ARB bumper

[Limamikemike]

Any of the JL types here have factory steel bumper with a winch installed? Is it worth it or would it be better to pony up for an ARB or similar?

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[Jeepin Weekend]

Any of the JL types here have factory steel bumper with a winch installed? Is it worth it or would it be better to pony up for an ARB or similar?

I do not have one but Ive heard that the stock steel bumper is quite cramped with winches like the warn zeon series. AEV Dave has eluded to this a few times on his Instagram. I haven't heard from ARB, but I do know that AEV is designing their bumpers to make it easy to access the winch. I am personally going with the AEV bumper whenever it's released, and will not be going with the factory steel bumper.

(EDIT: Grammar)

 

[Sgt Beavis]

I think the stock steel bumper is fine for winches. I have a Smittybilt H20 with a Warn mounting kit. It wasn't hard to do at all.

 

[BeepBeepIAmAJeep]

I have my JKU stock steel bumper with a warn zeon platinum 12 winch installed on it, and yes, it is very cramped getting that thing in. You have to cut the vacuum pump mounting bracket on the jeep frame and relocate to the back side of the mounting plate for the winch (which I feel is a huge scam. FCA markets it as a winch ready bumper and unless you have that mounting plate, the only thing you are mounting is the fair lead, and even that you have to cut a bigger hole in the bumper than what FCA shipped out.) For my JT, I will probably just buy an aftermarket bumper for like $400 and save the 3 days it took me to mount my winch on my JKU, not to mention the mounting plate was like $100 or $150 iirc.

 

[RedTRex]

I have my JKU stock steel bumper with a warn zeon platinum 12 winch installed on it, and yes, it is very cramped getting that thing in. You have to cut the vacuum pump mounting bracket on the jeep frame and relocate to the back side of the mounting plate for the winch (which I feel is a huge scam. FCA markets it as a winch ready bumper and unless you have that mounting plate, the only thing you are mounting is the fair lead, and even that you have to cut a bigger hole in the bumper than what FCA shipped out.) For my JT, I will probably just buy an aftermarket bumper for like $400 and save the 3 days it took me to mount my winch on my JKU, not to mention the mounting plate was like $100 or $150 iirc.

Yeah, they do say winch ready...so what does that mean exactly?

 

[BeepBeepIAmAJeep]

Yeah, they do say winch ready...so what does that mean exactly?

It means there is a small slot (about half the size of standard roller fairleads) in the bumper and that it is strong enough to pull several tons of load... there were ZERO mounting points for any size winch.

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