Jeep Wrangler with Aftermarket Bumpers

[ColoradoBnd]

Is anyone using an aftermarket Jeep Wrangler bumper that has the integrated tow adapters like the following?

https://lodoffroad.com/products/jeep...-full-new.html

[cwit]

I am with a ready brute elite tow bar. Adaptors are 108.00$ I would think other towbAr companies would make adaptors. These have to be custom made.

[AKIQPilot]

Yes. My wrangler has a Smittybilt XRC bumper and I attach my towbar directly to the recovery tabs on the bumper.

[Lt Dan]

The LoD, Smittybilt and RockHard are three of the best aftermarket bumpers for towing. Not all bumpers are created equal as some only have the recovery tabs welded to the outside of the bumper shell. These three have d-ring recovery tabs that connect directly to the frame so are strong enough for towing. LoD has adapters to fit their bumper to tow bars.

[sawmillman]

Yes. Using the a smittybuilt bumper with a Falcon 2 tow bar. Works great.

[FIRE UP]

Originally Posted by ColoradoBnd

Is anyone using an aftermarket Jeep Wrangler bumper that has the integrated tow adapters like the following?

https://lodoffroad.com/products/jeep...-full-new.html

Yiiiiip,
Been doing it that way for decades. Works slick. Our present setup is a '15 JKUR using a Smittybilt XRC MOD front bumper and a Blue Ox Aventa II tow bar. I'm using Blue Ox adapters which, ran me about $213 off Amazon. A bit high in cost for those adapters but, they're machined billet steel pieces. I normally build all my stuff and have in the past with all our other Jeeps. But, I couldn't build the front bumper for as cheap as I got it and, to make those adapters is all but impossible unless you have a milling machine.
Scott

P.S.
In the last pic, you see some D-handle connection pins that I picked up at Tractor Supply. Those make disconnecting from towing SERIOUSLY EASIER than using the stock pins that came with the adapters.
Scott

[hardy1000]

I use the Rockhard bumper with the Blue Ox adapters.

[MCJones]

We put an aluminum rock hard front bumper on our 2017 Sahara with the blue ox tow tabs. Easy installation and worked like a dream. You can save a little money going with steel and there are some advantages I hear if you are an avid off road kind of guy. I only kept the brand new Sahara a year and then I got old and went for a Tahoe (much more on road comfort). Very much more complicated towing set up then a Jeep which is the easiest vehicle I know to make tow ready. have fun, mark

[Robmat]

I have the Rockhard Aluminum bumper (only 37lbs) and use a Roadmaster Falcon AT Towbar. Works great and certainly a lot easier than the Roadmaster mounts I used on my old jeep before getting the Rockhard bumper.

[ColoradoBnd]

Thanks everyone. I just ordered the LOD with the blue ox tabs.

[Kurtis Vogue]

I realize this is an old thread, but I have this bumper. Did it work ok for towing or did you have to make mods to secure to the frame? I have 2000 TJ with the XRC, and the place I’m buying the tow bar from, said he wouldn’t trust that bumper to hold, not the front welds.����*♂️ Thoughts? Thank you!

[FIRE UP]

Originally Posted by Kurtis Vogue

I realize this is an old thread, but I have this bumper. Did it work ok for towing or did you have to make mods to secure to the frame? I have 2000 TJ with the XRC, and the place I’m buying the tow bar from, said he wouldn’t trust that bumper to hold, not the front welds.����*♂️ Thoughts? Thank you!

Judging someone elses welds, even a bumper weld from whatever factory (think *China*) it came from, is real tough to do. A weld can look great but not have that much penetration. Our '15 Jeep JKUR tips the scales at 5,300 lbs and we've towed it with the motorhome for thousands and thousands of miles without issues, in ANY part of the towing system. The welds on those "recovery tabs" have held flawlessly. And I've pulled that Jeep out of some ugly spots once in a while using them too and zero damage or signs of impending doom on them or the welds.

While the shop you're purchasing your tow bar from might not approve of the use of your present bumper, that doesn't mean they know what they're talking about or they're just the ones that specifically recommend "base plates" vs using an aftermarket bumper with welded on recovery tabs.

It's your choice here. If you have doubts about the welds but would still like to use the bumper as a tow system, it might not be all that hard to grind away some or most of the welds and weld it again with someone who you trust as a welder.
Scott

[Kurtis Vogue]

Thank you Scott. The XRC Smittybuilt is relatively new and has never been used for towing aka the previous owner. I’m inclined to get a good tow bar system and use the XRC. It’s bolted to the frame, so I’m not concerned about it popping off. What is the tow system you are using? I’m still new at this game��

[Old Scout]

Quality of welds can be an issue; bumper design can be another. Proximity, eg, direct connect of the pull tabs to the ends of the Jeep frame is also important. The mounting points on the end of the Jeep frame rails are another. Some factory tow baseplates use a secondary set of safety cables [BO for one] that tie the baseplate to a frame cross-member; this is a good idea--in my opinion. Typically, retrieval tabs are designed for few but potentially severe situations, eg, extraction from a ditch. That can put a lot more lateral stress on the tabs that normal RV towing doesn't create. Not sure pull tabs which may have been/will be used for extractions, are still the best bet for continued towing behind an RV.