ROAM Front Bumper Install

[TTEChris]

I installed the mid height slimline stubby last week , but my winch was delayed so I need to install it now. I also got the X2O smitty 10,000. Can you give me advise on mounting the control box on center. Did you have to drill mounting holes in the bumper?

I struggled with this a bit the first time I installed it. I considered drilling the bumper, but attaching the cables with the solenoid mounted would have been a pain. I also considered making a raised bracket so that I could bolt that in place and then mount the winch solenoid on top.

What I ended up doing as a temporary solution was using 4 rare earth magnets from old mechanical hard drives I had laying around the shop. Well, they held the box so firmly in place that my temporary solution became permanent. When I recently swapped bumpers it took a whole lot of force to get that thing off! It never budged when I plugged/unplugged the remote and when I asked people to try and move it they were shocked that only magnets were holding it in place.

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[buckinoff]

I struggled with this a bit the first time I installed it. I considered drilling the bumper, but attaching the cables with the solenoid mounted would have been a pain. I also considered making a raised bracket so that I could bolt that in place and then mount the winch solenoid on top.

What I ended up doing as a temporary solution was using 4 rare earth magnets from old mechanical hard drives I had laying around the shop. Well, they held the box so firmly in place that my temporary solution became permanent. When I recently swapped bumpers it took a whole lot of force to get that thing off! It never budged when I plugged/unplugged the remote and when I asked people to try and move it they were shocked that only magnets were holding it in place.

NEVER would have thought of that. Actually have some extreme magnets setting around! Thanks so much!!!

 

[MadDog27]

Just curious, I know this is a bit old. How is the bumper working with the smittybilt winches? Are you able to engage/disengage without any issues? Did the magnets end up working for holding the solenoid box in place? Interested in this bumer and just wanted to make sure everything was good.

 

[TTEChris]

Just curious, I know this is a bit old. How is the bumper working with the smittybilt winches? Are you able to engage/disengage without any issues? Did the magnets end up working for holding the solenoid box in place? Interested in this bumer and just wanted to make sure everything was good.

Yes, the rare earth magnets held the solenoid box very well. I actually had a hard time removing the solenoid from the bumper when I gave it to my business partner a couple months ago.
The Smittybilt X20 fits well. I have fairly large hands and I was able to operate the clutch handle without any issues. It isn't as easy as an exposed winch, but the 3-4 times I had to use it there were no issues.

 

[crushinit]

Installed mine today, thanks for the write up.

 

[Shepherd12]

I’m about to buy a bumper and the Roam is in the running. Does anyone have a side-profile of the medium-height bar?

The low-pro looks pretty close to the chin and I really dig the look, but I’m curious about the higher version.

 

[TTEChris]

I’m about to buy a bumper and the Roam is in the running. Does anyone have a side-profile of the medium-height bar?

The low-pro looks pretty close to the chin and I really dig the look, but I’m curious about the higher version.

Couple semi side shots(mid height bar)

 

[Shepherd12]

TTEChris

Thank you!

 

[Shepherd12]

So, I pulled the trigger on the mid-height bar version and received it a few days ago.

This is a good write-up, but I’d like to contribute to it just a bit. Probably nothing you couldn’t find out on your own, but here-goes.

The handle-nuts look like this after you assemble them. Stuffing a small piece of cardboard between the nut and the handle made lining up the shorter bolts a little easier. These bolts are a little bit on the shorter side of convenient, but they work. I did have to massage the bumper back and forth on the frame rails (with everything loose) to get them to catch.

By “massage” I mean “beat-senseless-with-a-dead-blow-hammer” and this method (back and forth on the frame rails) also made it easier to massage the side-skids into position around the winch plate, though, these also received a few light wraps with the dead-blow.

Final tip - I found it easier to line up the side skid plate and insert (with the screw left a bit loose) before wrestling the assembly into position. That’s probably what was intended in the instructions set forth here, but it wasn’t clear to me.

Big Thank-You to the OP!

 

[Shepherd12]

Small update. I went and bought a winch yesterday. Same Smitty X20 10k that other proprietors of this bumper have turned to - and I have encountered a couple issues.

The first thing I noticed was the clutch lever interfering with the small line as indicated in post #12 in this thread. I got around this by “clocking” the gear-end of the winch 90* clockwise, which places the lever directly behind the winch - and easily accessible from the drivers side wheel well with everything assembled. The idea of letting it fight for position with that line over time made me a little nervous.

I had two other clearance issues with this winch. The motor-end is touching the isolator for the sway-bar motor (which probably won’t cause any issues, but I trimmed it down just a little bit with a razor blade anyway.

My third clearance issue is with the holes drilled for mounting the winch to the plate - they are about 2mm too far apart from each other. I wasn’t sure about this one. I decided to “oblong” the hole on one side, because I could get in a bolt on the right side *or* the left, but not both. This could be a Smittybilt QC issue, by the way.

Upon final fitting of the bumper, I realized why the instructions say to only install the bottom two bolts to mount the winch...

 

[JeepRumbler]

Just completed this install myself with the Smittybuilt X2O 10k. I also had to turn the clutch lever assembly 90 degrees in order to get it to fit. It was all over the AC lines when engaged, and I even tried moving the brackets the lines were on to give it the clearance. I didn't feel comfortable putting the stress on them that that would have taken though.

It would be really awesome if the clutch lever could be turned around. When I pulled it, the design doesn't allow for that, though. I might play with that later on.

The only other issue I had was some sloppy slag on top of my frame rails that needed to be removed in order to get the nut plate into position, but the bumper fitment was very nice.

 

[TTEChris]

Just completed this install myself with the Smittybuilt X2O 10k. I also had to turn the clutch lever assembly 90 degrees in order to get it to fit. It was all over the AC lines when engaged, and I even tried moving the brackets the lines were on to give it the clearance. I didn't feel comfortable putting the stress on them that that would have taken though.

It would be really awesome if the clutch lever could be turned around. When I pulled it, the design doesn't allow for that, though. I might play with that later on.

The only other issue I had was some sloppy slag on top of my frame rails that needed to be removed in order to get the nut plate into position, but the bumper fitment was very nice.

I did bend that line slightly(by hand) to keep the clutch lever in the normal position.

Thanks for adding the extra tips @Shepherd12 . I forgot that I also trimmed the rubber hanger with a razor blade slightly.

I didn't have issues with the bolts not lining up for the winch though... if I did, I would have just drilled the mounting holes slightly larger.

 

[2019_JLU_Rubicon]

Should be purchasing my ROAM front bumper any day now. Couple of questions. Compatibility with WARN VR 10S? Also planning to purchase bumper now and winch in a couple of months. How difficult will it be to install the winch after bumper has already been installed

 

[TTEChris]

Should be purchasing my ROAM front bumper any day now. Couple of questions. Compatibility with WARN VR 10S? Also planning to purchase bumper now and winch in a couple of months. How difficult will it be to install the winch after bumper has already been installed

I think @ogjeep put a VR winch in his Roam bumper, and remote mounted the winch solenoid under the hood.

You will need to remove the bumper skin and lower skid to mount the winch at a later point.

 

[Shepherd12]

^Which is not a big deal. Thirteen easily reached bolts.

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