Heavy bumper = bad for joints?

[souske]

nothing we do here in mod tech is good for the life and longevity of our vehicles.

Unibody stiffeners would be the exception

 

[lhamilton1807]

what's the back side look like? is it hollow or boxed in? if it's completely boxed in, window it out back there. if done right, it will still be plenty strong and a ton lighter.

It's totally open in the back. There's metal on the top, front, & bottom. I'll try to weigh it tonight.

 

[jeepfreak1020]

The extra weight of a big heavy bumper isn't as hard on tie rod ends and ball joints as big heavy tires. I say build 'em big and build 'em strong. Something you can hang your rig by.

Exactly! That bumper will wear a little but not as much as you think. Running bigger tires, and spacers and shit like that will. Im on 35 KM2's with 3.25 backspacing wheels and then spacers, and I wear out my unit bearings every 10k miles. Ball joints about once a year to because of it. The bumper wont be as bad as you think. Just go for it my friend. And if you end up in my boat, well just do what im doing, swap a 44 into the front that would take care of all my wear and tear problems

 

[Rod Knee]

One reason for putting on a solid bumper with tie in brackets to the frame is that it stiffens up the frame. I would suggest that stiffening the frame is more a benefit than wear on ball joints etc. is a drawback on a Cheroke that is driven offroad.

 

[ZipperheadXJ00]

If you're gonna wheel it its gonna be hard on the ball joints and tie rod ends anyways. Comes with the territory!

My JCR non winch bumper weighs more than that. Most winches weigh 80-90 lbs by themselves.

It all depends on what you do with the XJ and whether you take care of it... If you run it hard the extra weight will beat down your components faster. But if you do nothing but mall crawling, it won't be as fast...