This bumper is gonna be for those of you who are looking to swap out the factory plastic
front bumper on your JK for one that's going to provide more protection, more style, and
some additional features that are especially gonna be helpful when you go off-road.
Today we're gonna talk through the installation of this bumper, which is only mildly more
dificult than installing your traditional aftermarket front bumper, and that's because
this is a modular bumper, so there's a little bit more assembly to do under the Jeep.
But it is still a one out of three very easy wrench install that you can get done in two
hours or less.
We'll talk a little bit more about the installation in just a second.
Now, this bumper, as I mentioned, is a modular bumper.
So this does come as the bumper base, the ends, the overrider hoop, and you can get
additional features to add on or subtract from this bumper to really make it yours.
So I always suggest a modular front bumper for those of you who can't find an off-the-shelf
front bumper that has the style, the protection, and the features that you're after, and you
wanna be able to build a bumper, or those of you who wanna build a bumper that works
for your Jeep now, but wanna be able to use that same base and change some of the add-on
features as your build changes and grows.
If you can find a bumper that has everything you're looking for, that is an off-the-shelf
non-modular bumper, you're probably going to save yourself a little bit of money over
going this direction.
But again, if you're gonna take advantage of the fact that this is a modular bumper,
then I would definitely recommend taking a look at the XHD series from Rugged Ridge because
it does have quite a few different add-ons, and you can really customize the bumper and
make it exactly how you like it.
So this modular bumper is all based off of the XHD center section here.
This is the main center of the bumper.
This, of course, is the winch version of this bumper.
And from there, you have your ends, you have your overrider, and all of these are going
to add some functionality and some features that are going to be good for off-roading
and also add some additional style.
So this center section does have some D-rings that are a little bit different from your
traditional D-ring.
These are actually a metal that's textured black powder coated just like the rest of
this bumper is.
It's a much bigger D-ring.
It's a little bit of a different style, but it's still gonna function just like a D-ring,
and I really like the functionality of a D-ring when you're doing recoveries, especially a
snatch strap recovery where there's supposed to be a little bit of slack in that strap
before you go ahead and pull.
Having a D-ring, a connection like this, is going to ensure that your loop is going to
stay attached to the Jeep, as opposed to if you were to put the loop of that strap on
a tow hook, there's always a chance while everything's slacked off that it's gonna move
around a little bit.
This is a much more secure connection, and I really like that.
Something else I really like about this center section is the fact that it will accept your
factory fog lights.
You're gonna have your fog light housings, the wiring, the switching.
Everything's there.
Why not get a bumper that you bolt that fog light into?
And that's what this is going to give you here.
As you can see, this is the winch version of this center section.
This winch does sit down a little bit lower than the top of the bumper, which is something
I really like as far as style goes.
It does tuck that winch down in there a little bit, especially if you remote mount your solenoid,
you get a kind of a stealthy look where all you're gonna see is the hooks sticking out
the front of the Fairlead mount, and just a little bit of the winch up on top.
It gives a really clean look, in my opinion.
Now, the ends that come with this kit are the standard bumper ends.
So these are going to give you what is essentially a full-width bumper.
These ends are nice and wide.
There are stubby ends that you can get with this center section, and right out of the
box, this center section is gonna come with just caps.
So if you're looking for something shorter, whether you just like that look, or because
you're running a 37-inch tire and you don't wanna have any clearance issues with the tires
on the front bumper, those stubby sections might be a better option for you.
However, if you want this full-width coverage, if you like the look of a full-width bumper,
these ends are going to give you that look.
You're also going to get this hoop up on top here, which is more of a styling mod, in my
opinion.
This doesn't have any light mounts on it or anything like that.
This is gonna offer some light protection to your grille, your headlights, and your
winch when you're driving down those really narrow trails and there's some brush to move
out of the way.
But more than anything else, this is going to be a little bit of additional style.
And personally, I do look like the look of a little bit of a hoop on my bumper.
As I said before, I'm still giving this a one out of three wrench install, even though
it is going to be a little bit more involved than your traditional off-the-shelf bumper
installation.
Most of those bumpers will come out of the box pre-assembled because this is a modular
bumper.
It does come in three different boxes, of course, the center section, the ends, and
the hoop.
So set aside around two hours to get this install done.
The first step in the installation is of course removing the eight nuts that are holding that
bumper into place, unclipping your fog light wiring harness, then just giving the bumper
a pull.
You'll take your center section, lift the bumper over the frame rails.
Here, you're going to install this D-ring mount after the bumper is already hoisted
onto the frame rails because the bolts that hold this D-ring mount on are the same ones
that hold the rest of the bumper to the Jeep, they bolt directly through the frame horns
and hold everything nice and tight.
You will assemble the bumper ends and the hoop onto it.
If you are going to be running a winch on this bumper, I would also suggest installing
that winch on the bumper while the bumper's on the ground.
It'll be nice and easy to get to those winch mounting bolts.
It can be a little bit trickier to get to once the bumper is already bolted onto the
Jeep.
So as far as tools, you are going to need your traditional hand tools, your socket set,
your wrenches.
Other than that, nothing special, just a couple hours of time.
And anybody can get this installed on their Jeep in their driveway.
At a little over $800, this is going to be a little bit more expensive than some of the
other bumpers on the market that have similar features.
And by "similar features," I'm talking about a full-width bumper with a bit of a hoop,
the D-ring mounts, the winch mount, and the fog lights.
You are going to be able to get a bumper that will have those features for a little bit
less than this one, but what you're gonna be missing out on is the fact that this is
modular.
So whether you just really like the style of this, you like being able to build yourself
sort of a custom bumper, or you're somebody who says, "Well, I want this style bumper
now, but as my build grows, as I get bigger tires, maybe I want some stubby ends, and
I don't wanna have to get a whole new bumper."
Well then a modular bumper is gonna be good for that person as well, again, as long as
you have the budget for it, because this is going to be a little bit more expensive than
your off-the-shelf bumper.
So if you're looking to build a custom bumper with exactly the features and the style that
you are looking for, or you want a bumper that's gonna grow and change with your build,
I think a modular bumper is a great option.
And this XHD bumper from Rugged Ridge is really well-built and offers all of that flexibility,
as long as you have the budget for it.
So that's my review of the Rugged Ridge XHD Front Bumper Kit with standard ends, fitting
all 2007 and up JKs, that you can find right here at extremeterrain.com.
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