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Newbie rear bumper question

Chipe

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Hi again,
I ordered the Smittybilt SRC Gen2 Front Bumper and wanted to go with another similar rear bumper. However what I am running in to is that I have the trailer hitch and wiring already on the JLUS, and most of the bumpers I can find have a trailer hitch installed on them.

Any advice? TIA!!!
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spurly

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What's wrong with having the trailer hitch in the bumper? Personally, I'd prefer that over the factory hitch. Although most manufacturers aren't going to rate their hitch installed in their bumper for liability reasons, I'd probably bet that most are stronger than the factory hitch. Most should be more than capable of meeting the JL's 3500 pound towing capacity. (As long as it's from a reputable company and not made in China) This would also give you some extra ground clearance too. I just ordered a bumper from ACE Engineering specifically because the hitch was mounted in the bumper.
 
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Chipe

Chipe

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I didn't mean to imply there is anything "wrong" with a hitch in/on the bumper. My reasoning is that I already have/paid for the OEM hitch, so why take it off and waste that money? The rating on the Smittybilt is class 3, so that's plenty for what I need, but still, the factory hitch/wiring is installed and I hate to double pay for something. :)
 

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TJ2018

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The led's in the bumper, how did you wire those in if I may ask?
I tapped in to the wiring harness of the left rear tail light. Connected the switching side of a relay to the reverse lead in the harness and pulled main 12v power from the cargo area 12v socket wiring harness. I got my wiring tips from this thread (you might find useful) and the following diagram. I did not include the switch to turn on independently so they only come on with the reverse lights.

https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/forum/threads/backup-lights.10763/page-2

Reverse Lights.jpg
 

mikej

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I didn't mean to imply there is anything "wrong" with a hitch in/on the bumper. My reasoning is that I already have/paid for the OEM hitch, so why take it off and waste that money? The rating on the Smittybilt is class 3, so that's plenty for what I need, but still, the factory hitch/wiring is installed and I hate to double pay for something. :)
If you browse around a bit, you’ll see that people sell their factory hitches on here from time to time. You might not get all your money back, but you’ll get some. You will reuse the factory wiring on whatever you install, so that’s not a loss.
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