Ok so I have an 89 PU w? IFS and want to get a strong replacement rock bumper, I only want to spend about $300 total, The only thing I could find in my price range was a smittybilt tube bumper but local shop sayes they rot out within a year is this true? Or do any of you know where I can get a better bumper?
Thanks Blaine

 

You aint gonna get out with somethin that great for that cheap. Get an ARB or TJM front bumper (~600). marlin has some front hoop bumpers, not sure on the price tho. I'm still looking for a good back bumper, cause I don't want a tubular one.....the marlin one is ok, I think All pro proabably has one, FRORF, etc. Then Get some sliders from marlin or 4crawler. And a budbuild transfer case skid plate or full belly pan......Then you'll be fully protected....with the exception of cage.

 

Well heres a few...

1. http://www.bigrocksoffroad.com/
2. http://www.allprooffroad.com/index.p...ask=view&id=21
3. http://www.marlincrawler.com/armor.html
4. http://www.warn.com/truck/mounting-s...r_toyota.shtml
5. http://www.bentup.com/RearBumpers.html
6. http://www.hsf4x4.com/bumper.htm
7. http://www.sonoransteel.com/store_custom_bumpers.html
8. http://www.armorology.com/
9. http://bigcountrycustoms.com/

 

wow, thats a mouth full....all guy asked for was a bumper.

 

Just realized...are looking for a front or rear??

 

He'll ask about it later...

 

front bumper, I want a ARB or TJM but being a college student and poor doesn't help

 

again since I am on a budget what do you guys think of this bumper
http://www.bigrocksoffroad.com/Toyot...%20Bumpers.htm
Type 2, any feed back would be good, anyone herd anything about smittybilt, how durable are they?

 

My buddy runs a smitty built... I'll see if i cant get him on here. hes got the front and the back....

 

The only real problem with the Smitty bumpers is the crappy powder coating they use. If you either keep on top of it and touch up any scrapes and chips in the coating with paint, it'll last a long time. Or have it sandblasted and painted (w/ something like POR-15) once you get it and it should be fine. I had one on my '85 when I bought it and it worked fine.

 

Not sure I have too much to add... but I have been running Smitty's on my 85 4Runner for about 7 years now. I have not had any real problems with rust. There is some starting to show at the ends of the tubes where they are capped with plastic. But the powdercoat seems to have help up well to running into trees and just general road wear (bumpers have been on the road for ~25k miles). If you run into rocks with them and scrape the coating off I'm sure they'll start rusting pretty fast, but so will most other bumpers. These bumpers have seen a lot of road salt.

I've heard bad things about their strength... but I only run over things I know they can take and they've held up well. No dents or bends. I've smacked big trees with them pretty hard a couple times and have been impressed that they took it. One of those times was down near Poteau, OK on Cavanal in the rain... I had to laugh when 4Wheel recommended in their Ultimate Adventure article to stay away from Cavanal when it rains. I was up there alone with BFG A/T's, rear locker only, no winch, wearing dress pants and shoes. I was a little over my head. If it wasn't for my rear Smittybilt I would have done a number on my Runner getting out of there. Ran into a 8" diameter tree with the rear bumper at between 5-10 mph with my foot flat on the floor. I knew I was headed off the road but the only other option was to lift and slide down into a washout I knew I couldn't get out of. No damage to the bumper.

The front bumper is good, but be advised Smittybilt no longer makes winch mounting plates for them, so you have to fab your own to mount a winch. I like how it sticks out farther than the factor bumper... keeps hard things away from the fenders. And the grille hoop is useful when running over trees... it's saved the hood a time or two. And the turn signals are mounted between and behind the 2 tubes, which keeps them out of harms way.

The rear bumper is another story... the only thing good I can say about the design is the increase strength over factory. It still have the same crappy departure angle as the stock 85 bumper... which was what I was looking to improve when I bought the bumper. A tube bumper similar in style to the All Pro or Marlin unit is definitely the way to go in the rear. Also, the nuts that were welded to my mounting brackets were on there crooked and I couldn't get a bolt to thread into them. So I had to run smaller diamter bolts through the holes and reach into the frame to put nuts on the end. I'd have a Marlin bumper right now if I wasn't dreading trying to take the Smittybilt back off...

So I recommend the front bumper, especially for the price. There are better units out there... but you have to ask yourself if you really need a better one.

 

i got my bumper at pocket-friendly price.

 

That website is freaking awful. I'd never buy from people who write like that. And it seems to just be the stock bumper?

 

doesnt even look liek a stock bumper, but one of the lower quality oem replacement aftermarket bumpers......

 

Good point, jim, does look a little flimsy to me

 

guys.. i was rear ended a month back and the insurance of the other party wrote me a check for damages and will cover any more damages if the body shop i go to finds anymore. Well the check comes out to 1585. I need a rear bumper and a tailgate for my tundra. As for the rear bumper i wanted something more solid than OEM and i like the one that BENTUP has.. and BIGCOUNTRYCUSTOMS. Both of their base models are really simple and sweet. BCC base bumper is $305 w/ rear mounting lights (http://bigcountrycustoms.com/bumpers...g/bumper12.jpg) and BU's base model is $400 (http://www.bentup.com/RearBumpers.html) That is almost $100 difference. do any of you run these and have experience with these first hand? THANKS!

 

nice links

http://www.badlandbumpers.com/index.htm
http://www.rockware.net/custom/toy.shtml