front bumper install difficulty

[zmf]

Had my first unintentional offroad incident yesterday, forcing me to look at new front bumpers sooner than I had planned. And I guess winches too....

How hard is the install for most common front bumpers? Is it something a reasonably competent DIYer can do in an afternoon with all the right tools? I realize there's probably a huge range and it's a bit of a loaded question. I'm just trying to figure out if it's a project I'm willing to take on in the dead of winter.

I don't even know which one I'm getting yet, so I suppose there could be something that pushes me to/away from a specific product.

Thanks.

 

[M1911]

Had my first unintentional offroad incident yesterday, forcing me to look at new front bumpers sooner than I had planned. And I guess winches too....

How hard is the install for most common front bumpers? Is it something a reasonably competent DIYer can do in an afternoon with all the right tools? I realize there's probably a huge range and it's a bit of a loaded question. I'm just trying to figure out if it's a project I'm willing to take on in the dead of winter.

I don't even know which one I'm getting yet, so I suppose there could be something that pushes me to/away from a specific product.

Thanks.

I get the impression that it is way more than an afternoon, and that at the very least you'll need another person. Many of these front bumpers weigh over 150 lbs.

 

[Ali FJ80]

Took me maybe 5 hours of actual working time to get my Dobinson front bumper on over a weekend and wiring took up a decent amount of that also. Stock bumper and support come off rather quick. You then mount the cradle to the frame. The bumper was then mounted to the cradle and can be done with one person. I used a large hydraulic jack to lift it into place and some jack stands for extra support while bolting it to the cradle. Measuring and cutting the bumper skin was probably the most nerve racking but again not rocket science. Measured twice, cut once and trimmed many more times

Its one of those things that looks hard but its just time consuming. Physically installing my rear ARB was even easier. The wiring for the lights which had to be redone and extending the backup sensor wires took longer than the actual install.

 

[A10Driver]

Mine took about 2.5 hours, not including wiring lights and winch. That was probably another couple of hours. Took longer to remove the Tupperware than install new.
I have a @TRAIL TAILOR on a 2017 btw

 

[TRAIL TAILOR]

Mine took about 2.5 hours, not including wiring lights and winch. That was probably another couple of hours. Took longer to remove the Tupperware than install new.
I have a @TRAIL TAILOR on a 2017 btw

This bumper takes me about 1.5 hours and then another 1.0 for the winch and winch wiring and lights.

J

 

[KLF]

Had my first unintentional offroad incident yesterday, forcing me to look at new front bumpers sooner than I had planned. And I guess winches too....

How hard is the install for most common front bumpers? Is it something a reasonably competent DIYer can do in an afternoon with all the right tools? I realize there's probably a huge range and it's a bit of a loaded question. I'm just trying to figure out if it's a project I'm willing to take on in the dead of winter.

I don't even know which one I'm getting yet, so I suppose there could be something that pushes me to/away from a specific product.

Thanks.

I'm willing to come down and give you a hand, depending on the date. Practice for when I do mine (looking hard at the TJM).

Or, if you want to come up this way I have access to a large heated shop space.

 

[M1911]

Or, if you want to come up this way I have access to a large heated shop space.

Now that is a generous offer!

 

[ckkone]

I installed my TJM in an afternoon, it wasn't hard at all. Its helpful to organize all the nuts and bolts into piles by size before you start. You can also get the fog lights installed, drill the holes for parking sensors and install the headlight washers before you even remove the stock bumper.

 

[jblatl]

No one is slower than me! Complete install with a M12 winch, cutting the original bumper, all electrical took a total of 7-8 hours... I am the slowest person you will ever meet. At the same time I also installed the snorkel... It is easy, just take your time.

 

[zmf]

I like the Trail Tailor a LOT, but I'm not sure if I can swing the shipping $$$ out this way.

@KLF I may just take you up on that. I've been looking at the TJM as well, especially if I can pick one up local, which I think I can. Thanks for the offer!

And thanks for the info everyone - great stuff.

-Z