Choosing a Rear Swing Away

    so i am getting a new rear bumper with swing away tire carrier for Christmas. only thing is that i can not make up my mind. while i like some of the more expensive ones (warn and arb), my budget is not that big. i have narrowed it down to two.


    Smitty Built
    pros - i like the look of it and i really like that it does have a Class III hitch. also says it comes with shackle mounts (not shown in pic).
    cons - biggest draw back for me is that it does not have a mount for a highlift. how easy would it be to mod that?
    http://www.quadratec.com/products/12057_23X2_PG.htm


    BodyArmor -
    pros - i like that it can hold the highlift and that it also has mounts for the j-cans and cb antenna; and again, it has shackle mounts with shackles.
    cons - im not as big on the look of this one, and even though it has a hitch, its not rated for towing. this is also more expensive
    http://www.jeep4x4center.com/p…on.asp?number=BA-TJ-2993K



    i know that jeeps are not eally meant for towing and i do not plan on towing much, but i would like to be able to tow a light trailer (lawn mower trailer or something). i know that i could probably get away with a very light load with the body armor but dont want to mess with it. i have a class III on it now but would like to remove it for a better departure angle. also, the j-can mounts are pretty sweet, but in reality, i may not ever use them.


    if the smitty built came with a highlift mount, i would probably buy that one at this point.


    thoughts on quality, ease of mod for the smitty, reccomendations, cautions?


    thanks
    eric

    Maybe I'm looking at your links wrong but it seems the Smitty bumper is more once you add the tire carrier? :shrug:

    Neill


    In a perfect world every dog would have a home and every home would have a dog.

    If your going to tow with it and or use the bumper as a recovery point, make surewhichever one you get has frame tie-ins. My .02
    AtoZ has a nice one in your price range if you want to paint it yourself.

    2000 Sahara, All custom...
    2000 Cherokee Police package, Beater....


    I may be slowest and the stupidest

    Quote from 2000sahara


    If your going to tow with it and or use the bumper as a recovery point, make surewhichever one you get has frame tie-ins. My .02
    AtoZ has a nice one in your price range if you want to paint it yourself.



    I agree with 2000sahara I really like my AtoZ rear bumper tire carrier I would also recommend the tie in kit if you plan on towing. http://www.atozfabrication.com…per-and-Tire-Carrier.html

    Neill


    In a perfect world every dog would have a home and every home would have a dog.

    the body armor one has $50 for shipping and an additional $75 charge for weight (found that out after i tried putting it in my cart). at q-tec it goes for $746. if i got the smitty built, i could pick it up at q-tec and only pay the sales tax, and i would still be under $700 for bumper-on-jeep.

    not sure if i want an un painted one and if i got it power coated that might up the price too much. id prefer to not rattle can it.

    dont all bumpers mount to the frame? what else would it mount it to? best i can tell, my stock bumper mounts to the frame now...

    thanks for the input, keep it coming.


    Most including the stock, mount to the cross-member which is not very strong.


    If you take your time you can do a nice job with rattle-can.


    Here's my home-built rear with Rustoleum's hammered finish:


    It will get scratched and chipped and is easier to touch up if painted than powder-coated.

    Quote from Erock


    Smitty Built
    pros - i like the look of it and i really like that it does have a Class III hitch.


    Creative marketing there.


    The "Class III hitch" is the receiver that's welded into the bumper.


    The bumper itself is not rated for towing. It doesn't even have provisions for safety chains.



    Got to agree with Keith on this I have a powder coated bumpers on my Jeep but I don't think I'd go that route again. After 4 years my front bumper is chipped to hell and now I need to grind off the powder coating so I can repaint it. :bang:

    Neill


    In a perfect world every dog would have a home and every home would have a dog.

    I too would rather paint the bumper . If you ever see signs of surface rust just hit it with some paint and be don with it. Jwalk has a powder coated warn bumper that looks like it has a disease from all the rust bubbling and powder coating chipping off.

    2000 Sahara, All custom...
    2000 Cherokee Police package, Beater....


    I may be slowest and the stupidest

    Quote from Erock


    seeing the pic of keith's bumper sold me on the paint-it yourself. that thing looks real nice

    goint to call a to z tomorrow. will the number on their web page get me zach?


    Those pics were from April 2004 when I built it.


    It's looking a little faded and chipped, and is on my list to repaint but really has held up well for over 6 years.


    Nice thing about paint, it can be repainted on the Jeep.



    Don't know about the phone #, but I'm sure whoever answers it will know where to find him.

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