WileEToyote

True enough, those relate to their T100 product. All the links I posted were based on owners' experiences with the bumper on a T. The link you posted is not for a winch-rated T100 bumper, however. It's a Tacoma product. The T100 offering is not rated as winch capable.

However, it was originally marketed as winch capable. I specifically remember because I tried to buy one for that reason. (I managed to hit them in a production gap and went another route). Now that the capability been proven otherwise, it does sound that they've made good with the purchasers who found that out first hand, but they've also dropped support of it as a winch mount. They didn't successfully redesign anything for that unit, aside from their product literature which effectively says to me "Heh, whoops...only kidding. We didn't put enough R&D into our product to be able to prove its integrity, and we're not really interested in fixing it now that we discovered we screwed up."

That would make me reconsider the purchase no matter what model vehicle I had and no matter what some sales rep emailed me.

Just food for thought. Maybe no one's had trouble with one on a Runner. Apples to oranges, Runners to T100, if the fruit in one basket is rotten, it stands to reason the next basket might be affected too. Might, might not, either way it's a hassle I'd caution against.

WileEToyote

That's funny. Somebody - whether it was TJM or the distributor at the time was marketing both of those as winch capable back in....97, 98? when I was looking at them.

midiwall

Yeup, you're right - my bad.


I hear you about the potential for product misrepresentation, and that's something that you have to watch out for even when buying "low fat" foods, but when stating the other side of a story, it's important to fully qualify your statements and hearsay.

My point in this was to try to give another viewpoint to your apparent blanket statement that a TJM bumper can't handle a winch.

What it looks like we've gotten to is a statement from TJM that says the bumpers ARE winch capable as shipped for specific models - including a 3rd gen 4Runner which the orginal poster was asking about.

The T100 bars are NOT winch bars in their "as shipped" configuration, and TJM states that. I can't comment on how things were 6-7 years ago.

WileEToyote

I didn't realize "more than once" qualified as a blanket statement, but ok, sorry it came off that way.

It's moot really, since I got a piece by Alaska Fabshop that I'm more than pleased with, but TJM has given me reason to be skeptical of their products, and I figure at $6-800 for a bumper, that was worth telling the prospective buyer.

midiwall

It doesn't...

What I was referring to was that in your original non-recommendation you simply said that you heard of the bumper failing. Nothing more. When questioned on this, you posted links to 3 threads, each one talks about failures with the T100 bumper.

Without qualifying those failures to have been on T100's, then it becomes a blanket statement against the TJM line. What we _now_ know is that the T100 bumper is not winch rated, but the 3rd gen 4Runner bumpers _are_.

This is relevant because the original poster is asking in regards to a 3rd gen bumper.


fwiw, I'm pushing so hard to be clear on this because a lot of folks come through YT these days using the search button. It's incomplete information like your original off-the-cuff statement that can spread rumors like wild fire. If it was left alone, then it would seem that your readings about TJM failures were in fact, blanket across the product line.


Thanks,

Mark

WileEToyote

Okay - blanket failures, no. Blanket skepticism, yes. It will take some very detailed photos to convince me that there is anything vastly different in the design of either bumper.

MODEL APPLICATIONS ASIDE I'm just pushing hard to suggest the buyer shop wisely. TJM is not the be all and end all of winch bumpers, and the fact that they could do an about-face on the application of the T100 bumper (even though this is a 4Runner being bought for here) DOES suggest something to be wary about the company and its products imho. That backpedaling could as easily become their party line with regard any of their products.

midiwall

'k. I can't argue with a "shop wisely" statement.

smr4runner

Thats funny I was going to say the same about you man. hehe

We've have been missing each other on runs this year.

We need to get together real soon. I still want to do the Lake Isabel that I missed out on. Just thinking about the 5July recovery really wants me to up again.


PM when you get a chance.