Wanting to get an ARB front bumper – have many Q’s – would love some answers from people who have one on their rig (1 Viewer)

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mrq

Joined
Jul 17, 2016
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Location
Portland, OR / SW WA
Hi, all!

I have a ‘94 FZJ and I am wanting to get an ARB front bumper for it.

I have many questions, and I am hoping that some of you that have ARB’s on your rig could help me out. I will be getting the non-winch version. (I will never use a winch, so I don’t want the winch version). I’ve done a lot of searching via the search bar here on MUD. But I still have questions even after searching and reading through old threads...


Some relevant info before I list my questions:

- 1994 FZJ80

- Currently running the stock bumper and a grill guard

- Hardly any/no rust where the bumper bolts on

- No lift - stock height & suspension



Here are my questions:


- How much does the ARB bumper weigh?

- If I install the ARB front bumper on my rig w/ stock height & no lift will it make the front of my rig sag or droop?

- Do I need a leveling kit for my front end if I install the ARB?

- Will the ARB affect the ride or the way my rig will drive in a noticeable way?

- If I ever wanted to put back my stock bumper on my rig is it that much of a pain to remove the ARB and reinstall in?

- Do these ARB front bumpers really add significantly more protection to the front end vs the stock OEM bumper?

Those are all the questions I have that I can think of...


Also, if any of you can tell me why I SHOULD get an ARB or maybe tell me the pro’s & con’s that would be much appreciated.


Thanks in advance!
 
Arb is easy to install. Easily removed. My bumper with winch sagged the front about 1/2" on stock springs. So expect about 1/4" sag without a winch.

Thanks for the answer – cheers!
 
I'll second what he just said and add... the protection of the factory bumper is virtually nil. The ARB is several orders of magnitude better.

One of my customers hit a moose at 70MPH. It was a small moose, only 7-8 hundred pounds. One end end of the bumper was laid back aprox 1/8-1/4 of an inch at the top. That was the only damage.

A couple other customers have been in accidents with other vehicles on icy roads. Scratch the powder coat on their bumper while the other vehicle got trashed badly. I bounced off a cottonwood tree while moving a little too quick on a very tight slow trail. The ARB simply bounced me sideways and I kept going. Without it I would have had damaged; bumper, valance, headlight, parking light, fender, flare, and hood.

I have used my rig to break trail like an icebreaker through thick frozen flooded trail sections with chunked up and refrozen tree+ thick ice. h=Tgis trearment would have trashed my front end sheet metal in a couple of feet without the ARB

They are not perfect. I would like stouter recovery points than what ARB uses. I would like a thicker lower edge. But if you want a bumper that actually protects the front end of your '80 I don't think you can do better Trying to find another bumper that does not have top be modified to provide grill/headlight/fender protection at all is a tough job in itself.

It goes on easy. Comes back off easy if you wish. It does not affect the way the vehicle handles in any way that you will ever be able to discern. Not sure on the exact weight right off the top of my head at the moment, but it is an easy one man lift/install
 
Hi, Arb on our 1991. What I like is people no longer seem inclined to pull out in front of us or run a red light against us when they see our bumper. Seems like good insurance against have a wreck. Mike
 
I don’t know the actual weight, but assumed it would be very heavy from it’s looks.
very surprisingly, it was way lighter than I assumed.
I was able to lift it up alone with zero issues.
 
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ARB on my stock 80, very little droop even with 85lb winch, looks great, easy to install or remove. Any steel bumper will protect vehicle in low speed crashes, and almost certainly guarantee frame damage in other situations, while transporting more dangerous forces to the sack of flesh and bones in the seat.
 
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Yeah, the ARB isn't a whole lot more weight then the stock bumper, but is far more protection. Had a little incident where I happened to clip one of the yellow crash barrels that protect overpass pillars along interstates at 70 mph. Scuffed the powder-coat and knocked the ARB just a little askew. Once I loosened and adjusted the bolts after straightening how it set on the frame ends, all was good.

An ARB won't protect against every human stupidity or natural obstacle, but it vastly increases the chance that your truck will run to get you back home safely.

Yes, the OEM bumper will go back on, but you'll likely not want to do that unless you're trading for another 80 and want to save the cost of another ARB by transferring it to your next truck.
 
Yeah, the ARB isn't a whole lot more weight then the stock bumper, but is far more protection. Had a little incident where I happened to clip one of the yellow crash barrels that protect overpass pillars along interstates at 70 mph. Scuffed the powder-coat and knocked the ARB just a little askew. Once I loosened and adjusted the bolts after straightening how it set on the frame ends, all was good.

An ARB won't protect against every human stupidity or natural obstacle, but it vastly increases the chance that your truck will run to get you back home safely.

Yes, the OEM bumper will go back on, but you'll likely not want to do that unless you're trading for another 80 and want to save the cost of another ARB by transferring it to your next truck.

Thank you so much for the answer!
I think I’m convinced now to get an ARB.

And good to know about the stock bumper being able to go back on. If I get an ARB I won’t ever need to put the stock bumper back on. But if there is ever a time where I am forced to sell my 80 (I’m hoping that’s never – I plan to keep it for infinity) I would give the stock bumper to the purchaser so that they could re-install it if they wish.
 
ARB on my stock 80, very little droop even with 85lb winch, looks great, easy to install or remove. Any steel bumper will protect vehicle in low speed crashes, and almost certainly guarantee frame damage in other situations, while transporting more dangerous forces to the sack of flesh and bones in the seat.

Cheers for the answer!
 
I'll second what he just said and add... the protection of the factory bumper is virtually nil. The ARB is several orders of magnitude better.

One of my customers hit a moose at 70MPH. It was a small moose, only 7-8 hundred pounds. One end end of the bumper was laid back aprox 1/8-1/4 of an inch at the top. That was the only damage.

A couple other customers have been in accidents with other vehicles on icy roads. Scratch the powder coat on their bumper while the other vehicle got trashed badly. I bounced off a cottonwood tree while moving a little too quick on a very tight slow trail. The ARB simply bounced me sideways and I kept going. Without it I would have had damaged; bumper, valance, headlight, parking light, fender, flare, and hood.

I have used my rig to break trail like an icebreaker through thick frozen flooded trail sections with chunked up and refrozen tree+ thick ice. h=Tgis trearment would have trashed my front end sheet metal in a couple of feet without the ARB

They are not perfect. I would like stouter recovery points than what ARB uses. I would like a thicker lower edge. But if you want a bumper that actually protects the front end of your '80 I don't think you can do better Trying to find another bumper that does not have top be modified to provide grill/headlight/fender protection at all is a tough job in itself.

It goes on easy. Comes back off easy if you wish. It does not affect the way the vehicle handles in any way that you will ever be able to discern. Not sure on the exact weight right off the top of my head at the moment, but it is an easy one man lift/install

Thanks so much for your detailed answer!

I have a question about the recovery points... Will I need to install my OEM tow hooks back on the frame when I install the ARB? The tow hooks are currently OFF because I have a grill guard bolted to where they’re supposed to be.

Also, someone mentioned to me that I must leave the factory recovery points on my rig when I install the ARB. They said that the ones on the ARB are for securing my rig for transportation purposes only.
 
You'll need longer bolts for them, but the OEM tie-downs will go back on bolted through the holes in the ARB's mounting points.

Just FYI, while the factory loops are stout, they're technically not a recovery point, so be cautious about their use. Better to get something around the frame or other solid location. And yes, the holes provided in the ARB make a good place to hang a clevis or two and thus tie down the winch hook, but never use them as a recovery point unless they are reworked with considerable reinforcement welded in.
 
So I’ve got another question I’m hoping maybe you guys can help me out with?

I need some measurements of the ARB to make sure that if it’s on my rig it will fit in my garage. I don’t want to buy one and install it before finding this out.

Would anyone here be able to do me a HUGE favor and take some measurements for me?

What I need:

- The measurement of how far the bullbar’s wings extend from the edge of the car.
(See photo #1 below for example).

- The measurement of how far the bumper protrudes outward and frontwards from the front end of the car. (See photo #2 for example).




Photo #1:
E4CA1952-59D1-4A6E-98C1-66BBD5986E4F.jpeg



Photo #2:
7274AEE9-94DF-48CB-86B0-6E3C20F9B25B.jpeg





If anyone can get me these measurements that would be so absolutely helpful and amazing.

Thanks in advance!
 
Last edited:
Like previously posted, the front factory hoops are just tie downs for transport, not recovery. I bought some recovery points from a company in Australia. Works great with the ARB and comes with longer 8 grade and 12 grade bolts.
 
So I’ve got another question I’m hoping maybe you guys can help me out with?

I need some measurements of the ARB to make sure that if it’s on my rig it will fit in my garage. I don’t want to buy one and install it before finding this out.

Would anyone here be able to do me a HUGE favor and take some measurements for me?

What I need:

- The measurement of how far the bullbar’s wings extend from the edge of the car.
(See photo #1 below for example).

- The measurement of how far the bumper protrudes outward and frontwards from the front end of the car. (See photo #2 for example).
SNIP

In Photo #1, it appears that the hoop extends out past the body work, but it doesn't. The edge of the hoop is about halfway out on the front flare, so it doesn't even extend quite the full width of the truck. Thus the answer is 0". This is for the North American spec 80s with flares. There are other versions of the ARB designed to fit a truck without flares, in which case if the hoops are otherwise identical it might be about 2" wider than the body work. The non-flared versions have truncated "wings" down on the bumper itself, unlike the ones we get here that generally have flares as standard equipment, to deal with this slightly reduced width.

In Photo #2, the front face of the bumper extends out from the grille emblem (the "sombrero" in the case of my 97) approximately 8". I'm pretty sure the non-winch ARB is the same as the winch version, excepting the reinforcing mount flange for the roller fairlead and the fairlead, which will not be present on the non-winch ARB.
 
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In Photo #1, it appears that the hoop extends out past the body work, but it doesn't. The edge of the hoop is about halfway out on the front flare, so it doesn't even extend quite the full width of the truck. Thus the answer is 0". This is for the North American spec 80s with flares. There are other versions of the ARB designed to fit a truck without flares, in which case if the hoops are otherwise identical it might be about 2" wider than the body work. The non-flared versions have truncated "wings" down on the bumper itself, unlike the ones we get here that generally have flares as standard equipment, to deal with this slightly reduced width.

In Photo #2, the front face of the bumper extends out from the grille emblem (the "sombrero" in the case of my 97) approximately 8". I'm pretty sure the non-winch ARB is the same as the winch version, excepting the reinforcing mount flange for the roller fairlead and the fairlead, which will not be present on the non-winch ARB.

Wow — thank you SO much for this. You have really helped me. I appreciate it immensely!

It’s looking like this will fit in my garage – yay!
I’m waiting to get a phone call today with a quote/price from a Land Cruiser repair/restoration shop here in Portland that carries ARB bumpers.

The owner of the shop said that sometimes the mounting holes on the FJ80 ARB’s can be off by a few millimeters — which can sometimes cause problems with the holes lining up which can require a bit of extra elbow grease in order to get the holes to line up.

I’m going to have the shop install the ARB for me. I’m a kid in my early 20’s with zero mechanical or handyman skills. My Dad helps me with some things on my rig (things that are w/in his skill level)... But I’m thinking that this bumper install will be a little bit more than what we can handle. Especially since you have to splice the wiring for the electrical/turn signals in the ARB bumper.

Thank you, again! I will post a picture if I end up getting the ARB. I’m still thinking it over, but I’m leaning towards pulling the trigger.
 
two possible thoughts..... get the winch version, a lot better chance you'll be able to sell it down the road if you decide to take it off.... just put your license plate over the fairlead opening...

get a set of trail tailor front hooks..... the ARB's are not up to the job for anything heavy duty or off angle.
 
two possible thoughts..... get the winch version, a lot better chance you'll be able to sell it down the road if you decide to take it off.... just put your license plate over the fairlead opening...

get a set of trail tailor front hooks..... the ARB's are not up to the job for anything heavy duty or off angle.
^^^This.
Having an aftermarket front bumper with no winch...super small market for them on the back end. (And why do you think you'll never need a winch??)
I recommend against an ARB...largely due to the thinnish steel used in their construction. I know several folk with them and they tend to bend quite easily with hits to the far ends of the bumper - leaving 'welps' along the leading edges. And for the price...you can just about get a kit with thicker steel pieces and find a guy to weld it up for you.
Mine is custom kit with steel about twice at thick as the ARB (in the vein of the Slee front bumper). And one thing I can attest to is that my bumper moves things. Trees, boulders, mountain sides...they all move. My bumper does not.
But as a result of the weight, I'm running OME heavies up front. So there is some give and take. Prior to, the OEM springs were just about to the bump stops with the weight.
 
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^^^This.
Having an aftermarket front bumper with no winch...super small market for them on the back end. (And why do you think you'll never need a winch??)
I recommend against an ARB...largely due to the thinnish steel used in their construction. I know several folk with them and they tend to bend quite easily with hits to the far ends of the bumper - leaving 'welps' along the leading edges. And for the price...you can just about get a kit with thicker steel pieces and find a guy to weld it up for you.
Mine is custom kit with steel about twice at thick as the ARB (in the vein of the Slee front bumper). And one thing I can attest to is that my bumper moves things. Trees, boulders, mountain sides...they all move. My bumper does not.
But as a result of the weight, I'm running OME heavies up front. So there is some give and take. Prior to, the OEM springs were just about to the bump stops with the weight.

I do ZERO off-roading. My rig is my daily for around town. The most treacherous terrain my rig ever sees is the 2-3 snow days per year & the occasional icy road. I don’t need a winch because I will never be in a position where I’ll need one. And also, I like how the non-winch version looks and I think it’s looks a little better than the winch version. Plus I’m really tight on cash — so $120 savings I get w/ the non-winch bumper is appealing to me.

Having someone make a bumper for me sounds daunting and expensive. I’ve read enough/heard enough positive things about the ARB that I’m sold on it.

Thanks so your answer & your thoughts! Much appreciated.
 

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