I've been researching for hours now and I need some opions from experience. I like the ARB bumpers the best, but have read that there depature angle is bad and your fairleed gets packed. RTE's bumpers look the worst, but they look like they have great departure angles, allthough it looks like the winches are in about the same spot??? TJM's brush guard part of the bumper is freekin huge and doesn't look like it is desined right. Brush guards do add extra pretection but are heavy! You guys who can build your own, like Mike are lucky, I'm going to have to spend around $1,500 to $2,000 for a set. Alos, will the stock tire carrier hold and kepp a 285 size tire, or will I need a rear bumper with a tire carrier? Thanks fella's.

 

I've got a tjm t-17, (without brush guard). It looks really good, and the bumper is built well. But, in myopinionthe placement of the winch is too low. Also, here in fl departure angles aren't very important. But it was the cheapest i've found.. I think I paid$7-800shipping included. Asopposed to 1k before shipping for the arb.

 

What sort of wheeling are you doing? Will you be running a winch.
Probably the best bumper out there, besides mine is the RTE, I ratre the ARB as on of the weakest after years of seeing the twist and bend.
Why don't you design your own?
As for the tire carrier, wuth a little work you can install a 285 on it.
Why so big a tire, hard on the axles and worse on the gas tank?

 

1500-2000 for a bumper? or a Bumper+ Winch?
A lot of people love their ARBs. A few people get the RTE for the look but RTE is more for the xtreme rock crawler kinda guy.. A stock tire carrier will shouldn't fit a 285 tire, but ya never know. You do not need a rear bumper just a new tire carrier or a an offset tire mount.

 

Have you seen the Equipe bumpers? Right up there with RTE in strength.

 

285's work just fine on an inverted factory tire caries along with a stock bumper.
As for my dislike for ARB bumpers, if used as they are intented for, their weak mounts and light steel cause them to body twist quite a bit.

 

If you invert the tire carrier you'll need need to notch it so the wiper doesn't hit against it. The center screw will not align to the hole that is there after it's flipped. You can drill a new one through the carrier instead of adding another hole to the cargo door. While I agree that the RTE doesn't have the best style, those things (like all RTE stuff) is built like a tank. There is also the option of getting the regular slimline version and welding the stock LR wraparound bumper on top of it. I'm going with the RTE come tax season.

 

i like these bumpers http://www.hicountryoffroad.com/Prod...sco_bumper.htm

if i knew more about bumpers, i wouldnt have gotten an arb. it looks nice but its not very strong and the approach angle kinda sucks.

 

DiscoMike, You asked, why such a big tire(285) and what kind of wheeling I'm going to do?What size tire do you run with your 3' lift? I"m thinking 265, 275, or 285! For the wheeling, I plan on joining NCLR Club soon after I build my Disco, and most trails around here are fairly moderate, butit will be nice having a solid bumper. I'll probably go RTE, but it weights around 200lbs they said, and a ARB is 150lbs. I wheel real slow and would'nt and should'nt twist or breack any bumper, I'm wonderinghow far down an ARBhangs down verses a RTE?DiscoMike, yours looks about the same dimensions as a ARB, how did your come up with yours? JupiterRover, That price is for front and rear bumper, and man, plus a winch its freekin expensive. Yes I am getting a winch, I just need to figure out what bumpers to get.

 

llesra, So, you got ARB's front and rear, and your don't like them. Have your dented them or bent them at all? Do you find that they get in the way and have you seen other disco's with RTE's bumpers do better. I guess the no brain choice would be RTE, since there stronger. RTEisheavier but strongerand a littlecheaper. Plus I'm ordering evrything from RTE so if I got the bumpers I would get a little discount.