Soflobumpers 80 series rear bumpers

[ewillis]

When I spoke with the seller (importer) he made a point of saying that he deliberately uses thinner steel than other bumpers in order to keep the weight down. He was really up front about that, and mentioned that if I was looking for a bumper that was intended as stout protection his wasn't the right one. It was designed to get the spare out from under the truck, give you a place to store a gas can, and be a little stronger than what was there from the factory.

Yep...I get it. Many don't need/want a boulder crusher. A bit more protection and proper spare carrier are great features. It's no Slee/Labs/BIOR and the price reflects that. Curious if you have any wiggle on the trails with a 35". If it's solid, that would be a big plus!

 

[ewillis]

like i said, I get it yet, I don't.

Where does slee/labs/bior source their steel and parts from?

Great question...maybe @sleeoffroad can answer that definitively.

 

[SkyMall]

Was there a model or part number for this version?

No, it's just the "current" version

 

[SkyMall]

Yep...I get it. Many don't need/want a boulder crusher. A bit more protection and proper spare carrier are great features. It's no Slee/Labs/BIOR and the price reflects that. Curious if you have any wiggle on the trails with a 35". If it's solid, that would be a big plus!

I've got 33s, but I'll certainly let you know

 

[sleepycruiser]

I don't know about the rear bumper, but the seller did tell me that the front bumper uses the same thickness/gauge steel as the ARB front bumper.

 

[SkyMall]

Just talked to my mechanic and got some info:

-Overall, for the money, it's not awful

-The mounting system is clever and well designed

-Welds are kinda ugly but not substandard, but the grinding is pretty bad

-The wings are a little too long and need to be trimmed back a couple inches in order to clear the flares

-The swingounts are not secured to the spindle in any way. The only thing that holds them on is the latch

-The ladder is REALLY close to the window, so he put some padding on it in case it makes contact

-The top piece, where the diamond plate is, doesn't go all the way back to the the truck so there's a big gap, which is covered by the diamond plate. It doesn't have any way of attaching, so he used 9 large rivets to secure it to the bumper.

His impression was that it is definitely a "get what you pay for" product, but that for the money it's not bad.

 

[SkyMall]

I'm going to pick it up on Thursday and when I get home I'll take some detailed pictures with my macro lens and post them.

 

[crikeymike]

-The swingounts are not secured to the spindle in any way. The only thing that holds them on is the latch
.

It's not a bearing system with a nut on the top to hold it all in place onto the spindle?

 

[SkyMall]

It's not a bearing system with a nut on the top to hold it all in place onto the spindle?

I haven't seen it's seen yet, but I recall hat my mechanic said it was a bushing with a cap. I'll post pictures as soon as i can.

 

[JohnVee]

......
-Welds are kinda ugly but not substandard, but the grinding is pretty bad
expected for the price and point of origin. no big deal.
-The wings are a little too long and need to be trimmed back a couple inches in order to clear the flares
score one for the USA builders who offer the flare/no flare option when you order.
-The swingounts are not secured to the spindle in any way. The only thing that holds them on is the latch
holy crap.
-The ladder is REALLY close to the window, so he put some padding on it in case it makes contact
I saw that in earlier pics. should be easy enough for the maker to change next time.
-The top piece, where the diamond plate is, doesn't go all the way back to the the truck so there's a big gap, which is covered by the diamond plate. It doesn't have any way of attaching, so he used 9 large rivets to secure it to the bumper.

His impression was that it is definitely a "get what you pay for" product, but that for the money it's not bad.

My thoughts in red above. I'm sure it's a fine product for those who are aware of what they are getting. I say that as a happy 4x4Labs owner who admits that my bumper is largely a spare tire holder (though i appreciate the protection it has offered me on the rocks more than once from impact that would surely have cause a damage multiplier effect with this SoFlo bumper). There is definitely a market for a $1000 rear swing out even if it's a "Smittybuilt" level of construction and durability. Thanks to the OP and others for keeping us informed.

 

[Fj moneypit]

Nowadays most everything is made in china or other countries to cut cost and maximize profits for the 1%ers. The steel for OME springs and leafs Comes from Malaysia or elsewhere.

 

[gnarlytoes]

Sounds like it's OK for a mall crawler where you just want to get the spare out from under it and looks > function.

I may get one for the wife's '97.

 

[SkyMall]

I picked up my truck yesterday and will be doing a write-up over the next couple days, with updates after the WTO Overland trip next weekend. I think I'm going to do a discrete thread and link it here.

EDIT: I put a couple pics on my build thread

 

[mudgudgeon]

Sounds like it's OK for a mall crawler where you just want to get the spare out from under it and looks > function.

I may get one for the wife's '97.

Why would you want to get the spare out from under your mall crawler? There's no point unless your also taking it off-road.
Having the spare on a swing out carrier is a PITA, I hate having to open swing outs, then the hatch and tailgate every time I want to put stuff in the back.

 

[SkyMall]

Here's my full review. Lets carry on the discussion over here and leave this thread for people who want to discuss the pros and cons of future purchases.

 

[White wings]

Bought the bumper and installed. Anyone in CO is welcome to meet up and judge the unit for yourself. I had to open up the mounting holes under the truck as they were about 1/4 of an inch away from a proper alignment. I also had to trim away some material on the left side to avoid touching the back left quarter panel. There are 2 other mounting areas that required spacers to make up the gap from the bumper and the frame for a solid mount. The wings behind the rear tires are a single piece of steel (not boxed), they will also be receiving some extra work from me to stiffen them up. The "diamond plate" is NOT suitable to stand on in my opinion as it can EASILY be bent by hand. In fact mine showed up bent from shipping. The holes for the swing outs had weld spatter in the bore requiring a blast with a conical wire attachment.

I was able to negotiate a slightly lower original cost and the seller (Rocky) offered an additional refund after a call about my time needed for modification. He also assured me that the front bumper/sliders for the 80 and everything he sells for the 100 is SPOT ON and far better quality in steel thickness and fit.

You get what you pay for I guess.

 

[SkyMall]

Man! I wish I'd asked for a partial refund for my troubles!