Opinions! Bior hc or 4x4 labs rear bumper

[jabhb]

Close to pulling the trigger ( within a week ) on a new rear bumper.
Chances are this has been beaten to death, but which one?
I like the looks of both of them. I do have a welder buddy that could help weld the 4x4labs, so that's money in the pocket.
Pros and cons of each?

Appreciate any help and opinions!!


Random snow pictures from a couple weeks ago!

 

[jabhb]

Well apparently I didn't do that right

 

[SkiLyft]

Nah that's a random snow pic! ) success!


Sent from my iPhone, please embrace the typos

 

[jabhb]

Haha touché

 

[fireball]

I love my BIOR rear bumper. Mike was awesome to deal with and can customize the bumper however you'd like it. It looks great, is built well and IMO is the best option out there.

I was only considering the BIOR vs. Slee, so can't comment on the 4x4labs offering.

PROS of the BIOR:
can have it customized
the black textured PC looks awesome
can order extra cyclinders/sleeves and easily remove the swing arms when not needed
easy one handed closure of the tire swing

CONS:
the PC looks so good, you'll spend $260 having your OPOR "budget" sliders PC'd to match the rear bumper
I believe the slee kit has all the wiring for the LP light. The BIOR has the light installed, but you have to sort out the wiring yourself (it's only 2 wires, super easy)

 

[fireball]

 

[wareagle]

Another vote for BIO. I will mention that tire swing away locking pin has given me a lot of grief, especially in the winter. Other than that it, bumper, skids and sliders are awesome. I get compliments almost weekly on the rear bumper.

 

[jabhb]

Thanks guys!
Seems the bior has a good rep around here.

Who has a better latch design?
I spend ALOT of time in filthy snow and ice ridden areas.
Also, along with that, is there any noise and rattling with the swing outs?
Spend a lot of time on higher speed washboard type gravel roads.

Thanks for any input!

 

[wareagle]

Zero noise or vibe on my BIO.

 

[SupraTuRD]

Looking good! Does the BIOR have a gas strut on the tire carrier?

 

[OregonLC]

Looking good! Does the BIOR have a gas strut on the tire carrier?

Yes, both sides have struts.

 

[LostAfrican]

Fireball, - nice looking truck!
In your list of pros about "extra cylinders/sleeves" - that is something I have been looking for.

If I understand you correctly, you can remove the swing outs (and place your spare underneath) when you don't need the clearance/rear mounted spare, and you'd like to use the tail gate easily etc. Then when you are going for some serious off-road, you can put the swing out back on the bumper and place the spare (or a second) on the swing out. Yes?

How easy is it to switch from with to without swing-outs? < 1 hour?

I have been looking into this and discovered that the ARB needs to be removed from the truck to change the swing out cover to use a a swing out.

I am not sure about the SLEE though. Anyone have any input?

On the BIOR, can you use the receiver for towing?

thanks!
Andy

 

[fireball]

Fireball, - nice looking truck!
In your list of pros about "extra cylinders/sleeves" - that is something I have been looking for.

If I understand you correctly, you can remove the swing outs (and place your spare underneath) when you don't need the clearance/rear mounted spare, and you'd like to use the tail gate easily etc. Then when you are going for some serious off-road, you can put the swing out back on the bumper and place the spare (or a second) on the swing out. Yes?

How easy is it to switch from with to without swing-outs? < 1 hour?

I have been looking into this and discovered that the ARB needs to be removed from the truck to change the swing out cover to use a a swing out.

I am not sure about the SLEE though. Anyone have any input?

On the BIOR, can you use the receiver for towing?

thanks!
Andy

Andy - thanks for the compliment. Yes, you understand correctly. It is super easy, maybe 10' tops. Look at the picture of my truck about to go under the bridge. The cylinder/sleeve under the driver side brake light. The silver cap is the same as on the tire carrier side. That cap comes off, underneath is a castle nut and cotter pin. Remove pin, remove nut, lift off the tire carrier, install the cylinder/sleeve, reinstall nut and pin and metal cap and bam, you're ready to go.

Neither Slee nor BIOR will rate or approve their rear bumpers for towing duty due to liability issues. If you look at the way both of them are mounted, you can draw your own conclusions. They share the same mounting points as the OEM hitch, and add in a few extra, so I wouldn't have any qualms about towing with it.

Also, the BIOR and I believe the Slee as well does not interfere with you mounting the OEM hitch back underneath. So if you really wanted to be sure, reinstall the OEM hitch for any heavy tows.

 

[fireball]

Another vote for BIO. I will mention that tire swing away locking pin has given me a lot of grief, especially in the winter. Other than that it, bumper, skids and sliders are awesome. I get compliments almost weekly on the rear bumper.

Mine is only a month old now, and has worked great.

Just in case... you do know that the pin is easily removed and is supposed to be periodically removed, cleaned/wire wheeled and packed with some anti-seize lube. If you haven't done this lately, might want to give it a try. Hopefully will return things to the buttery smooth operation that mine currently has in its glorious youth!

 

[wareagle]

Yes, it's easily removed . I keep it covered with anti seize. Mine collects moisture which creates a rusty goo that freezes easily.

 

[MikeSmith]

Hey guys,

I have been messing with the spring pin some and put a o-ring between the top ball and the thread in piece of the pin. I also put some thread sealer on the threads of the pin. It has been that way for a few weeks now and there is no sign of moisture. There has not been much in the way of weather yet but the carwash throws some water at it. It is forecast to snow in a few days. I will let you know how it holds up to that. I have another customer that has had this set up on his truck for a few months and thinks it is keeping the moisture out very well. Anyway, just that I would let you know what is seeming to help this issue.

Thanks
Mike

 

[jabhb]

thats really good to know! ^

 

[wareagle]

Mike, Great info. Thanks for posting.

 

[saillaw]

As for towing with the BIOR bumper, I pulled my 5000lb trailer on an 8500mile road trip, that included a lot of offroad and had zero problems with it. The bumper looks strong enough to be able to tow 5 times that weight IMHO.

You need to put some thought into where you want to put the trailer electric receiver though. At first I had mine mounted under the bumper, but the first ass drag offroad ripped it off. So now I have it tucked up behind the bumper so it doesn't get hit if I ass drag (which indecently the bumper has had several times where I was high-centered on a bolder with the bumper lifting the rear, and other than some powder coat damage the bumper is dent free). The only problem with placing the electrical receiver there is that you need to buy an extension so your trailer wires will reach (I didn't and first time I went around a corner it ripped the wires out of the plug). But those placement issues would be the same for any bumper, not just BIOR, unless the bumper was made with a hole drilled to fit the plug receiver.

Another happy BIOR customer here. I am also a big fan of my BIOR front bumper and skid plates.

 

[r2m]

I'm a wee bit in the same boat as yourself jabhb. Just don't have the funds to pull the trigger, but I've been looking for the best option.

Just yesterday, Sunday (11/25/2013), driving to go have lunch with our church friends after church, I pull up to a clean white LX 100 series with 2" lift, sliders, what looks like an ARB front bumper and a rear with a swing-out spare, but couldn't make out the rear manufacturer. Had him roll down his window asked, he said it was a Slee. So I lagged behind so my wife and I could have a gander at the looks.
Opinion: Looked very nice, functional and sturdy, he had both bumpers and slides a nice medium to dark gray, not black.

I've worked with Mike at BIOR when I purchased my front diff drop and yes, he is very easy to work with. After looking at the Slee first hand I believe it is a very nice bumper. The thing that will probably swing me towards the BIOR bumper is that I really like his HC (High Clearance) rear bumper.
http://www.bumpitoffroad.com/products/100/rearhcbumper/info.html

I like the looks and the functionality of it.
Another plus is his ability to customize it per ones spec's.

With all due respect to Christo Slee, and I truly am looking for an excuse to make a big purchase from him, but for now, my vote is for the BIOR rear bumper HC with swing-out spare. Who knows? I sure like that Blueberry bumper of Slee's...