So, what are your plans for mounting? I thought you had a non-winch-mount bumper? Are you going to have to make changes in that department?

Been looking at the TS11500SR model for months now, everytime I get close to pulling the trigger...something comes up and snatches the funds from my greedy fingers.

Brian.

 

Alright so here is the scoop on "ALL" ARB Sahara bumpers. Firstly these bumpers are air bag approved (unlike most aftermarket HD bumpers). Retains original factory tow points, which means no HD recovery points on the bumper itself. ARB recommends strongly against installing any recovery points on the Sahara bumpers because using the bumper for tugs may cause the airbags to deploy prematurely or compromise the air bag approved function of the bumper. Finally Sahara bumpers are designed to work with specific winches. For the Discovery 2 model Sahara bumper ARB recommends one of two winches: Warn Winch XD9000 or M8000 ONLY! The mounting points on the bumper line up perfectly with said winches. They use a unique mounting setup that does not require a winch mounting plate.


After months of research and discussion with fellow offroad enthusiasts I opted for the Superwinch Tiger Shark 9,500 winch. I spoke in depth with ARBUSA prior to fitting the winch and they pretty much said that since I went against their recommendation that I was on my own... So I ended up giving the task to my mechanic friend Mr Don Trudeau of Anarchy Automotive. We anticipated that some drilling/cutting may have to be done to get the winch inside the bumper but apparently it fit in just barely. however the SW roller fairlead that came with the winch is too big and the holes do not line up so I had to order a different fairlead. Stands to reason that a M8000 or XD9000 roller fairlead would fit perfectly since ARB designed this bumper around these winches. Tracking down a Warn XD9000 fairlead was a pain in the *** but I believe I found what I was looking for on Amazon: WARN 5742 fairlead. The fairlead arrives Monday so Ill post a followup with pics once I get the fairlead installed. My battery terminals are rubbish so Don was not able to wire up the winch at his shop. I ordered some HD terminals and will install those Monday as well. I will post pictures of the mounting setup as well.

PS: During my over the phone discussion with ARB I asked about the thickness of the Sahara bar and explained to them that the passenger portion of the bumper bentup in such a fashion to push my headlight out of its position and raise my front passenger front fender maybe half an inch.... they pretty much said that the Sahara bumpers are not as strong or robust as the Deluxe ARB bumpers. They went on to explain that in order to make a air bag approved HD bumper that wont bend or deform the bumper would have to be considerably heavier and more expensive... So if your considering a ARB HD bumper for your vehicle be it a Land Rover, Toyota, Jeep etc you should probably give ARBUSA a call and explain to them your specific needs. The Sahara range of bumpers are all air bag approved so none of them offer HD recovery points. The cheaper deluxe bars offer 2 versions: air bag approved with no recovery points and non airbag approved WITH HD recovery points. ARB is/has developed stronger aftermarket tow points to replace the factory tow points but they are only being developed for Toyota due in part to popular demand.

 

Warn winch roller fairleads don't fit the arb bumper either, until you drill new holes in them. It's in the ARB instructions.

 

We will find out Monday. If drilling needs to be done then Ill have Don do the work. We will get it in.

 

I would never own the arb bumpers
​​​​I have seen too many folded up like pretsels.

 

Really now?

















No drilling required because the holes line up perfectly. ARB designed the Sahara bars with specific winches in mind, for easy direct bolt on installation. Grant I used a non recommended winch, I did use the correct Warn 5742 roller fairlead.

 

Yep. Looks like he drilled them. Look at the ARB instructions.

 

 

Or you wasted money buying a new fairlead when arb suggests drilling. My M8000 was the approved winch and I just drilled it.

 

Warn 5742 roller fairlead is the same fairlead provided with the Warn XD9000 winch that ARB recommends for the Sahara bar. The provided holes on said fairlead already line up with the holes in the bumper. So why the hell would ARB recommend drilling new holes in the bumper for a winch they designed to fit in their bumper?

Warn XD9000 retails at $969.27 on Amazon, $1,000+ elsewhere.

Superwinch Tiger Shark 9500 retails at $349.99 on Amazon


Warn 5742 roller fairlead retails $113.84 on amazon.

Total savings: $505.44.