Advice on rear bumper upgrade

I would have loved to have ordered this bumper in aluminum! Almost no one out there makes a rugged off road bumper with swing outs in aluminum. When I visited Hefty's site it was unavailable. I wouldn’t have minded waiting either, however the other complication is that I live in Canada, so it would need to be shipped and exported through the border. Not a big deal for better organized manufacturers, but definitely a barrier for the little guys. I ended up with a steel bumper. Life is a series of compromises, I guess.

 

I believe the Hefty bumper is aluminum, but the swing arms and accessories are in steel. Btw, what bumper did you end up with? Did you need to change your rear springs?

 

Hi El General, yeah, I just bought a Strike bumper from Victory 4x4. I haven’t got it installed yet, I’m still waiting for it to clear customs to get it into Canada. Complicated, but that’s another story. I almost bought a kit from Coastal Off Road - a Canadian company who sells an aluminum bumper that you assemble yourself. I have a friend who can weld aluminum, but I didn’t quite like the design. I have a Victory Blitz aluminum bumper on the front, which holds a winch, which is great, and Victory makes great products. I even tried to convince them to make my rear bumper out of aluminum but they said it required a different design. I’m still running stock suspension, and plan to change it last, once I have everything installed that I need. It’s amazing how weight can creep up on you! Aluminum is definitely the way to go for me, anyway. If you get too much weight on a 4 Runner, and compensate with heavier suspension, it performs like a heavy sled on road. Everything is affected, braking, handling and add in big tires with no regearing as many, most do, and you’ve destroyed the drivability of the vehicle if you’re not very very careful.

 

Hi Oldtoyotaguy, It sounds like you've got a pretty nice 'build' in the works. The weight definitely adds up fast. Have you noticed much drop in the front end after adding the bumper and winch?

 

Yeah, that was my concern. So the winch is 72.4 lbs + 30 lbs for the bumper = 102.4 lbs total. The front suspension didn’t move. In terms of braking and handling, the extra weight cannot be discerned by me, anyway, but it’s there! Weight is accumulative though. I still haven’t changed my battery, for example. A winch needs a heavier battery and the stock one is a little feeble. If I change the front skid it will definitely be aluminum, for example. Not as tough, but I don’t use my 4 Runner off road to challenge obstacles. I use to get to some cool, wild places and I like to take it easy and enjoy the drive.

 

Here's the Victory 4X4 Strike bumper I just got installed. I may get the swing outs later, I'm undecided at the moment. There's something to be said for the convenience of not having to open a tire carrier to access the trunk on a daily driver. This installation was very easy, and a fun project during a May snow event up here in Ontario, Canada. The bumper weighs 110 lbs, and didn't budge the stock suspension. Its a big improvement over the stock plastic bumper cover.

 

That's pretty impressive since you've added 270# to the truck and the bulk of the weight was on the ends.

 

Looks good. Nice garage, too

 

Yeah, it still has the stock rake, haha. The front end was only about 102 lbs. have your wife stand on your front bumper and see if it moves. It won’t.

 

LOL, I'm not sure what would move the front down after installing 700 coils.

 

Yeah, that’s heavy duty, El General. I have to be careful because my wife likes the stock ride and it’s our only vehicle.

 

Oldtoyotaguy, your rig looks close to complete! It's looking really good.

 

Thanks, El General! Maybe some suspension stuff and then I’m done. Still deciding what to do.

 

Does it affect the ride a lot?

 

Wow, where has this thread been hiding all this time?

Pete, you didn't have the Victory bumper when I posted that I was getting one. What changed your mind?

Here's mine, finally installed after being rock-guard painted. Along with my new tires/rims.

 

BTW, opening the tailgate isn't as tedious as you might think. Yeah, moving the spare out of the way is an extra step, but honestly not hard at all to do. My only complaint on this bumper is the licence plate. To get the spare off, there's a lot of stuff that needs to be unscrewed. I may very well end up relocating the license plate (and camera) down onto the bumper itself. What that'll do to the camera angle is beyond me though.

 

Yeah, I have a Victory Blitz with a winch on the front, and I’ve been to the shop where they’re made, pre covid, so I like victory products. The front is aluminum and I really wanted the rear aluminum as well. I asked Victory if they could make one for me and they said no, unfortunately. So I looked everywhere else first, before relenting and getting the Strike bumper. I notice you didn’t put any lights in yours - was that over concern that the glare might affect the rear camera? Answer: it’s not that bad. How did the camera relocate work out? In their videos, it doesn’t look like the licence plate bracket would affect the spare at all. Just lift it over the led, and pull it off. I’m undecided on the rear swing out.

 

The bracket that holds the plate and camera fits thru the center of the wheel. No way the spare's coming off unless you;

- Remove the license plate (2 screws minimum)
- Remove the camera bracket (2 screws)
- Unplug the camera from the plug
- Unscrew the wingnut hold the bracket that goes thru the center of the rim

Seriously not the best set-up. Though I'll admit, I don't remember the last time I had a to change a tire on the side of the road. As well, the wire routing had to be revised, had to pass it on the outside of the hinge of the tire carrier, otherwise the tailgate rubs on it whenever opening/closing it (the tailgate).

Honestly (and this is strange coming from me), I really didn't feel like mounting lights out back. I'm sure I'll either change my mind or end up putting something else in there eventually.