so ive been looking at getting a front bumper for some time now, and ive narrowed it down to two. Marlin and Trail Gear. i like the marlin one because its low key, but still looks good. i also like the trail gear one because it just looks bad to the bone indestructible. So which one do yall think i should get?

Marlin



Trail Gear




thanks yall

 

The trail gear one looks like it'll give you a little more coverage from water, which is always good.

 

yea, that might just be the winch plate though, which is an extra 150 bones. i cant decide haha ive been looking at these pics all day

 

The T-G looks like it might block the headlights slightly, have heard of shipping/production delays on marlin bumpers.

Don't forget about ScottyC's Addicted Off Road and Dave's Off Road performance...they both make great products

 

dont forgets scottys bumpers. im a big fan of his bumpers and seen them in person and im very impressed.

 

i will check those out. i too have heard about customer service issues with marlin. but as for the headlight blocking, thats why i got these pups- oh and OC thank you for moving this to the correct section and clarifying the title for me

 

well, marlins online store had the add to cart button for about a day, so i might have to call them. i dont know, i think the square stinger would kind of go with the theme of my truck, if there is one. like the square rollbar, not many rounded things on the truck

 

addicted offroad has some cool ones

http://www.addictedoffroad.com/bumpers.html

 

i looked at those, but i dont know if i like it. i cant put my finger on what i dont like, but i dont like it as much as marlins.

 

I lean towards Scotty's so get a TG so mine will be a little more unique when I get one

 

No preference on any of those bumpers, I like them all. But someone needs to come out with a true prerunner style bumper for the 84-88 body style.

 

around here theyre pretty unique so no need to worry about that

i agree. i think im leaning more towards the marlin one now

 

Did Marlin finally find a fabrication company to start building his again? Last I heard, they had discontinued production on them until they found a new source.

 

i just emailed brennan there and he told me they were still out of stock, but should be up and running by the end of this month. i dont know if i want to wait that long though.

 

although i like the tube bumpers i'm thinking they're too common and building one myself utilizing a winch plate from trailgear is going to be the direction i'll take with the 84. But just to throw in some ideas of bumpers not traditionally thought of for our trucks here's some nice examples of what i like in a yota bumper. hint hint scotty.



If some one was to make another option other than the good old tube bumper some one might be so inclined to buy one from said person. wink wink nudge nudge.

 

I re-released the old style again too. That is the pic above. I also have the new style with the dimples in both a pointed stinger and squared off stinger.

We also recently started giving guys a turn signal option on the bumpers. Its an LED turn signal. We also have the D-ring mounts through 1/2" down supports for recovery purposes.

 

Plate bumpers just typically weigh too much and cost twice as much to manufacture. Guys have a hard enough time spending $375-$399 on a bumper let alone $750-800 for a plate bumper. Twice as much material and 3x more labor = much more expensive.

 

i really like this bumper. if someone was to make this i would buy it in a heartbeat.

although it looks good on this truck, i think the stinger needs to be a little more square where it goes flat at the top, and also a little taller. i think this is why i dont like it as much as marlins. i do like the looks of it though, just not as much as marlins.

 

Marlin's is more square because he uses 1.5" tubing for his stinger and 1" tubing for his gussets. My stinger is 1.75" and gussets are 1.25".

Marlin makes a good bumper too. And, I understand that everyone has different tastes and its your truck to do with what you want.

My stinger isn't really that short. You can still see it when driving. I bet Marlin's is only an inch or so taller.

My old 4runner:


I can build a taller stinger if its requested when ordered too. It usually changes the shipping cost slightly, but that is about it.

 

thanks scotty, now that i see more of the pics and the fact you use thicker tubing is going to give me an even harder decision. i will definitely be looking into yours now.