too didn't want to cut it short, as in my area, plowing down small trees is always necessary.
I will be welding reinforcement at the end of the bumper so it can more easily handle the larger brush and trees.
 
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