Where have all the rear bumper fabricators gone!?

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Surprised that Cruisin Offroad quit - that was a nice looking unit (never kicked tires on one, full honesty)
I don't have it, but Jason's underbelly protection is legit looking to me. Hope he isn't "retiring".

What about a Slee without any swingout arms, but the welded spindles there in case you grow into 315's or such at some point? --If Christo would sell it like that.--

Seems sliders are all the rage, but no bumpers - maybe between profit /labor margins & units moved @ ~$2K+ for a bumper, most have quit the game. IDK.

Good for the newer vendors here, bumpers are a real talent showcase.
 
AOE makes a nice looking rear bumper
 
I got one two years ago wish I never had. the thing bounces up and down all the time with a 35" tire on it. Talked to LUKE and he said he had never heard of it and it was probably my truck....found a friend with the same issue luke told the same thing to. He ended up telling me to remove the hi lift jack to fix the problem. This was after I drove 12 hours and waited 2 months for the CUSTOM bumper and sliders.....that when I got there I found out he forgot all the custom things I wanted done. still kicking myself 2 years later for getting it. LUke is a great guy or I would have posted this sooner...he tried to make it right but in the end suggested I drive 12 hours to bring it to him to inspect....
ewillis said:
Just get a Labs bumper. The frame cut is justified due to the quality, design, and appearance of the bumper IMO.
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jurassic cruiser said:
I got one two years ago wish I never had. the thing bounces up and down all the time with a 35" tire on it. Talked to LUKE and he said he had never heard of it and it was probably my truck....found a friend with the same issue luke told the same thing to. He ended up telling me to remove the hi lift jack to fix the problem. This was after I drove 12 hours and waited 2 months for the CUSTOM bumper and sliders.....that when I got there I found out he forgot all the custom things I wanted done. still kicking myself 2 years later for getting it. LUke is a great guy or I would have posted this sooner...he tried to make it right but in the end suggested I drive 12 hours to bring it to him to inspect....
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Wow...never heard of this on a Labs bumper. Honest opinions/reviews are appreciated vs the more common confirmation bias.
 
ewillis said:
Wow...never heard of this on a Labs bumper. Honest opinions/reviews are appreciated vs the more common confirmation bias.
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yeah I felt bad cuz LUKE installed it for free since he messed up...but fast forward now and I am building a hdj81 and dont even want that bumper on my truck again.
 
If you had more bumper makers then it wouldn't be a landcruiser.....
It would be a jeep.

For your information have you seen what we have for the front bumper or even sliders.....
Ohh BTW there's only 2 companies that make any kind of trans/transfer protection.
 
cybrstar said:
If you had more bumper makers then it wouldn't be a landcruiser.....
It would be a jeep.
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I don't get the comparison. I know there is some hate for jeepers here, and the huge number of jeep sales means people flooding the market with bumpers for jeeps; I'd think someone who loves the landcruiser community and has the skills necessary wouldn't mind sharing with other like minded people, especially when people are paying them for their time and energy.
 
BreakerMark said:
I don't get the comparison. I know there is some hate for jeepers here, and the huge number of jeep sales means people flooding the market with bumpers for jeeps; I'd think someone who loves the landcruiser community and has the skills necessary wouldn't mind sharing with other like minded people, especially when people are paying them for their time and energy.
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I'm sorry if I rubbed you the wrong way, not my intention, and BTW I don't hate Jeeps, wheel with a couple of buddies that own rubi's.

Let's try it again, only the main CORE landcruiser 80 companies are there because they have been with this community since the beginning when people like you asked the same question back then. We're kinda lucky because they had a passion for the same vehicle that we're passionate about that others just didn't care for.

For instance...
good luck finding an aftermarket bumper for a Nissan Frontier.

Okay now if your not happy with what's out there, sure you can take a picture to a fabricator and sure they'll build it to your specs, but I hope u have deep wallets.

I myself could not beat the price/lazer cuts that 4x4labs provides for their front and rear bumper kit. It's gives me the same feeling as I was younger building a snowman for the first time.
 
@cybrstar thanks for responding, most people don't. I looked into all sorts of 4x4s when I was shopping, and Jeeps were a front runner. However due to the high cost/low quality of the jeeps in my area, I went with my 80 series. To be honest, landcruisers were pushed back in my search mainly because of the fanaticism I experienced while shopping. Whenever I came across a post or response to 'what 4x4 should I buy' Landcruiser owners seemed the most vilently in favor of their own, putting down all others in the process.

I am likewise sorry; seeing that trend as well as continuing to see it on MUD, I vented it at you.
Thanks for clarifying your position, I appreciate it.
 
Pierce said:
Over the last month or so i have been bumper shopping. Looking for a expedition style bumper with no swings. All the bumpers that i like are out of production! IPOR is at the top of my list buuuut they arent doing 80 Series bumpers right now... This is where I'm at...

-IPOR, re-designing with no finish date (havent offered a bribe...yet)
-Cruisin Offroad, done, won't even take a bribe.
-Trail Tailor, done, won't take a bribe either.

-Slee, won't make a bumper with no swingouts
-4x4 labs, don't want to cut frame
-Bumpit Offroad, may be an option but there's something about the wing profile that bothers me
-Costa Fabrications- strong maybe

I'm from the buy once cry once school of thought so I'm thinking of just waiting for an IPOR, Cruisin Offroad or Trail Tailor bumper to pop up on the classifieds... by tge looks of it I might be waiting years though... Yes I have literally offered a few of these fabricators bribes to make one more bumper, no luck.
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The lack of bumpers currently on the market isn't what's strangling you. I'm gonna go out on a limb here and assume that you don't have the capability to cut and weld thereby enabling you to ........... customize any basic bumper you buy to your own liking. Lack of these abilities puts the off road hobbyist at a disadvantage.
Also, putting a solid, "expedition style" bumper sans swing outs on an 80 is a bit paradoxical IMO.

I have the 4x4Labs with double swing outs and have no complaints. No bumper will satisfy in absolutely every possible way. The labs bumper offers the best clearance in the business and its simplicity makes it easy to modify to my liking. As for cutting the rear crossmember off; the bumper is a substantial upgrade in strength and I honestly think that once the bumper is on your rig, you won't need nor want to replace it.
 
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half k cruiser said:
I am also curious about this. From what I've always seen @reevesci will make you damn near anything you want within reason. I always assumed that's why he called his business Trail Tailor. However, I've also noticed his production and amount of products carried has grown considerably over the last year. If he is trying to grow his business, which he obviously is, then it would make more sense for him to get away from one off ( where I imagine there is almost no profit ) and focus on the stuff that he can mass produce and still maintain his standard of quality.

Another thought for you. Just because a bumper comes with swingouts doesn't mean you have to use them. Most can be unbolted and lifted off of the spindle. You then grease the spindle and put a cap over it. Then you reserve the right to put the swingouts back on at a later date if your needs change.
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M,

I'm only building one off customs now. I have scaled back 3 times in the past 3 years. Yes, the business is growing but in a direction away from daily fabrication. We also started Cruiser Mart last year which will eventually be the retail website for all things Trail Tailor and other chosen items.

Trail Tailor will continue to be a very small custom shop for a very limited clientele base. The rear bumpers I posted are pre-sold and the last of my old 80 rear production bumpers.

J
 
baldilocks said:
The lack of bumpers currently on the market isn't what's strangling you. I'm gonna go out on a limb here and assume that you don't have the capability to cut and weld thereby enabling you to ........... customize any basic bumper you buy to your own liking. Lack of these abilities puts the off road hobbyist at a disadvantage.
Also, putting a solid, "expedition style" bumper sans swing outs on an 80 is an bit paradoxical IMO.

I have the 4x4Labs with double swing outs and have no complaints. No bumper satisfy in absolutely every possible way. The labs bumper offers the best clearance in the business and its simplicity makes it easy to modify to my liking. As for cutting the rear crossmember off; the bumper is a substantial upgrade in strength and I honestly think that once the bumper is on your rig, you won't need nor want to replace it.
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Correct, I don't have the equipment or ability to weld so I'm at the mercy of someone who does... The reason for the "expedition style" bumper is because I'm not a rock crawler and never intended to be. I simply want more rear end protection to prevent body damage if I or someone around me does something stupid.
 
Pierce said:
Correct, I don't have the equipment or ability to weld so I'm at the mercy of someone who does... The reason for the "expedition style" bumper is because I'm not a rock crawler and never intended to be. I simply want more rear end protection to prevent body damage if I or someone around me does something stupid.
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To me an expedition style would include a swing out removes the spare from underneath where it is more likely to receive damage and its not rolling around or taking up space in the back or on the roof two areas where I can keep stuff if need be it takes an extra 15 seconds to move the swing are on my IPOR to open the tailgate and lift gate.
 
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