Stubby front bumper recommendation?

Mr. Bills said:
Although not as "stubby" as some, I like my Rock Hard 4x4 46" aka "narrow" aka "expedition width" bumper. It is available with or without a hoop and is winch ready.

https://www.rockhard4x4.com/product_p/rh-4001-c46.htm
View attachment 102888
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This is the same as I have. I chose it for these features:
- No add-ons needed for my purposes. Ready to mount winch and fairlead.
- Room and holes to mount LED fog lights on outer ends.
- Tabs on the hoop to mount a small light bar.
- Seems solidly built and should serve well for recovery.
- Compatible with Currie AntiRock and ORO SwayLOC
- Simple straightforward design/appearance.

Others may provide a slightly better approach angle.
 
Equilibrium31 said:
... Stubby bumpers definitely give a good, clean, simple look and will reduce your weight at the same time.
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And on a functional level, less bumper is less in the way. That has been one of the major considerations on mine recently, to reduce the physical size and profile of the Jeep. The rest of the desirable considerations tend to follow along.
 
Equilibrium31 said:
Stubby bumper should look good there. I always thought the bumpers like the one you have now just look too much like a mustache to really appreciate them, haha. Stubby bumpers definitely give a good, clean, simple look and will reduce your weight at the same time.
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never thought of that but you're right. This is the one thing the prior owner of my TJ did that I don't like, all of his other choices were great. The bumper didn't jump out at me as something I didn't like, it took a while for me to appreciate how ugly it really is.

jjvw said:
And on a functional level, less bumper is less in the way. That has been one of the major considerations on mine recently, to reduce the physical size and profile of the Jeep. The rest of the desirable considerations tend to follow along.
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another thought crossed my mind, as another thing i don't like about my current bumper is the bull bar; how necessary are they really? I guess it depends on what you do with the TJ. I don't think the one I have is all that useful anyway

I spoke with Motobilt this morning, figured I'd call before ordering it to make sure it was in stock - NOT. Maybe in 4 weeks they said. I not thrilled about ordering stuff that isn't yet made, not sure what I'll do. I like the Barnes too
 
I have a bull bar on mine.
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It is a light bar mount. Occasionally it is a nice place to lean or sit. Beyond that, it is nothing else useful. There are no scratches or scuffs on the bull bar. There are plenty on scuffs on the wings and leading edges of the bumper, though. That is a good way to tell where a bumper is offering protection or is just getting in the way of itself or uselessly occupying empty space.
 
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jjvw said:
I have a bull bar on mine.
View attachment 103246

It is a light bar mount. Occasionally it is a nice place to lean or sit. Beyond that, it is nothing else useful. There are no scratches or scuffs on the bull bar. There are plenty on scuffs on the wings and leading edges of the bumper, though. That is a good way to tell where a bumper is offering protection or is just getting in the way of itself.
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that's what I figured, my bar scuff free as well & I long ago removed the LEDs that used to be mounted on there because a) I never off road it in the dark & b) they just looked stupid. I've actually pondered cutting those tabs off, in fact I think that was the snowball that got this party started if memory serves, initially trying to de-bling the bumper turned into a realization that the whole monster has to go. On the flip side of that I've hit a few trees & whatnot with the ends that I've had to re-paint so I'm pretty sure i've saved my fenders from harm due to that giant cyclops of a bumper, if anything gives me pause towards moving to a stubby it's that.

Or I could pledge to just drive more carefully :ROFLMAO:
 
The big debate for me is whether to start fresh or attempt to improve on what is there. I know I can sell what I currently have.
 
jjvw said:
The big debate for me is whether to start fresh or attempt to improve on what is there. I know I can sell what I currently have.
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I considered cutting the dumbo ears off the ends of my bumper and also lopping off the bar in an effort to turn it into stubby. But, with my skills and the general shape of that thing plus several other factors I have not considered because I'm generally unaware of what they may be (mostly as related to residual structural integrity) I decided against that. It's an ugly pile of shit & I'm pretty sure I'll butcher it & make it uglier if that's even possible.

So in a moment of clarity just now I put my order in for the Motobilt. I will wait, get what I want, and do it right.

Onward & upward
 
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Installed 😁:

I've run into one issue, the d-ring tab is so close to the fairlead there doesn't seem to be a way of avoiding scratches on the fairlead, is there any way to remedy this using what I have here or am I destined for a safety thimble?

Also, I put a shit ton more pictures on my build thread:

https://wranglertjforum.com/threads/westtown-willys-2004-jeep-wrangler-x.10777/
IMG_1058.JPG
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I love how it looks like it's not even there:

IMG_1064.JPG
 
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