leonesm

Thought I would share some pictures and thoughts on my new rear bumper! I got rear ended and decided to upgrade my rear bumper on the insurance company's dime. I ordered a deluxe rear bumper with 4" lights and shackle mounts.

Here's some pictures of the final product:







I should have taken some better pictures of the bumper before I installed it but I didn't think about it until after the fact. These were taken with the bumper installed and me laying on my back underneath it.

Back of light bucket/side of bumper:



Mounting point:



I'm very pleased with the way the bumper looks. I will say that it looks as if two or more people worked on the bumper. Some of the welds are clean and straight and others aren't. You can only see the welds from the back side of the bumper so it's not a big deal. I like the spray on bedliner coating and it seems to be pretty durable.

I do have a couple of criticisms about the bumper:

It only uses the one mounting point to the frame. You can see in the picture that there's another factory mounting point that ties to the top of the frame that isn't used. I would also like to have seen some gussets or bracing inside the bumper. Even if the mounting plate went all the way down to the bottom it would significantly increase the strength. The way it is now, the bottom of the bumper isn't braced at all and looks like it would roll under if there was an impact.

I had to trim my license plate so that it would line up with the holes and wouldn't stick up. It would slide into the hole on the drop step but the receiver hitch prevented it from sliding down far enough.

The other thing is lead time. I ordered the bumper on July 2nd and didn't receive it until October 18th. When I placed the order I was told 6-7 weeks. I called at 6 weeks and was told 7-8 weeks. Then someone quit. Then the shop went on vacation. Then the coating machine had problems. It took a total of 16 weeks from when I placed the order until receiving the bumper. Evan was an extremely nice guy and that's the only reason I didn't cancel my order. He always answered my phone calls and was extremely easy to deal with. I understand that things happen but that's part of business and something you just have to deal with.

Now that I have the bumper I'm happy with it. I still need to wire the lights but I'm waiting on a switch. I'm going to put them on a toggle switch in the cab so that I can turn or leave them on when I want to.

Danderson

Looks good! I believe Evan's had a heck of a time securing competent help.

jhenson

Hate to hear about your turnaround time but, things do happen and sometimes it's out of your hands. That bumper looks great!! Looks like Evan still managed to produce a high quality piece despite the problems mentioned. Kudos to him!!!!!! Looks awesome!!! Glad you stuck out the wait...looks like it worked in your favor!!

mcgyverit

Love the looks of it. and a great analysis on the construction.

jstone44720

Good welders are getting hard to come by with all the oil and gas stuff going on. Even if you find one, good luck getting one that can read prints and pass a drug test.

rockcrawler304

I agree it does look like some extra gussets on the bottom edge would help to improve the lower lip strength but other than that I would LOVE to have that bumper!!

leonesm

I know that all too well. Even if they pass the drug test, getting them to actually show up is the next challenge! I work in the steel industry and you'd be amazed at the people that will call me for weeks asking for a job and when I do give them a chance, they fail the drug test.

I don't want it to sound like I'm not happy with the bumper - I am. I think it's the best looking bumper available and it's very well made. I'm just nitpicky and in this rare case - I actually know what I'm talking about

Backwoods Bumpers

I appreciate the pictures and reviews! I do apologize again for your lengthy wait. My main problem has been finding good help. You are correct about the backside of the bumpers having two different welders. I only have the time to do some of the welds myself. It's very frustrating, because I want to to all the work personally, but then you would have been waiting until July of next year!! As for the license plate issue, your particular bumper was one of the first to have the new license plate area. In fact, it's one of the first new style deluxe rears ever. The license plate area is something we've been fighting with from the start with the 03-current frame design. There is really not quite enough room between the hitch and the tailgate to fit an aftermarket bumper! If we raise it up any more, we run the risk of putting the bumper too close to the tailgate. Again, I appreciate the feedback. To any current customers - I appreciate your patience!

DWeiler

Looks good---how are the coatings holding to prolonged sun exposure???,When i did my Road Armour's on my last ride i paid a pretty $$$$ for the LINE-X coating with UV protectant(LINE X ULTRA,i believe) mixed in so it will not fade or go dull.That is my biggest concern is you see some really nice rides with a work of art on the front and they have a cheap coating sprayed on....DW

railroaderone

looks great now if I could just afford one and have it chromed and Id have it made.

Backwoods Bumpers

This is a relatively new coating system for us, but my personal set was one of the first ones coated, and it's still nice and glossy. We also have a UV topcoat system, but I have never used it on the black bumpers. We always use it with color-match bumpers, but I haven't even seen the need for it yet. I've had mine on my truck since March with no signs of fading. This is one of the main reasons we went with this particular product.

DWeiler

Thanks for the info---still don't know what i want to do with coating(S),might order raw, but i may have you do "BLACK with the UV topcoat if possible,just in case.So many decision---just want to get it right the first time.CheersDW