JK Wrangler (base plate or new bumper?)

[NC25T]

I also told myself no lift, no larger tires... then a year after I purchased the JKU RHR ordered a rock Krawler suspension system in Black Friday, saved over $1k thus I couldn't pass it up. Now trying to figure out which tires... and also use oem wheels or aftermarket

My last JKU was a 08 X, used the blue ox baseplate with OEM bumpers, zero issues with that setup. It was my now X wife's Jeep and she wouldn't take it off-road.

As someone mentioned above if you do plan on taking your Jeep off-road I would get a aftermarket bumper that can accommodate a winch and has the tow tabs mounted to the bumper.

If you do not plan on going off-road then the oem bumper is fine and getting the baseplate is simple and easy.

Really depends on your use of the vehicle

Red belly... I was also considering a budget boost like the teraflex. However my concern was the shocks couldn't take the added travel and in a year or so I would want a true lift kit. I also do not like the look of when the rear tires do not stay centered. Thus for me I went with a full lift system that keeps the rear axel centered and also comes with springs/shocks for optimal ride/handling.

[FIRE UP]

Originally Posted by BuckyBounder

FIRE UP , I like the ability to change out the end on your bumper. Do you have some sort of filler plate on top in order to fill the gap where the winch will go?

BuckyBounder,
Yep, having different options on how your particular bumper will look is pretty cool, depending on your preference, tires, ride height, and more. Each Jeep might have just a bit different look, even with the same bumper, based on all those parameters.

As for the "Open area" that's intended for a winch, at present, no, I don't have any filler plate that would cover that particular area up. For me, it would be a simple task to build or fabricate one. I've just not thought about it. When that particular bumper is installed, there is a plastic ribbed piece that covers up the guts of the electronic sway bar and disconnect mechanism(Rubicon and Hard Rock Editions only). It's supposed to be discarded when installing the new bumper.

Well, since I don't have a winch (yet), I didn't and don't want to see all that mechanism so, I just sort of trimmed that little ribbed piece on each end, to fit where wasn't supposed to go, so I could re-install it and cover things up, 'till that future winch is purchased, if ever.

One more thing. Since I use the recovery tabs for linking the tow bar, I also needed strong attachment points for the safety cables. Well, I opted for inserting 5/8" diameter cast eye bolts into the lower section of the front part of the frame. They work flawlessly for that.

And, if you look closely, you'll see my pig tail plug just to the right of the right side tow bar/recovery tab. I had to drill NO HOLES for that plug other than two small ones for the screws and nuts that hold it in place.
Scott

[BuckyBounder]

FIRE UP - Your eye bolt solution is interesting. Are they accessed from under the bumper?

[avid_dk]

Before towing using the recovery tabs check to make sure the builder recommends it. Two or three years ago while deciding what way to go I found that some builders don't recommend using the recovery points for towing. That is why I went LoD. He builds and recommends certain of his bumpers expressly for towing. The owner of another well known company emailed me back wth the answer absolutely not recommended. At least one of the two big Jeep Rubicon Trail gatherings no longer permits welded on recovery points for use in recovery. Because they have seen too many fail they only allow the hooking to the frame.
YMMV and JMHO

[BuckyBounder]

Very true! I'm only looking at vendors that explicitly say the bumper tabs are for towing. That eliminates most of the cheaper stuff and I'm only seeing Rock Hard, LoD, and SmittyBuilt on my list. And even then, it's only one model from each.

[avid_dk]

Originally Posted by BuckyBounder

Very true! I'm only looking at vendors that explicitly say the bumper tabs are for towing. That eliminates most of the cheaper stuff and I'm only seeing Rock Hard, LoD, and SmittyBuilt on my list. And even then, it's only one model from each.

You are doing excellent research! The other issue you may want to consider is the weight of the bumpers. Carry on!

[Larry Young]

Check Currie Enterprises tow bar mounting kit, this mounts under the bumper it replaces the plastic piece that is there now. It is a simple bolt on operation, it looks a lot better than the plastic it replaces, and serves as a skid plate for the upper front of the Jeep. I got mine from 4 wheel parts, most off road suppliers carry them, you can also get it through Currie directly. You can use it with almost all tow bars.

[Statgeek]

My Jeep, with the SmityBuilt bumper, was the model that BlueOx used for their tow bar clips that attach directly to the bumper. It has worked flawlessly. Pics below are from our last RV but we use the same tow bar on the current RV.

I also installed cast eye bolts through the SmityBuilt (and factory) bumper.

[FIRE UP]

Originally Posted by BuckyBounder

FIRE UP - Your eye bolt solution is interesting. Are they accessed from under the bumper?

Bucky,
Yep, at least in my case they are. I used the Smittybilt XRC MOD front bumper and in the pictures below, you can see the bottom of the bumper. The attachment points for the safety cables are right there, in plain view. When it comes to hooking up, it's quite simple, I can do it either bending down on one knee, or not. See what you think.
Scott

[Statgeek]

Scott--I use eyebolts too, but I like the location of yours better than where I put mine. Dang it... now I'm going to have to move mine! LOL

Originally Posted by FIRE UP

Bucky,
Yep, at least in my case they are. I used the Smittybilt XRC MOD front bumper and in the pictures below, you can see the bottom of the bumper. The attachment points for the safety cables are right there, in plain view. When it comes to hooking up, it's quite simple, I can do it either bending down on one knee, or not. See what you think.
Scott

[BuckyBounder]

My DW has talked me off the true "rock crawling" cliff. I have to admit I don't see us doing anything that extreme for the time being. So the flat tow setup I'm going to purchase for the JK is:

NSA RV Products (RB-9050) Ready Brute Elite Tow Bar
The tow bar should include safety cables, but I'm not sure.

NSA RV Products RS-5000 Break Away Device

Hopkins 56200 Plug-In Simple Towed Vehicle Wiring Kit

Currie Enterprises CE-9033JK Tow Bar Mounting Kit for Jeep JK
(Thanks to Larry Young for pointing this one out.)
The Currie Tow Bar Mount saves about $100+ over many other options because it comes with adapters ends that should work with the tow bar. I know the plate required some cutting on 2010 years and up to fit, but it shouldn't be too hard with a cut-off wheel and then add some paint to prevent it rusting.

Feel free to throw more advise my way if you see anything off with my plan.

[Statgeek]

You might consider the CoolTech LLC wiring harness instead of that Hopkins kit. I know nothing of the Hopkins, but the CoolTech is so easy to wire, and fantastically reliable. It comes with everything that you need.

JK Tow Harness Deluxe Kit - CoolTechLLC

Just my 2 cents. Maybe the Hopkins is the bee's knees too!

[BuckyBounder]

Originally Posted by Statgeek

You might consider the CoolTech LLC wiring harness instead of that Hopkins kit. I know nothing of the Hopkins, but the CoolTech is so easy to wire, and fantastically reliable. It comes with everything that you need.

JK Tow Harness Deluxe Kit - CoolTechLLC

Just my 2 cents. Maybe the Hopkins is the bee's knees too!

I have see the cooltech harness recommend in other places, but I can't see why it's $130+, compared to $40 for the Hopkins kit. Even the Mopar harness can be had for <$120. The gauge of cooltech wire is better, but it doesn't list having diodes to prevent electrical feedback and I can't find install instructions or a video of the install anywhere on the net. So why is it better? Their website doesn't even explain it.

CoolTech was on this forum years ago, but I don't see posts after 2014.

[Statgeek]

Originally Posted by BuckyBounder

I have see the cooltech harness recommend in other places, but I can't see why it's $130+, compared to $40 for the Hopkins kit. Even the Mopar harness can be had for <$120. The gauge of cooltech wire is better, but it doesn't list having diodes to prevent electrical feedback and I can't find install instructions or a video of the install anywhere on the net. So why is it better? Their website doesn't even explain it.

CoolTech was on this forum years ago, but I don't see posts after 2014.

I don't know if it's better, because I have used it and nothing else. I think the price is reasonable for what you get though--a super easy install with robust wiring and fixtures. I don't think you really need the battery disconnect that comes with the kit, but of course, you're free to install it if you want to.

The install instructions are about as simple as it gets, and are included with the package. It is plug-and-play. You take off two screws on the rear left brake light of your Jeep, pull out that light assembly, unplug it from the feed line. Next plug the Cool Tech in between the light itself and the feed line, and push the long CoolTech wiring into the hole that the light goes into and replace the light. The long wire will be on the ground under the Jeep. Next feed that wire to the front of your Jeep. CoolTech instructions (and several individuals) recommend feeding it inside one of the square frame tubes to prevent the wire from damage or falling down if a wire tie breaks, which I did. The wire ends up near your front bumper. From there, you attach the wires to a 4-pin female plug that you attach to the front of your Jeep in a place of your design. Then all you have to do is use the included pigtail to connect your RV 6-pin to the CoolTech 4-pin using the wiring instructions in the kit (or by knowledge of the 6-pin and 4-pin configurations). Verify the wiring, and you're done.

Alternatively, you can scrap the included 4-pin connector and use a 5-pin connector (purchased separately) on your Jeep, using the 5th pin as a battery tender (using appropriate wiring and fuses). OR... like I did.. use the 5th pin as a feed on a braking system so that you get feedback on your RV dash that your braking system (in my case, the M&G) is working properly. These are custom jobs that you may or may not desire, and have nothing to do with CoolTech per se.


No diodes are needed with the CoolTech harness. Your RV powers the lights in your Jeep directly.. with no back-feed to your Jeep's battery. I and loads of others have been using this wiring config with zero issues whatsoever. The diode issue is a hot one, but once you know where the electricity is going, you understand when they are needed and not. This harness delivers power from your RV, activated by either your RV brake pedal, your RV turn signal, or your RV running lights switch to the appropriate lights in the Jeep.

If you want to disconnect the Jeep's battery using the supplied disconnect, you can, but it is not necessary to protect the RV or the Jeep. I've driven 12+ hours this way and the Jeep starts right up after--there is no battery drain. Now.. there MAY be an issue if you are using a sit-on-the-floor braking system, like the BrakeBuddy or BlueOx Patriot systems. They use the toad's battery (via cigarette lighter plug) to power up and run. It's possible that very long drives with one of those electric braking systems could drain your toad battery, thus favoring the idea of running a charging line from your RV to Jeep battery so that the RV's alternator keeps the toad's battery charged.