Hi guys. I've narrowed my bumper selection down to LOD full widths or Expedition One full widths. I'm actually leaning towards an LOD front and Exp One rear w/tire carrier (much to my wife's dismay who thinks the front and rear HAVE to be from the same manufacturer regardless of how similar the bumper designs are...

I've searched and read a lot of great information and seen a lot of great pics. I'm wondering now about how everyone feels with their choice after the "new" has worn off. I'd appreciate if those of you who've had your bumpers mounted for two years would take a few moments to respond to some of these questions.

How's your powdercoat holding up? Chipping? Flaking? Rust? Rust around moving parts of the tire carrier?

My last rear bumper/tire carrier suffered from sag after 1.5 years. I had to lift the tire carrier up to clear the bumper when latching. How are your bearings holding up? Do you have to make frequent adjustments?

Finally, when "shiny new" (the status of things for most of the threads that I have found), things are usually solid. After beating around on the trails and even just normal fatigue from highway use, things can loosen up and potentially rattle. Any problems there?

Thanks a lot for your insight.
Chris

 

I have had the Expedition One bumper for over a year now. The bumper has held up fine and I have not had any problems; however, I have grown extremely frustrated with the company because they have promised a fuel carrier for over a year and will not deliver. Every time I call the company they tell me it will be completed in a couple of months, but then after a couple of months go by they say it's not yet completed and tell me to call back in another couple of months. If I had it to do over again I would have reconsidered my decision.

If you get an opportunity take a look at the Aberle rear bumpers. I have one of their front bumpers and I'm very impressed. In fact I recommended the rear bumper to a friend and he loves it. The Aberle bumpers are high strength aluminum, but are very light weight so you don't have to worry about sag due to weight.

aberleoffroad.com/jk_tire_carrier.html

 

Have you seen Ex One's new mid front? It's bigger than a stubby but probably a little narrower than the LoD mid front. I think it's a great looking bumper.

 

Here you go

 

No, I hadn't seen that new mid-width. Thanks for the picture! Looks very nice. It also looks like they've addressed the only feature of their full-width that I didn't like:winch was too high (in the full-width). I liked how the LOD appeared to have the winch in a lower position. Probably doesn't make a bit of functional difference, but I am concerned about air flow through the grill (with the exp one full-width).

I had looked at the Aberle bumpers. They also look good, and obviously their biggest feature is low weight. I suppose it is just aesthetics, but the LOD and Exp One bumpers are still at the top of my list. Hopefully some additional "long-term satisfaction" comments come out here that sway me one way or the other.

Thanks for the comments so far.
Chris

 

Can't speak to the full width LOD, but I have the LOD shorty and love it.

 

Removed comments in this response since they were in earlier one that didn't show up for awhile.

 

I can't comment on the longevity of the expedition core bumper but I can tell you the quality of the bumper, hardware, and powdercoat is top notch. Higjly recommended

 

Any problem with rattling with either tailgate linked bumper? Powder coat issues on either?