Stephens2r

On the Tuesday after Labor Day, I called Northridge 4x4 to purchase the newly re-released ARB rear bumper, the one with their new “integrit” coating (part number 5650360). It was not listed on their site, but they contacted ARB and said that it could be shipped direct from ARB’s warehouse immediately. Northridge gave me an incredible price and of course free shipping as usual. On Friday, three days later, an 18-wheeler pulled up to my house for delivery. Wow, that was fast shipping.

The bumper was packaged extremely well. There was no chance it was getting damaged in transit, especially since it was strapped to it’s own pallet and not sliding around the back of a truck. Opening the box and removing all protective layers revealed the bumper, which exuded quality. The new finish is really nice. There were no chips, cracks, or flaws in the finish. I have no doubt that it will hold up well to abuse. The finish blends with the fenders nicely, which I like a lot more than their gloss option.

Install was a little more involved than I had planned. This is where my only complaint comes in; the fit could have been better. Two of the holes in the frame didn’t line up with the holes in the bumper, so I had to drill new holes that lined up accordingly. Two additional holes had to be drilled on the passenger side frame, as there were no holes here to begin with. It is kind of a pain to make sure that everything is lined up before drilling as you have to place a bracket on the inside of the frame, and if the two new holes aren’t precise you will have problems mounting it. The two vertical nuts embedded into the frame for the factory bumper are used on each side as well. These mounting points ultimately limit any adjustment for fit. The left side of my bumper sits closer to the body than the right side by about ¼ inch, but cannot be corrected due to these bolts. I do plan on painting the exposed body-colored seam black to blend in better.




I experienced no immediate sag after mounting this bumper. I weighed the factory rear bumper at 15.6 pounds (without tow hook), and the ARB bumper at 56.6 pounds. That is a difference of only 41 pounds, less if you include the tow hook weight. The shipping weight of 105 lbs is certainly an exaggeration.

Overall, I am happy with my decision to purchase this bumper. While the fitment issues are present, they are not the end of the world. The finish on it is as nice as I have seen. I have no doubts about the sturdiness and strength of it either, which is good considering it has two shackle mounts and two lifting points. I was worried about the weight when I ordered it, but that is of no concern anymore. Thanks again to Northridge for their usual high level of customer service.

lowendrider

Very nice

mikeJKUR

like it.

xkid

Looks good. Is that a factory hitch?

Stephens2r

The hitch is aftermarket, but I do not remember who makes it. I believe it has the same dimensions as the factory hitch, so I imagine that there wouldn't be any clearance issues with the factory one either.

xkid

Thanks

WillysWheeler

I purchased the ARB Rear Bumper (5650360) from the 4 Wheel Parts Orlando Truck & Jeep Fest in August and installed the rear bumper this past weekend. Per ARB’s instructions you may have to drill two holes in the passenger bottom frame depending on model. On my 2014 Jeep Unlimited Willy’s Wheeler I had to drilled two 1/2" holes on the passenger bottom frame to match the two 1/2” holes on the driver bottom frame that came from the factory. I installed the bumper for the first time and the bottom bolts would not all line up. So I removed the bumper and drilled all four bottom frame holes (2 – passenger, 2 – driver) to 3/4" using a steel step bit I purchase from Harbor Freight for less than $10.00. Installed the rear bumper for the second time and everything lined up and gave a little room for adjustment if needed. I am very pleased the way ARB packaged and boxed the rear bumper to protect it for shipping. I like the way the ARB Rear Bumper looks and the Texture Powder Coat matches the fender flares perfect.

I also purchased ARB Deluxe Combination Bull Bar Front Bumper (3450230) and attempted to install the front bumper this past weekend but ran into a major problem. The front bumper was packaged, boxed, and banded from ARB’s Factory but was missing the Fog Light Fitting Kit. Without the Fog Light Fitting Kit you cannot mount the bumper because the fog lights have to be installed before you can put in the crush cans and install the front bumper. I called 4 Wheel Parts and they contacted ARB and they are going to overnight the Fog Light Fitting Kit. I should have the front bumper installed this upcoming weekend and I will post some pictures at that time of both bumpers.

Stephens2r

Sounds like we have similar installation experiences. I too had to bore out some of my drilled holes with a step bit to get everything to line up.

I am glad to hear your experience with the new front bumper as I am placing my order for it this week. Would you mind posting up some pictures of it once you get it installed? The only ones I have seen of the new design are the factory photos.

Mark Doiron

It seems to me that it would have looked better had they extended that bumper a little more forward (as is for the Shrockworks I have installed) ...



... but I suspect that they were focused on the flat fender crowd, where I think the ARB would look better. Other than that, it's a great looking bumper.

Stephens2r

Looking at pictures of the old version, I believe that it used to extend further forward. I think some of the design tweaks they made to their new bumpers were geared to the larger tire crowd. Now it doesn't extend as far forward, and would look better with flat fenders. I like the design of the old bumper but the finish one the new one. Can't have it all I guess...