ARB bumper does not fit (1 Viewer)

[acai]

I bought an arb bumper from 4wheelparts today and I can't get this thing to line up with my frame horns. They are just too narrow, by about 3/16". I have tried sanding down the welds and banging on the frame horns but no luck. They also gave me the winch mounting hardware for the 100 series. Has anyone else had this problem?

 

[george_tlc]

For the fit issue, not uncommon - search will find you complaints about that within just a few weeks. Either jack the horns apart a bit to slip the bar on or some decent strap to pull them a bit together.

For the winch kit being wrong, well, that's a return/replace issue.

cheers,
george.

 

[NLXTACY]

When we mounted the ARB onto @Qball ’s truck required a lot of sledge hammering. Turns out his truck had a fender bender from the PO.

 

[gummycarbs]

Has anyone else had this problem?

Yes.

Looking at buying ARB Bumper...How's Installation?

ARB bull bar doesn't fit!

New ARB bumper, frame horns, and bolt holes oh my!

 

[NLXTACY]

Here was our efforts:
Wits' End on Instagram: “What do you do with a pesky, yet slightly bent, frame rail when you want to install your ARB bumper? #ih8mud #landcruiser #80Series”

 

[Qball]

Here was our efforts:
Wits' End on Instagram: “What do you do with a pesky, yet slightly bent, frame rail when you want to install your ARB bumper? #ih8mud #landcruiser #80Series”

Ahhhhhh......good times!

 

[LINUS]

If you have a cheap come-along, wrap it around the frame horns & suck it in.
If you do it 1” or so back, you can get the bumper started & release it, push it into place with whatever appropriate force after that.

Or if you have a bottle-jack & some dunnage/blocks (or a porta-pac available) - you can spread the bumper ears.

But the $20 cheap come-along is easier.

 

[acai]

Thanks guy, I tried these tricks and still no go. I ended up returning it.

 

[LINUS]

You going to try again / another brand?

 

[acai]

You going to try again / another brand?

I think it was a sign from the Land Cruiser gods to actually use the welder I bought and build my own bumper.

 

[LINUS]

Cool.
Bumpers are labor intensive projects for early projects if you don’t buy a kit.
Treat it like a marathon & not a sprint, you’ll enjoy it.
Burn your recovery points extra hot, and don’t bother to try MIG’ing in wind/outdoor.

GL!

 

[Grouseman]

I had the same problem with a used ARB bumper thqt I purchased. We used a house jack and expanded the bumper hook ups out 3/16" out so we could install. Sorry I didn't see your post earlier. Gman

 

[Ruggedly]

Had the same frame horn problem a few weeks back. Here’s my thread. The bottle jack did the trick for me.

Help! New ARB Bull Bar Won't Fit (Tried Two Bumpers)

 

[ZeGerman]

Here was our efforts:
Wits' End on Instagram: “What do you do with a pesky, yet slightly bent, frame rail when you want to install your ARB bumper? #ih8mud #landcruiser #80Series”

I watched that on loop to make me feel better about sanding my cruiser

 

[Lessid]

My car was never in an accident and I had the same issue. ARB said it couldn’t be their bumper it must be my rails out of spec. Used a come along on my rails to pull them in slightly and wedged a 2x4 on the bar to spread slightly. Finally got it on. Releasing the come along was the real fun part...

 

[shocktower]

My car was never in an accident and I had the same issue. ARB said it couldn’t be their bumper it must be my rails out of spec. Used a come along on my rails to pull them in slightly and wedged a 2x4 on the bar to spread slightly. Finally got it on. Releasing the come along was the real fun part...

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I have installed many, and lately they are poorly made and they are off 1/4-3/4"

 

[Ruggedly]

Yep, last year I bought one and it wouldn’t fit, so I chalked it up to a bad bumper and returned it to 4wp. The next one arrived and had the same issue. That’s when I looked on Mud and found the history of issues. I knew it wasn’t worth returning again so I used the bottle jack and a board to spread the sleeves on the bumper apart and it slid right on. It’s a bummer it’s been going on this long and ARB is still playing dumb.

 

[jemsec]

You guys have eliminated my frustration. Sledge hammer, wood blocks and bottle jack will do the trick. Only need about 1/4".

 

[White Stripe]

I just installed mine. I was worried after hearing of peoples troubles on here. But mine slid right on like butter. Which was nice because I was alone when I installed it and it was kind of a akward chunk of metal to install myself. I zipped the bolts tight the first time just to see how it needed to be adjusted and it ended up being perfectly straight.

 

[Tank5]

I helped install arb on someone else's rig a couple weeks ago. I had to spread the frame mounts (sleeves) on the bumper. I stuck a block of wood into the bumper where it slides on the frame and used a 4 foot pry bar to spread the sleeves on the bumper. It went on supper easy then.