Rear Bumper Question

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.

KC100series

KC100series

10 Year
Joined
Jan 5, 2015
Threads
4
Messages
155
Location
Kansas City
Howdy, I've been getting pretty hot and heavy with a rear bumper search lately and wanted to get some opinions.

Currently the ARB rear bumper is at the top of my list. I like that I can add swingouts after the fact, and I also like that I can have that bumper with a tire carrier, already powder coated, and delivered to my door for $2k

On the other hand, I am a big fan of the slee and dissent rear bumpers. On the slee, I don't have a roofrack and have no immediate plans to have one. Will a ladder to nowhere look ridiculous? The price point on that one is similar enough to the ARB where I could be swayed. The dissent is gorgeous, but I think it's a little out of my price range when adding swingouts and the cost of shipping and powder coating.

So in all reality I have no clue what I want, other than to limit the upper end of the price spectrum to $2500-$2600.

This rig is more expo style than a rock crawler. I do take it off road, but never any crazy rock crawling. I'm open to any and all suggestions
 
The rear bumper is a huge investment with any route you go! My advice would be to get what you want, otherwise you will regret it later on.
I know the price on my bumper seams high but when it's all said and done its not much more than the other options you have mentioned. The bumper starts at $2400, that includes all hardware, licence plate light, 7pin trailer plug and harness, drivers side swing out tire carrier, new crossmember and high-lift mount.
Now I am developing some high dollar aluminum accessories but also plan some simple lower cost options as well.
I would love the opportunity to go over all the features of the dissent bumper and would be happy to answer any questions you may have.
Thanks!
Ben.
 
Thanks Ben! I've been drooling over your bumper since you first posted it. I will definitely give you a shout before ordering anything. I'd love to be able to support someone who has invested so much time and heart into the 100 series platform. Maybe picking up a bumper would be a good excuse to make a trip out to Oregon.
 
KC100series said:
Thanks Ben! I've been drooling over your bumper since you first posted it. I will definitely give you a shout before ordering anything. I'd love to be able to support someone who has invested so much time and heart into the 100 series platform. Maybe picking up a bumper would be a good excuse to make a trip out to Oregon.
Click to expand...
Thanks!
Oregon is nice but I'm in California;)
 
I'd put ARB on the bottom of the list for strength and design performance. The clearances are not great and the metal is not as stout. The only thing ARB has going for it is you can order it and have it in a week or two.

Slee is very nice- but as you said comes 1 way and fully loaded.

I like Bens design, (I have his front) unfortunately it wasn't available on my timeline.

BIOR- is very close to Slee in performance and design- and built to options so you can have it anyway you like. Mike builds a solid product. Happy with the end result.

TrailTailor- I believe Jason is making bumpers for 100s now.

If you go the custom route- plan ahead. Most of them are 6-8weeks or more out on build schedules.
 
I've had the Slee for some tim enow and have zero regrets - I'd purchase one again tomorrow without hesitation. Superbly built and tough as can be - I've beat on it pretty hard and it still looks like it did the day I installed it.
 
abuck99 said:
I'd put ARB on the bottom of the list for strength and design performance. The clearances are not great and the metal is not as stout. The only thing ARB has going for it is you can order it and have it in a week or two.
Click to expand...

I definitely get where you're coming from on this one. There is a big lack of information on the ARB rear bumper, the price more caught my eye than anything. I'm thinking that I should keep looking elsewhere and spend a little more $$$ to get something that will last longer and give me better departure angles and strength.

What kind of setup do you have on your bio abuck99?
 
crimsonaudio said:
I've had the Slee for some tim enow and have zero regrets - I'd purchase one again tomorrow without hesitation. Superbly built and tough as can be - I've beat on it pretty hard and it still looks like it did the day I installed it.
Click to expand...

That's always good to hear, and from the looks of your pictures your rig definitely gets out into the wild and is used how it was intended. This decision is going to be more difficult than I thought
 
My favorite is still the 4x4 labs offering but we have lots of good options for 100 rears these days.
 
One deciding factor for many is whether you have to cut out the rear crossmember or not.

No: ARB, SLEE
Yes: Dissent, 4x4 Labs

For BIOR, I believe a crossmember section is cutout for the hitch but not removed completely.

The ARB and Dissent seem to have the easiest opening/closing mechanisms.
 
I was just looking at BIOR's website and you do have to notch the crossmember for the hitch.

I'm ok with cutting the crossmember. I feel like I'm strengthening the frame and making it more rigid due to the big piece of metal I'm slapping on the rear end
 
Welp, I'm officially on the same train KC. I just crunched my rear bumper during a pre-caffeinated driveway exit and forgot that a guest had parked in my runway. So in the spirit of lemons to lemonade, I'm now trying to justify dropping some coin to upgrade. Leaning toward Slee due to Ben's backlog. Althought I really like what Ben is doing. I could pick up an ARB locally, but am not sold on the style/quality. I trust Christo's products and they have been proven. As I hunt with a hitch Carrier, I need the receiver.
 
last year i bought the rear bumper from this guy
SoFlo Bumpers
I paid $900, it came with both swing outs and a free jerry can.
It's heavy and bulky. I struggle with fitment a little bit, but a drill and elbow grease solved everything.
 
Another factor many consider is business model and place of origin. Several of these bumpers are USA made by small companies that do a lot to support our hobby, events, land use issues, etc. Some of them are imported by larger companies that also support things on the important list. IMO the best bumper designs for our trucks and our hobby are from the western states, but that's just my opinion.
 
I just got my dissent after waiting almost a year. There were many times when I almost canceled my order and went with a different one. In the end I'm glad I waited and spent a little bit more. The design is fantastic, but the huge draw for me was the latching mechanism.

With the others, its a pain to open 2 swingouts, the hatch, the lower the gate. Then do it all in reverse. Especially when you consider that most have locking pins at the hinges which means you have to basically walk from one side of the truck to the other to get both closed. The dissent mechanism is exactly like your hatch, simple leaver that releases to open and you just push them closed. Its as effortless as you can get, which was important to me because we often have the dogs in the back and have to let them out a lot.
 
Ramathorn15 said:
I just got my dissent after waiting almost a year. There were many times when I almost canceled my order and went with a different one. In the end I'm glad I waited and spent a little bit more. The design is fantastic, but the huge draw for me was the latching mechanism.

With the others, its a pain to open 2 swingouts, the hatch, the lower the gate. Then do it all in reverse. Especially when you consider that most have locking pins at the hinges which means you have to basically walk from one side of the truck to the other to get both closed. The dissent mechanism is exactly like your hatch, simple leaver that releases to open and you just push them closed. Its as effortless as you can get, which was important to me because we often have the dogs in the back and have to let them out a lot.
Click to expand...

The swing outs are the one thing that gives me pause in general. I am in and out of the back a lot and don't want to end up regretting my decision. Good to know about the Dissent. I know Ben put a lot of effort into the R&D of his bumpers - they look phenomenal. And it's good to get practical feedback from the field. No regrets going with the swing outs at all?
 
Leandro said:
last year i bought the rear bumper from this guy
SoFlo Bumpers
I paid $900, it came with both swing outs and a free jerry can.
It's heavy and bulky. I struggle with fitment a little bit, but a drill and elbow grease solved everything.
Click to expand...

Can you post up some pics
 
Ramathorn15 said:
With the others, its a pain to open 2 swingouts, the hatch, the lower the gate. Then do it all in reverse. Especially when you consider that most have locking pins at the hinges which means you have to basically walk from one side of the truck to the other to get both closed. The dissent mechanism is exactly like your hatch, simple leaver that releases to open and you just push them closed. Its as effortless as you can get, which was important to me because we often have the dogs in the back and have to let them out a lot.
Click to expand...

That is actually one of my main selling points on that bumper as well. A buddy of mine has the 4x4 labs rear bumper on his 80, incredibly stout, but It can be a pain on long trips with the way their swingouts are made. I'd guess that's the one area where I'd like a little more than just functional. That is something I'll have to deal with on a daily basis with my dog and hauling around stuff for my job
 
I have Mike's (BIOR) front, rear bumps and sliders! Quality stuff, excellent customer service. I may selling my rear bumper to go with the one with the integrated hitch!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Back
Top Bottom