Advice for bumper and winch

[mgroeger]

This is our first Jeep and we are now upgrading the bumper and adding a winch. I've tried to educate myself as much as possible but was hoping for some advice as well. Our price point is $1k for both together.

USE:
Daily driver with some decent offroading at Uwharie National Forest on weekends and Moab, Ouray and Teluride next July. We do NOT have a LSD and obviously no lockers either.

I've read a lot of reviews on Extreme Terrain website about Barricade bumpers for both JK and JL and one major complaint is that the finish is NOT durable and flakes/chips and then you get rust. They do make an Aluminum one and the lighter weight interested me very much and it seems to be well made after watching the video review by that guy that seems to be a straight shooter Obviously not as strong as steel but it will still take a hit and I don't see us beating the heck out of any bumper. Weight savings is 50lbs.

Here are some bumpers and winches that seem good quality and are in our price range.

bumpers:
https://www.extremeterrain.com/barricadeoy-series-aluminum-front-bumper-2018-jl.html
https://www.extremeterrain.com/redr...width-front-bumper-w-winch-mount-2018-jl.html
https://www.extremeterrain.com/redr...width-front-bumper-w-winch-mount-2018-jl.html

winches:
https://www.extremeterrain.com/rugged-ridge-nautic-9500-lb-winch-w-synthetic-rope.html
https://www.roughcountry.com/pro-series-electric-winch-pro9500s.html

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[jeep31]

I'm also looking for a bumper and winch for my JLU sport. I'm also at a 1k price point.
I'm interested in the Barricade Alloy Series Aluminum for the weight, but there is no review of the product on the website.

Please let me know when you've decided on a product

 

[mgroeger]

I'm also looking for a bumper and winch for my JLU sport. I'm also at a 1k price point.
I'm interested in the Barricade Alloy Series Aluminum for the weight, but there is no review of the product on the website.

Please let me know when you've decided on a product

I bought it
Go on youtube or Extreme Terrain's website and the guy does a good in depth review of the bumper and makes good points about it. It is VERY lightweight but the steel parts give it the overall 50lb weight. Also look up the version that the JK uses. It's the same bumper but will only fit the JK, that way you can read reviews on it.
The guy on the video says if you are going to be beating the heck out of it on rocks then the steel one is the way to go at twice the weight but less cost. Since we are rock crawling but not in insane ways we went aluminum.
FYI, the guys who review the steel one on Extreme Terrains website all have a complaint where the "powder coating" doesn't withstand much and flakes off then it rusts. Another advantage of the aluminum is that it won't rust.

I also went with this winch, it's 64lbs so the total weight will be 114lbs, I believe the factory bumper is not even 50lbs. I will be weighing everything to see how much weight I am adding and see how much it pulls the front down.
https://www.roughcountry.com/pro-series-electric-winch-pro9500s.html

Look at the cheapest bumper for the JL on Extreme Terrains website. They have a video that shows the removal and installation of the bumper which will help when doing yours. I will be getting around to installing mine in a couple of weeks.

 

[mgroeger]

BTW... I paid $890 total for both. Call Extreme Terrain when ordering the bumper and tell them you are a first time customer (assuming you are) and I think I got $10 off.

 

[pkoz]

Curious to get a 1 year update on your bumper/winch. Hindsight being 20/20, would you buy this again?

 

[mgroeger]

Curious to get a 1 year update on your bumper/winch. Hindsight being 20/20, would you buy this again?

So far the RC winch has been used to 5 times I can recount but I'm pretty sure 6 total...
Pulled an XJ up and out of a deep rut/ledge that was buried in water.
Pulled the Jeep up a really slick muddy slope around a turn.
Pulled my LJ out of a soupy mud puddle where I was buried up to the axles in mud and even with my lockers couldn't get out.
Pulled my LJ off a rock I got high centered on.
Pulled the front end of the Jeep back to earth when the passenger rear went 3' down in a rut.
I'm pretty sure there was one other.
Each time it performed perfectly and did not let us down. The rope has definitely shown signs of wear from being used but that is normal. Would I buy it again? Well I'm partially ashamed to say that I probably wouldn't and it is for no other reason than vanity. RC tends to have a bad low end rep in the off roading world even though some of their stuff is really solid but some is also admittedly not so great. I know that is a piss poor reason not to buy it again. I chose to go with an Engo on my LJ but haven't had a chance to use it yet. In the future when things need replacing we probably will go Warn since we are wheeling harder than we ever thought we would and we move out to UT that will only go up a notch.

The bumper has been great, I like that fact that I'm saving a good 40-50 lbs up there by going aluminum. It's taken a bang or two on the bottom edge and it does bend easier than steel but nothing major. If I were looking for that style bumper I would buy it again however we are both interested in stubby bumpers for our next bumpers.

 

[pkoz]

Thanks so much for the excellent follow up!

 

[JSFoster75]

I bought this bumper that utilizes the Factory Fog Lights - https://www.ebay.com/itm/EAG-Front-Bumper-Heavy-Duty-with-Winch-Mount-Plate-Fit-18-19-Jeep-JL-Wrangler/153684979538?ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

And this winch with Synthetic Rope - https://www.ebay.com/itm/Rough-Country-9500-LB-PRO-Series-Electric-Winch-w-Synthetic-Rope/362172368944?ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

Total cost with tax - $735.02

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