JeepNoob
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Pueblo, Colorado
Hey guys, sorry if I didn't search for this ahead of time, posting from my phone and the search bar is being goofy. If there's already a thread on this and I did bad, please provide links.
Right now I'm looking at replacing the rear bumper on my '96 XJ which got crumpled up in an accident. I was thinking about just replacing it with a factory-original bumper from say, a junkyard. After doing a parts run to a Jeep-only junkyard near me and checking out some other XJ rear bumpers, wouldn't ya know, they're pretty much all crinkled up, at least a bit. Yeah, don't want that...
That got me thinking about adding a WIY, (weld it yourself) aftermarket rear bumper. I found one online I like, meaning it looks good, I can live with the price, and it's able to be customized (namely, D-ring shackles and a receiver hitch.) I have access to good welding rigs, can weld okay, but know folks who can weld even better who are willing to at least help. Here's my problem...
I would like to be able to tow with my rig at some point. Obviously I won't be won't be hauling 30,000 lbs frequently with it, maybe a few thousand pounds occasionaly at most. I'd also like to do off-roady Jeep things with it and am trying to get input from somebody's who done both, ideally with both a bumper and actual receiver hitch to figure out what's the best compromise. Here's the pro's and con's as I see them-
Bumper mounted hitch
-Cheaper
-Provides greater approach/break over/departure angles
-Provides an extra pulling point (kinda pointless due to having shackle mounts on the bumper whether or not I decide to run an actual receiver hitch or not)
-Not really the right way to tow
-No idea what the tow rating is.
-Ball receiver may intere with gas tank, thereby only allowing me to set it at a certain length.
Actual receiver hitch
-More money
-Will probably reduce my approach/break over/departure angles by dragging on ground.
-Provides an extra pulling point, just lower (see previous moot point)
-Should have attachment points for trailer chains
-Know what max tow rating is
-Ball receiver should not interfere with gas tank
-May serve as skidplate/additional rear-end protection/structural reinforcement (No joke, they put them on ZJ's, WK's, and KJ's as a safety recall for this reason.)
Thoughts?
Right now I'm looking at replacing the rear bumper on my '96 XJ which got crumpled up in an accident. I was thinking about just replacing it with a factory-original bumper from say, a junkyard. After doing a parts run to a Jeep-only junkyard near me and checking out some other XJ rear bumpers, wouldn't ya know, they're pretty much all crinkled up, at least a bit. Yeah, don't want that...
That got me thinking about adding a WIY, (weld it yourself) aftermarket rear bumper. I found one online I like, meaning it looks good, I can live with the price, and it's able to be customized (namely, D-ring shackles and a receiver hitch.) I have access to good welding rigs, can weld okay, but know folks who can weld even better who are willing to at least help. Here's my problem...
I would like to be able to tow with my rig at some point. Obviously I won't be won't be hauling 30,000 lbs frequently with it, maybe a few thousand pounds occasionaly at most. I'd also like to do off-roady Jeep things with it and am trying to get input from somebody's who done both, ideally with both a bumper and actual receiver hitch to figure out what's the best compromise. Here's the pro's and con's as I see them-
Bumper mounted hitch
-Cheaper
-Provides greater approach/break over/departure angles
-Provides an extra pulling point (kinda pointless due to having shackle mounts on the bumper whether or not I decide to run an actual receiver hitch or not)
-Not really the right way to tow
-No idea what the tow rating is.
-Ball receiver may intere with gas tank, thereby only allowing me to set it at a certain length.
Actual receiver hitch
-More money
-Will probably reduce my approach/break over/departure angles by dragging on ground.
-Provides an extra pulling point, just lower (see previous moot point)
-Should have attachment points for trailer chains
-Know what max tow rating is
-Ball receiver should not interfere with gas tank
-May serve as skidplate/additional rear-end protection/structural reinforcement (No joke, they put them on ZJ's, WK's, and KJ's as a safety recall for this reason.)
Thoughts?