Smittybilt vs Rugged Ridge bumpers quality
11-11-2012, 10:56 AM
#1
JK Freak
Thread Starter
Smittybilt vs Rugged Ridge bumpers quality
So I was at a local major dealer for truck and jeep parts here in Alberta yesterday. I was having a look around the store and noticed they had a rack full of the Smittybilt jeep bumpers...
After seeing the Smittybilt bumpers I can tell you I am happy I went with Rugged Ridge instead. The Smittybilt bumpers just had really poor, sloppy welds and gobs of metal that had not been cleaned up before powdercoating. Even a lot of the cuts were not straight on the bumpers. They just looked kinda...well....umm...shitty.
On the other hand, my Rugged Ridge XHD bumpers are largely made with formed steel bent over a press with relatively few apparent welds. The welds that are on the Rugged Ridge bumpers (mainly the tire carrier though) looked like they were actually ground down and finished properly before powdercoating. Nice welds too, not all globby.
Both Smitty and RR bumpers seem to be equally tough and feature the same durable powdercoat finish but I must say the RR just look like they're put together better for whatever reason. That's just my observation anyways.
The guy at the truck/jeep shop had a Warn bumper on the front of his Jeep and an OrFab bumper with tire carrier on the back. He went on to explain how "you get what you pay for, and American steel vs Chinese steel, blah, blah, blah...". Then I went out and looked at his rusty tire carrier hinges and rusting bumpers, lol.
Made in China or not, I'm really happy with my Rugged Ridge bumpers. They are well made and really tough. Maybe the guy at the truck store got what he paid for, and he probably paid a hefty price tag for it, but I honestly feel as though I got MORE than what I paid for by going with the Rugged Ridge bumpers. I didn't pay out the ass for my Rugged Ridge bumpers and they are a great product. So I gotta give a thumbs up to Rugged Ridge!
After seeing the Smittybilt bumpers I can tell you I am happy I went with Rugged Ridge instead. The Smittybilt bumpers just had really poor, sloppy welds and gobs of metal that had not been cleaned up before powdercoating. Even a lot of the cuts were not straight on the bumpers. They just looked kinda...well....umm...shitty.
On the other hand, my Rugged Ridge XHD bumpers are largely made with formed steel bent over a press with relatively few apparent welds. The welds that are on the Rugged Ridge bumpers (mainly the tire carrier though) looked like they were actually ground down and finished properly before powdercoating. Nice welds too, not all globby.
Both Smitty and RR bumpers seem to be equally tough and feature the same durable powdercoat finish but I must say the RR just look like they're put together better for whatever reason. That's just my observation anyways.
The guy at the truck/jeep shop had a Warn bumper on the front of his Jeep and an OrFab bumper with tire carrier on the back. He went on to explain how "you get what you pay for, and American steel vs Chinese steel, blah, blah, blah...". Then I went out and looked at his rusty tire carrier hinges and rusting bumpers, lol.
Made in China or not, I'm really happy with my Rugged Ridge bumpers. They are well made and really tough. Maybe the guy at the truck store got what he paid for, and he probably paid a hefty price tag for it, but I honestly feel as though I got MORE than what I paid for by going with the Rugged Ridge bumpers. I didn't pay out the ass for my Rugged Ridge bumpers and they are a great product. So I gotta give a thumbs up to Rugged Ridge!
11-11-2012, 11:07 AM
#2
I have RR bumpers front and rear, and I am impressed with the quality overall. They are well constructed and the powdercoat is tough as nails. My smitty fenders have awful welds and the finish is absolute crap. I will be taking them down to bare metal and repainting them myself very soon.
09-07-2013, 07:13 AM
#3
JK Newbie
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Sh#ttyBilt
I did not know how poorly constructed SmittyBilt parts were until I purchased a set of their rocker guards. The passenger side rocker guard mounts were 3/8 inch narrower than the driver side mount. This made the part unusable on my jeep. The Sh#ttyBilt rep suggested reaming the holes, which would have put the hole on the edge of the mount (impossible to install the nut) or to jack my jeep to tweak the frame (another brilliant idea).
Next time I will do a little more consumer research in these forums to see which products really fit a JK. I have been looking at Rugged Ridge since this experience, or having a set custom made locally. I certainly will not purchase another set of SmittyBilt anything after this experience.
Does anyone else have similar stories to share? this could save a lot of JK owners a lot of head aches in the future.
Next time I will do a little more consumer research in these forums to see which products really fit a JK. I have been looking at Rugged Ridge since this experience, or having a set custom made locally. I certainly will not purchase another set of SmittyBilt anything after this experience.
Does anyone else have similar stories to share? this could save a lot of JK owners a lot of head aches in the future.
09-07-2013, 08:50 AM
#4
JK Enthusiast
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Long Island, New York
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I have rugged ridge front and rear. When u put a winch in the front. There is very little room to bolt everything up and run the wiring. As far as the rear. The left side sits higher then the right. No matter what patten I use to tighten the bolts it comes out the same. But other then that I would not trade them for anything. Every part that is not OEM has pros and cons. Some are just better then others