WJ: TR Rear Bumper Installed

[INO1]

Same post as JU.

Bumper arrived Wednesday & I installed it Thursday morning then left for Moab so I didn't get a chance to mention this earlier. Anyway, a few key points:
1- Finish is excellent. Bumper is solid & looks awesome. Everyone noticed it & commented on how great it looked. :)
2- 5 on 4.5 spacing for spare? Somebody needs to start using their brain. Yes, my "conversion" bracket arrived in all its unfinished glory. I'll figure that thing out tomorrow. :(
3- Bumper is very heavy. Installation was quick & easy. Just take out bolts holding exist. tow package &/ or gas tank skid. Trim a little sheet metal. Bolt bumper on. Requires atleast 2 people. 3 is better. :)
4- Fit is not perfect. As the bumper wraps around the sides behind the rear wheels, it seems to sit a little low and loose (not tight against body). A little more shimming will help a bit but I think I might throw in some rubber edging to fill the space & hide the sheetmetal. :(
5- Swing away spare tire arm does not remove via bolts. Not too big of a deal for me but if you ude your WJ for a grocery getter you will get tired of opening this thing everyday. :(
6- Angle brace for vertical member of spare tire carrier actually hits rear cargo door handle, disallowing arm to close completely. I took a Sawzall to angle brace, now it closes just fine. :(
7- Vertical member for hi-lift jack & jerry can ended up critically close (1/4") to cargo door plastic trim & cut into plastic during trail run. Try to set your bumper back as far as possible. :(
8- Closing latch for swing away was powder coated shut & would not open. We had to blow torch it to heat up the internal powdercoating to loosen it up. The sleeve came loose so we had to spot weld it back. End result is kinda ugly. :(
9- Departure angle is greatly improved. The bumper sits about 6" higher in the middle & 8-10" higher on the ends than stock. Receiver hitch sticks out an extra inch or so, perfect for scraping rocks or keeping honda hoods at bay. :)
10- This bumper looks awesome & is super strong. I slammed it several times on some 3 to 4 foot drop ledges and it barely has a few scratches.

Conclusion: I love it and I hate it. This is a must do mod for serious off-roading. I would easily pay $900 to $1000 for a perfectly fitting & functioning TR rear bumper after seeing how it looks & performs. It really is a piece of work. Unfortunately, I'm not sure if I should have paid even $500 for my particular bumper. Things that don't quite fit or work really bother me. Hopefully it will all work out in the end. Let me know if you have any Q's about the bumper or the install.

[TOOLman]

Do you think yours was a lemon, or is the quality questionable in general?

Any pics? I'd love to see how it looks.

[Zac]

Do you think yours was a lemon, or is the quality questionable in general?

Any pics? I'd love to see how it looks.

I don't think its a lemon, just a quirk with hand fabricated items.

I just installed my RSI/Trail Ready/RoadArmor for my ZJ.
Impressions:
1) Pitty the poor slob who rear ends me.
2) tire carrier sits within 1/16" of the tail gate. (I can move the tail gate latch for a tighter fit, but I have to remove the bumper again to do that.) I'll loose the bolts and slide the TR backward as far as it will go.
3) had to cut some sheet metal (the holes don't exactly lineup) I ended up striping a couple of threads, and had to retap the nut and retread the bolt.
4) had to bend some sheet metal, on the left side fender.
5) the tire carrier slide bolt is hard to use: Solutions: a) sprayed it conservatively with white litium grease. Helps about 40% but still a tough slide...(my wife will not be able to use it yet.) b) The gate seems to be pre-loaded, when empty you have to push down on it to use it. Mounting the tire, loaded it, and allowed for easier operation. c) Might end up fabricating some type of extended handle to attach/weld to the existing handle, to get better access.
6) the knobs for the hi-lift jack are not ideal. I will fabricate larger ones.

Now a couple of questions:
1) Where do you all mount the bracket for the gerry can?
2) Who has installed back up lights to the inside the bumper? Mine came with tabs, pre drilled to mount lights just behind the slotted angled corners. This is a well thought out feature, and unexpected since TR literature does not mention it.

Zac

[INO1]

Toolman: I agree w/ Zac regarding hand fab items. It will take a few times until they learn to do it exactly right. My bumper may have been the first w/ a swing away tire carrier.

Zac: My bumper was ordered w/ the separate hi-lift jack/ jerry can mount. It has 8 predrilled holes. I think the top four are used for the jack & the bottom four are used for a jerry can bracket that will hold the actual can. I have one on order & will give you the details later. I haven't done back up lights but agree to it being a nice feature. W/o the lights the slots resemble those found on the rear taillight assembly. Very trick.