Wrangler aftermarket bumper

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Mile High

Mile High

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Joined
Oct 17, 2016
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985
Location
Denver
Any thoughts on towing a Wrangler with an aftermarket bumper using the D-ring eyes?  I have a Blue ox baseplate still in the box, and now thinking about a winch, which of course leads to maybe changing out the bumper.  The problem is very few aftermarket bumpers allow for the base plate below.

I know the D-ring eyes are designed for pulling, and I know I can get some Blue Ox adapters to fit them, but are all bumpers rated to do that?  Seems I may be going out on a limb bypassing the Blue Ox baseplate with regards to intended use.
 
I have an AEV bumper and use tow adapters on the D-Rings...Towed for over a year with no problems.

I also used these bolt-on adapters on my TJ and they worked good...http://blueox.com/products/tow-bar/bx88230-universal-blue-ox-bolt-on-adapter-tabs-class-iii/
 
I have a Warn front bumper and use the bolt-on adapters Terry mentioned above.  I have had no problems with them.
 
There are a lot of bumpers that will accept a winch and still allow the base plate to be installed.
Just did this on my TJ, sort of defeats the purpose of putting a high approach angle bumper to be hindered by the tow base plate restricting this.
On the other hand installing the Blue Ox tow attachment brackets on the bumper really increases the height and will most likely require a lift on the back of the motorhome.
We winter in Arizona, I remove my base plate for the time we are down there so it does not get damaged, takes 15 minutes.
 
I bought these Rock Hard towing adaptors for my Jeep's aftermarket Smittybilt front bumper. The bolts go right through the bumper and into the Jeep's Frame. They're designed for Rock Hard aftermarket bumpers, so I had to drill holes for the bolts on my Smittybilt bumper, but that was easy enough and they work great. My Blue Ox tow bar mounts right to them.

Home > TOWING KITS >
ROCK HARD 4X4? BLUE OX? / DEMCO? TOW BAR BRACKET KIT (PAIR) FOR JEEP CJ - JK 1976 - 2017 [RH-8000-BO]

Kev
 
Another vote for the bumper mounts. Both my Jeeps have them and they work very well. A drop hitch is not a problem and ground clearance/appearance are both greatly improved.

Ernie
 
I'm using a simple Curt tow bar with bumper mounted attachment points.  I've used it with my YJ for around 10,000 miles with no problems, and now it's been on the TJ for 3-400 miles.  I did add thicker backing plates to the back of the TJ bumper than I had on the YJ bumper.
 
Thanks all for the input - I am now sad I paid $335 for the baseplate and it has been over 30 days for return.  I guess I'll try a quick Craigslist and see what happens. My attic is getting stuffed with things I never installed and don't want now and I'm starting to worry about the roof trusses :). 
 
Mile High said:
My attic is getting stuffed with things I never installed and don't want now and I'm starting to worry about the roof trusses :).
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:) Ain't that the truth Brad. I've got so many aftermarket and OEM Jeep parts, that I've considered opening up a Jeep parts store.

Kev
 
Kevin Means said:
:) Ain't that the truth Brad. I've got so many aftermarket and OEM Jeep parts, that I've considered opening up a Jeep parts store.

Kev
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Got a set of hi-lift jack hood hinge mounts for a TJ?  Last thing I need, and Quadratec is sure proud of them.
 
Kevin Means said:
:) Ain't that the truth Brad. I've got so many aftermarket and OEM Jeep parts, that I've considered opening up a Jeep parts store.

Kev
Click to expand...
And garage sales just don't work :) 
I've got a 50" light bar and mounts heading up there because I can't stand the wind noise it makes.
 
Hey, don't you guys know that there's a"for sale" section here on the site? 8) There's a lot of Jeep owners on here that may want the extra stuff you don't want.
 
Brad, if you're still following this discussion, here are a couple of pictures of the Rock Hard towing adapters I use. One with my Blue Ox tow bar attached, and one without.

Kev
 

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Kevin Means said:
Brad, if you're still following this discussion, here are a couple of pictures of the Rock Hard towing adapters I use. One with my Blue Ox tow bar attached, and one without.

Kev
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Hey thanks for the pics Kev!  It never dawned on me they would come off the bottom.  I went out looking at bumpers yesterday - wow - what a market out there.  It's like a kid looking through Toys-R-Us :)
 
Mile High said:
Hey thanks for the pics Kev!  It never dawned on me they would come off the bottom.  I went out looking at bumpers yesterday - wow - what a market out there.  It's like a kid looking through Toys-R-Us :)
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In the interest of full-disclosure... they're not supposed to be mounted facing downward. They're supposed to be mounted on the front of the bumper, facing forward. However, I personally called Rock Hard tech support and told them that, due to our Jeep's height, I needed to mount them beneath the bumper, facing downward. The tech support guy told me that those adapters are rated at 8000 lbs, so they should work fine.

Even so, since mounting them facing downward would mean that the tow bar would be pulling sideways on the adapters, I drilled holes through the angled part of the brackets, and ran round-headed bolts through them, and through the bumper. Now there are four hardened steel bolts holding each adapter to the bumper, and two of those bolts screw right into the frame. They're not going anywhere.

Kev
 
Kevin Means said:
In the interest of full-disclosure... they're not supposed to be mounted facing downward. They're supposed to be mounted on the front of the bumper, facing forward. However, I personally called Rock Hard tech support and told them that, due to our Jeep's height, I needed to mount them beneath the bumper, facing downward. The tech support guy told me that those adapters are rated at 8000 lbs, so they should work fine.

Even so, since mounting them facing downward would mean that the tow bar would be pulling sideways on the adapters, I drilled holes through the angled part of the brackets, and ran round-headed bolts through them, and through the bumper. Now there are four hardened steel bolts holding each adapter to the bumper, and two of those bolts screw right into the frame. They're not going anywhere.

Kev
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Was the lower height required because of the angle put on the towbar?  What size lift do you have?
 
The lower height of the adapters was necessary, because of the Jeep's lift. The Jeep has 35" tires, a 3" Currie lift and a 1" body lift. (It's used almost exclusively for off-roading) I also had to add an 8" riser to the hitch to keep the tow bar level.

Kev
 
Thanks Kev. 
I haven't even parked mine behind the MH yet to measure, but I better start thinking about the tow bar angle especially if I lift 2.5".  I don't want this below :)

 

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