Several years I did something that both increased the functionality and protection of my TJ, add a receiver hitch. This of course allowed me to tow things but it also greatly helped protect the rear of my Jeep, especially the gas tank and exhaust. But after dragging it through the Quebradas for almost 3 years, it has become an annoyance. The solution is simple, get rid of it but that does not solve all my problems because I would like to retain the capability to tow things. There is another solution, a new bumper with a receiver built into it.

Choosing a bumper
Like most of my Jeep purchases, I usually know what I want way before I buy it. This is mostly due a lack of funds but sometimes I just don't need it yet. I have been looking at both front and rear bumpers for years now, so I had a pretty good idea of what was out there when I started looking. My criteria was fairly simple, the new bumper had to be strong, have simple looks, be rock friendly, have a receiver hitch build in, not have a tire rack, and be cheap. I know that seems like a lot of requirements but there are literally hundreds of bumpers out there and most of them are crap. I mean sure, some look nice but who hell wants a chrome bumper on the back of a Jeep? Ok many people do but none of them actually do anything but drag the main street in town. I need a real bumper that will function first and look good second.

Like I said above, I had some idea of what I wanted before I started this search. The bumpers I knew to consider were from BTF and Warn. The BTF unit was made from 3/16" steal and was decently priced, but was not powder coated and would need to be painted. Plus I can't say I like the laser cut logos on it. I was leaning away from the Warn because I really don't like the design. Continuing to search I found another from Currie that really caught my attention. It was very similar to the BTF unit but was made form 1/4" steal and powder coated black. And it was cheaper that both the others. I purchased it from Northridge4x4 for $220 shipped. Not a bad deal.

Receiving the bumper
I received the bumper six business days after I ordered it. It was well packed in a very slim and long box. It seemed fairly heavy and a with use of my bathroom scale, I found out that it weighs in at 38.5 lbs.

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The bumper is very well made and the powder coating was very nice looking. It attaches to the TJ using 6 bolts. The inner 4 bolts are only for the YJ. I was a little disappointed to find out that it would only be supported at the very ends but I understand why they did it that way. The entire install requires only bolts, as all the nuts are captured, and that was a big plus. Overall I am very happy with the piece. Now for the install.

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Installation
Many times the parts I buy are heavily covered on the Internet but this one is different. I couldn't find any install info or even pictures of the back side of the bumper. Although I am sure that nearly all TJ rear bumpers are installed the same way, it would be nice to know what you are getting into before you take the plunge. Anyhow, I will try to give a decent explanation of what it took to install as well as the problems I ran into.

The first task is to remove the stock bumper. This begins with removal of the bumper ends. On each side there are two torx bolts are on top and three smaller ones on the bottom. After the bumper ends are out of the way, it is time to get out the big tools. There are two nuts on the backside of the bumper on each side. It helps to remove the lower portion of the rear body mount on each side for clearance. Here is a pic for reference

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Next came a difficult part for my install, I had to remove the hitch to get the underside bumper bolts out. Removing the hitch was not to hard but the bolts that hold it on are inside the boxed frame. They took me nearly 30 minutes of fishing with a magnetic tool to remove and I failed to get one. Maybe it will fall out on its own someday, I could care less at this point. Once the hitch was out of the way, I had access to the lower two bolts. The passenger side bolt came out using a 1/2" long ratchet with relative ease. The drivers side was a whole other story. This is the bolt used to attach the factory tow hook. The first turn was not too bad but the last inch of threads was a lot of work. The other problem was that I could not get the penetrating oil to the the backside of the bolt because it is inside the boxed frame, so I had to do it dry. At the half way point I was sure I was going to either snap it off or just not be able to continue and for the record, I am not a small guy. Finally after 20 minutes of huffing and puffing and lots of PB Blaster, it was out. Somehow the last 5 or so threads were mangled and that was why it was hard to remove.

Finally the old bumper was off. So I retrieved the new bumper, backing plates and bag of bolts and washers. Since I was the only one there, I could not hold up the bumper and start the bolts all at the same time. I thought about grabbing my floor jack but I believed there to be a more simple solution. Lift one side of the bumper up to the corresponding hole in the bumper and start the lower bolt. The go to the other side, lift that side up and start the other lower bolt. That worked great. Here is where the fun started. Since the captured nut are welded to the bumper, there is very little room for adjustment. I found that that the top bolts were not lining up properly. So I loosely installed the underside bolts and soon I was back to trying to install the upper bolt on each side. In the end I found that I had to lift hard on the loose bumper and get the upper bolt started at a slight angle. Then very carefully get a socket on it and slowly tighten it. Since it was only barely catching one thread, I ended up trying this many times before I had a success. I was worried it might cross thread but since it was well lubed and I went slow, it turned out fine. Once the other side was started, I torqued everything down well and that was that. In the end the install took me right at one and a half hours.

After thoughts
I like it. I wish it was about 2 inches longer on each side, to protect my body, but otherwise it is very nice. It is just weird being able to see my EMP gas tank skid, usually it hides behind my hitch. Here are a few notes

• As always, the job would have gone a bit smoother if I had sprayed penetrating oil on all the bolts several hours before I started.
• The kit comes with 2 large washers. I used one on the passengers side underside bolt. The other works well as a spacer on the drivers side under the backside of the tow hook. As the new bumper is thicker than the old.
• Some info on the weights of everything. The new bumper weighs in at 38.5 lbs. The old bumper weighs in at about 15 lbs with the plastic endcaps. The hitch that I had installed weighs about 29 lbs. This adds up to me saving about 5.5 lbs by going to an all-in-one solution, and that is good because the last thing my jeep needs is more weight behind my rear axle.

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