I went out on a limb and I bought the current (March 2017) version of the SoFlo Rear bumper for my 80 Series. You can find them on Facebook and check out what they offer besides the rear bumper I'm going to review in this thread. There's also a discussion thread about the SoFlo bumper here on Mud that you can check out.
https://www.facebook.com/soflobumpers/
Background:
I was looking for a way to get my spare tire out from under my truck, and maybe provide a little protection and possibly a place to mount some future accessories. I'm on a budget build and while I wish I could afford the best of the best with honors, compromises have to be made. I live in an apartment and commute across the country to work (which is normal in my profession) so while I took welding almost 20 years ago in high school, I couldn't put together my own bumper if I wanted to. I don't have the time, skills, or the space.
The 4x4 Labs bumper is really sweet, but like I said I don't have any way to construct it. I also didn't want to cut my frame. I wanted the option of removing the bumper if I wanted to do so. I found a used ARB on here in the classified section for a price I was willing to pay, but shipping put it out of reach. I found a Kaymar tire only swing-out add-on for a price I was willing to pay, but it sold before I could nab it. I love the Costa Fabrication front bumper but I just don't dig the rear. I can't put my finger on it, but it's not for me. Plus cost and cutting.
I had seen this SoFlo bumper advertised on eBay and the above linked thread on here, but the first generation was really ugly. Form can follow function - to a point
The latest generation looked much better and after picking up a little OT at work, I decided I'd seriously consider it. I got in touch with SoFlo Bumpers on Facebook and got a near immediate response. We ended up talking on the phone for 30 minutes or more and he was very candid about what his bumper is and isn't. The seller made basically the following points during our conversation:
-They're imported from some factory that makes bumpers for all sorts of vehicles that are sold all over the world.
-His design is based on the Kaymar, but is being tweaked here and there on each batch.
-He could use thicker steel, but that he deliberately uses thinner steel to keep the weight down.
-Future models will probably have a gas strut to hold the swing-arms open. One customer has already made this mod.
-It mounts to all factory mounting locations.
-Rear mud flaps fit with some minor trimming.
-He kinda thinks of it as a starting point and expects people to mod as needed.
-He and his family have had a bunch of Land Cruisers over the last 30+ years and he's very familiar with the vehicle.
After the conversation I agreed to buy the bumper and we exchanged information. The transaction was via PayPal and was very professional. The seller shipped the bumper the next day, just like he said he would, and provided a tracking number immediately via PayPal. The bumper arrived on-time at my mechanic's shop a few days later. (Florida to Arkansas)
Upon arrival, this is what my mechanic had to say:
-Overall, for the money, it's not awful
-The mounting system is clever and well designed
-Welds are kinda ugly but not substandard, but the grinding is pretty bad
-The wings are a little too long and need to be trimmed back a couple inches in order to clear the flares
-The swingounts are not secured to the spindle in any way. The only thing that holds them on is the latch
-The ladder is REALLY close to the window, so he put some padding on it in case it makes contact
-The top piece, where the diamond plate is, doesn't go all the way back to the the truck so there's a big gap, which is covered by the diamond plate. It doesn't have any way of attaching, so he used 9 large rivets to secure it to the bumper.
His impression was that it is definitely a "get what you pay for" product, but that for the money it's not bad.
After installing it, he had some additional comments that I will touch on in the following posts.
Overall, I'm not disappointed - but I'm not thrilled either. It really can't be said enough that this is 100% "you get what you pay for." As part of my job I often have to give fairly pointed feedback to people I am training, and one of my go-to phrases is "Sufficient but uninspiring," and there's really not better way to describe this thing.
Below I will post lots of pictures and comment on specific aspects of the bumper, and I'll continue to update as I get more time using it.
https://www.facebook.com/soflobumpers/
Background:
I was looking for a way to get my spare tire out from under my truck, and maybe provide a little protection and possibly a place to mount some future accessories. I'm on a budget build and while I wish I could afford the best of the best with honors, compromises have to be made. I live in an apartment and commute across the country to work (which is normal in my profession) so while I took welding almost 20 years ago in high school, I couldn't put together my own bumper if I wanted to. I don't have the time, skills, or the space.
The 4x4 Labs bumper is really sweet, but like I said I don't have any way to construct it. I also didn't want to cut my frame. I wanted the option of removing the bumper if I wanted to do so. I found a used ARB on here in the classified section for a price I was willing to pay, but shipping put it out of reach. I found a Kaymar tire only swing-out add-on for a price I was willing to pay, but it sold before I could nab it. I love the Costa Fabrication front bumper but I just don't dig the rear. I can't put my finger on it, but it's not for me. Plus cost and cutting.
I had seen this SoFlo bumper advertised on eBay and the above linked thread on here, but the first generation was really ugly. Form can follow function - to a point
The latest generation looked much better and after picking up a little OT at work, I decided I'd seriously consider it. I got in touch with SoFlo Bumpers on Facebook and got a near immediate response. We ended up talking on the phone for 30 minutes or more and he was very candid about what his bumper is and isn't. The seller made basically the following points during our conversation:
-They're imported from some factory that makes bumpers for all sorts of vehicles that are sold all over the world.
-His design is based on the Kaymar, but is being tweaked here and there on each batch.
-He could use thicker steel, but that he deliberately uses thinner steel to keep the weight down.
-Future models will probably have a gas strut to hold the swing-arms open. One customer has already made this mod.
-It mounts to all factory mounting locations.
-Rear mud flaps fit with some minor trimming.
-He kinda thinks of it as a starting point and expects people to mod as needed.
-He and his family have had a bunch of Land Cruisers over the last 30+ years and he's very familiar with the vehicle.
After the conversation I agreed to buy the bumper and we exchanged information. The transaction was via PayPal and was very professional. The seller shipped the bumper the next day, just like he said he would, and provided a tracking number immediately via PayPal. The bumper arrived on-time at my mechanic's shop a few days later. (Florida to Arkansas)
Upon arrival, this is what my mechanic had to say:
-Overall, for the money, it's not awful
-The mounting system is clever and well designed
-Welds are kinda ugly but not substandard, but the grinding is pretty bad
-The wings are a little too long and need to be trimmed back a couple inches in order to clear the flares
-The swingounts are not secured to the spindle in any way. The only thing that holds them on is the latch
-The ladder is REALLY close to the window, so he put some padding on it in case it makes contact
-The top piece, where the diamond plate is, doesn't go all the way back to the the truck so there's a big gap, which is covered by the diamond plate. It doesn't have any way of attaching, so he used 9 large rivets to secure it to the bumper.
His impression was that it is definitely a "get what you pay for" product, but that for the money it's not bad.
After installing it, he had some additional comments that I will touch on in the following posts.
Overall, I'm not disappointed - but I'm not thrilled either. It really can't be said enough that this is 100% "you get what you pay for." As part of my job I often have to give fairly pointed feedback to people I am training, and one of my go-to phrases is "Sufficient but uninspiring," and there's really not better way to describe this thing.
Below I will post lots of pictures and comment on specific aspects of the bumper, and I'll continue to update as I get more time using it.
