The 2007 and newer Jeep JK is defiantly becoming one of the most popular SUV’s (I hate that term) selling today. What is not to love? Wider stance, better suspension ,better factory seats, modular hardtop, power windows (yes I like power windows), easily removable fenders and FOUR DOORS !! Its nice to be able to stuff people in the back seat without feeling bad for them. I also haul a lot of military gear so the added space is a nice option.

What’s not to love?

Oh yea, the typical Jeep issued bumpers.

Crash ratings and overall safety for everyone else on the road leaves you with this nice lumpy bulbous bumper that rubs on bigger tires. This JK is my daily driver and its primary mission in life is to get me to everywhere I need to go in any weather and look pimp in the process. Now don’t get me wrong, its not a “mall crawler”, I have other vehicles to mangle and would like to keep this one shiny for as long as possible. That aside, it needs to be able to go wherever I point it.
With the least amount of damage as possible.

Lets see where we start at:

Trimmed stock JK bumper to clear 35’s with a 4” lift and a hastily built winch mount for the winter. It served its use well but was looking hack and would not last long against anything more hardcore than the front lawn. The market for JK front bumpers is slowly growing and my requirements were pretty specific:

• Integrated winch mount
• Integrated factory fog light mounts
• Tow points
• Does not look like a alien spacecraft
• Does not look like a hunk of angle iron attacked with a plasma cutter
• Sturdy construction
• Good price for what I get

After looking around I found that Rugged Ridge came out with a new bumper. Actually a new modular bumper system. This is great because it allows you to change the bumper to exactly what you need (or don’t need). From a bare bones stubby bumper to a full out tube system you can bolt together your own desire.
I was going to go with just the stubby middle but I figure I should try to save the fenders as much as possible so the standard end “wings” were picked up as well.

I was impressed with the attention to details in this bumper system. Everything was laser cut plate and brake bent with a wrinkle powder coating. The included D rings and the mounts look like they should have no issues handling any extraction tossed at them.

The integrated winch mount is drilled for both standard winch mounting and the Warn Powerplant (spacers needed for the Warn).

Everything is 3/16 steel (hard to exact measure with the powder coating) and should hold up to bashing quite well. The end caps both interlock and bolt to the center section creating an almost seamless unit.

So lets start !
First is S A F E T Y !! So I disconnect the winch power lines. Pretty smart thing unless you like electrical fires. I am not a fan of electrical fires, so I disconnect the whole battery for pretty much anything involving the electrical system. It only takes one time to put a drill bit through a live wire to learn.
Ok, twice….In the same day… But this install required no power tools so I am pretty safe.

The front JK bumper is held on with 8 nuts and the fog light connections if you have them. Take off everything and all you have left is the frame plates (no more ugly ‘crash cans‘). You end up with a nice pile that no one will want.

Remember that “safety” thing? Well, home built bumpers, made with a reciprocating saw, tend to have sharp edges and factory bolts are sometimes tight. This combined with not wearing gloves equals pain, bleeding and the eloquent use of vocabulary not suitable for small children.
Personal protection guys and girls, it’s a great idea!

First thing I like to do is mock everything up. Nothing sucks worse than having holes not line up. I am glad that Rugged Ridge has good quality control, everything lined up perfectly. This also gives you an idea of what your JK would look like if you just purchase the XHD short base.

Next step was to bolt on the ends. You can see the 3 heavy bolts and how it interlocks with the center section. Nylock nuts are included so you don’t have to worry about it vibrating loose down the road.

The factory fog lights are next.
I like that they laser cut out rock guards in the bumper for the fog lights. Factory replacements are always pricey and this should keep them lasting a little longer. Instead of screws holding the lights in place like in the factory bumper Rugged Ridge uses 4 small studs. Tiny little nuts and washers have a way of being stolen by the garage gremlins so I kept them in a nice neat pile inside the bumper till I was done. That and losing one would mean a bumper-less drive to the hardware store .

Make sure you install them the correct side up so you can still get at the adjuster screw.

Now the instructions say to install the winch at this point. I am working alone and have no desire to pop out my back in something as simple as a bumper installation. So I made sure I had room to install the winch after the bumper was in place. It is starting to look good now. Oh and note the gloves in the photograph, it only took a little blood to remind me to wear them (but I still have to take them off to take the pictures).

Line up the 8 grade 8.8 bolts and bolt the bumper on, sandwiched with the D ring mounts.

On top is the 4 holes per side for the stinger, hoop or RRC tube bumper add on. They have a nut welded to the backside for each hole and I figure they will be perfect for light mounts later on.

Drop the winch in and line it up to the correct holes for that model, making sure to put the bolts in for the fairlead first . Nothing sucks quite as bad as getting the winch all cranked down only to find you can not put the fairlead on. Figure how I know this. I always add some anti-seize to the winch bolts as they will corrode badly so when you go to pull the winch 2 years from now it will actually come off.

I installed the fairlead, spooled up the winch rope, plugged back in the fog lights and was done. Total time was maybe an hour and a half while taking pictures as I went.

And now for the finished pictures !

It follows the lines of the JK very well while looking TONS better than the factory bumper and it is much slicker than my cut-down home-built one.

There is plenty of clearance between the ends and the 35’s. I figure if I run 37’s and it does rub I can either notch the ends or just take them off all together. I don’t see it doing that but I like the options if it does.

The fog lights work perfect and are now much more protected. It would take quite an impact to get at them.

This is a great bumper for those just getting into modifying their Jeep JK as its easy to install. Those who have been around a while will enjoy just having something bolt on without having to pull out the welder. ( but those holes on top give me a reason to whip out the welder and make something to use them anyway)

If you are looking for a bumper for your JK that can be customized to your exact needs then the Rugged Ridge XHD front bumper system is a product you should seriously look into.