Hey, guys, I'm Justin with americanmuscle.com.
And this is my detailed review of the Iron Cross RS Series front bumper, available for
your 2015 and up F-150.
This review is gonna cover a few basic topics about the RS Series front bumper here from
Iron Cross, basically, what you guys can expect when you're looking at materials and construction,
what it's gonna do in terms of functionality and styling, and then, finally, what it takes
to get this beast installed.
Now, on the topic of installation, you're not looking at anything too crazy here guys,
simple nut and bolt stuff, no cutting, no drilling.
However, this thing is heavy.
So expect a strong one out of three wrenches on my difficulty meter.
An extra set of hands will definitely be helpful when getting this thing in place.
But we will have a little bit more detail on that coming up.
All right, guys, you should be checking out this thing here from Iron Cross if you're
after an extremely tough and bulletproof front bumper for that new F-150, but you want it
to be relatively low-key and low-profile compared to some of your other bumper or steel bumper
options on the site.
Now, this thing is gonna be packing some holes for auxiliary lighting.
You're even getting a two-inch class three receiver here, which is pretty unique in the
steel bumper world.
And, ultimately, it's gonna be one of your more affordable options in the category.
Now, Iron Cross really just stands for and believes in making handmade, American-made
badass products.
And this is a great example of that.
Now, they specialize in producing a wide variety of side step products and some armor and bumper
for the jeep and truck aftermarket, again, all of it 100% handmade here in the States.
Now, Iron Cross builds some of the toughest bumpers in the aftermarket.
And this thing actually has the looks to back it up.
I mean, look at this thing.
It looks like it belongs on the front end of some military vehicle as opposed to the
front end of a mass-produced truck.
I really like the angular construction going on with this thing.
You're gonna be looking at 10-gauge heavy-duty steel plating here for the basic construction
of this bumper.
It's then coated in a textured black powder coating, which is just gonna help reduce any
corrosion, help increase the durability over the years.
But if you do ever run into a problem, Iron Cross has your back with a lifetime warranty.
But, again, Iron Cross, this isn't their first rodeo.
They've been building bumpers for a long time now.
And the RS Series is actually something they came up with as an alternative to their extremely
popular HD or Heavy Duty Series, which is a lesson in overkill for most owners out there.
I mean the HD Series is gonna provide a ton of protection for the front end of your truck,
comes with winch mounts, bullbar options, and even a full-on brush guard.
The RS Series here on the other hand, again, a little bit more toned down, a little less
flashy or a little less in-your-face compared to that HD Series.
Now, when I say toned down, what I mean is the overall size and shape of this thing when
installed on the F-150.
Obviously, it looks pretty huge here on the table, and there's no denying that.
But when this thing is installed, it actually is going to hug the body lines a little bit
more on your F-150 compared to their HD Series.
It's not gonna protrude as far from the front end like the HD Series.
Again, it's just a slightly more low-key option when it comes to their steel bumpers.
But at the same time, it's still gonna provide plenty of protection, and you are getting
some added functionality.
Getting into the functionality a little bit more here with the RS Series bumper from Iron
Cross, you'll notice they do give you two spots for auxiliary lighting here with this
particular bumper.
Unfortunately, the factory fog lights in your F-150 really don't fit the bill perfectly
here with this option.
However, a three by six rectangular LED would be the perfect choice to fill that hole perfectly.
If you don't wanna use that, you probably could get a little creative or get a little
custom and make something work there on your own.
But probably the biggest functionality aspect with the Iron Cross RS Series front bumper
here has to be the two-inch class three receiver built into this thing.
You're looking at a half-inch collar double-welded all the way throughout, so very strong, and
it's gonna give you a number of possibilities.
Now, probably the most popular, you can throw a removable winch mount on this thing.
So if you do some hardcore wheeling with your F-150, that's a great option to toss one on
in a pinch if you get stuck or get a little jammed up.
You can even throw a ball hitch up here as well, help you move some trailers around the
house, the farm, or whatever.
Or heck, even if you're flat tow your F-150, I doubt that's gonna be a very popular option,
but you can do it here with the RS Series front bumper.
So, again, a number of different options with this thing, and it is one of the big pluses
about the RS Series.
Another one of the nice things about the Iron Cross bumper options is the price.
Now, if you've been shopping for other steel bumpers here on the site or maybe somewhere
else, chances are you probably stumbled across the Rogue or ADD or maybe even the Westin
options, all very nice bumpers, of course.
But they're gonna cost you a lot more dough.
Not the case here with the Iron Cross.
You're gonna be looking right around 1,000 bucks for the RS Series here, which, obviously,
still is a lot of money, but not as much compared to those other options that I just mentioned.
As far as the install, again, guys, like I mentioned at the very top of this video, nothing
too crazy here, no cutting, no permanent modification, just basic nut and bolt stuff, albeit, a very
heavy job.
So we're gonna call it one out of the three wrenches on the difficulty meter, maybe an
hour or two from start to finish.
As you can probably imagine, guys, this thing is very heavy.
So having an extra set of hands will be mandatory to help you with this install, because it's
probably gonna be a little too much for most people to manhandle by themselves.
That being said though, again, guys, basic nut and bolt stuff here, Iron Cross does throw
in some additional quarter-inch steel plates for some mounting brackets that you are gonna
utilize in addition to some of the factory mounting locations.
As far as the tools, again, you're really not looking at anything too crazy here, because
it is basic nut and bolt stuff, so socket set, maybe a few open-ended wrenches, and
you should be good to go.
In my opinion, guys, the RS Series here from Iron Cross is a great and affordable steel
bumper option if you don't wanna go full-on Mad Max with your new F-150.
It's gonna be very attractive when installed, thanks to the low-profile design.
And, ultimately, it's gonna be packing some extra functionality, thanks to the lighting
options and, of course, that receiver.
So that's my review of the RS Series front bumper from Iron Cross, which you can find
right here at americanmuscle.com.