Hey guys, I'm almost through my build and am currently tackling installation of a Dobinson dual swing out rear bumper. I have run into a problem with the fitment and have contacted both Dobinson and the store I bought it from, but am hoping someone here can weigh in as well. This is for a 2017 GX460 by the way.
The bumper has a large bracket (looks like a trailer hitch) that bolts to the underside of the frame rails (has side to side adjustment), as well as bolts to the rear of the frame just above the hitch receiver. this bracket fits snug to the back of the frame and doesn't seem to have any adjustment fore or aft. the only issue I ran into installing the bracket was that the bolts weren't long enough to reach the threads, so I had to purchase longer ones.
I was able to mount the bumper on the bracket, and made the mistake of painstakingly measuring before tightening bolts and reinstalling the bumper body panel. I say this was a mistake, because I just had to loosen them back up to get the body panel back on. Once I got the panel back on, I realized that there was no way the bumper could sit far enough forward to mate with the back of the bracket. If I did that, the swing arm stanchions pushed into the body panel, so I'm wondering if I need to notch the panel, but I'm not sure that would even be enough room. if the bumper does need to sit further back, do I need to add shims and use longer bolts above the hitch?
The other issue, and maybe even a larger issue, is the body panel sticks out a good inch and half on both sides of the bumper. I'm almost feeling like this would require custom panels.
The instructions are a joke and remind me of a cartoon my kids watch where they distill every task down to 3 over simplified steps: "step 1, unpack the bumper; step 2 install the bumper; step 3 put away tools". The company I bought this from has been very responsive, but hasn't installed one on a 150, so they are relying on Dobinson. This bumper seems to be good quality, especially for the price, but this roadblock is frustrating.
Let me know if anyone has installed one of these and can chime in with some ideas
The bumper has a large bracket (looks like a trailer hitch) that bolts to the underside of the frame rails (has side to side adjustment), as well as bolts to the rear of the frame just above the hitch receiver. this bracket fits snug to the back of the frame and doesn't seem to have any adjustment fore or aft. the only issue I ran into installing the bracket was that the bolts weren't long enough to reach the threads, so I had to purchase longer ones.
I was able to mount the bumper on the bracket, and made the mistake of painstakingly measuring before tightening bolts and reinstalling the bumper body panel. I say this was a mistake, because I just had to loosen them back up to get the body panel back on. Once I got the panel back on, I realized that there was no way the bumper could sit far enough forward to mate with the back of the bracket. If I did that, the swing arm stanchions pushed into the body panel, so I'm wondering if I need to notch the panel, but I'm not sure that would even be enough room. if the bumper does need to sit further back, do I need to add shims and use longer bolts above the hitch?
The other issue, and maybe even a larger issue, is the body panel sticks out a good inch and half on both sides of the bumper. I'm almost feeling like this would require custom panels.
The instructions are a joke and remind me of a cartoon my kids watch where they distill every task down to 3 over simplified steps: "step 1, unpack the bumper; step 2 install the bumper; step 3 put away tools". The company I bought this from has been very responsive, but hasn't installed one on a 150, so they are relying on Dobinson. This bumper seems to be good quality, especially for the price, but this roadblock is frustrating.
Let me know if anyone has installed one of these and can chime in with some ideas
