I'm Ryan from extremeterrain.com, and in this video, I'm gonna tell you all about my picks
for three different bumpers for your 1997 to 2006 TJ.
Make sure you subscribe to our YouTube channel to check out other comparison videos like
this, as well as product videos and more information about these bumpers and a bunch of other great
Jeep content.
Now there are gonna be a couple different reasons you might want to install an aftermarket
bumper on your TJ.
One is just for the looks and another is for additional functionality.
Some of the more off-road-ready bumpers are going to have things like additional hoops
that may have some functions or may just be light mounts.
They may recovery points, they may jacking points, or they may have winch mounts on them.
So again, a lot of different features there.
If you're just looking for a bumper that's going to change up the aesthetics of your
Jeep, we have those options as well.
Now no matter what choice you pick, they're all going to install pretty much the same
way.
Most of the aftermarket front bumpers are all going to be bolt-on.
You simply unbolt your factory front bumper, remove it, and bolt the new one into place.
However, we are gonna go over three different bumpers today and get into the details of
each.
The three bumpers I'm gonna talk about are the Barricade Trail Force HD Front Bumper
with LED lights, we're also going to talk about the Barricade Double Tubular Front Bumper
with the classic over-rider, and finally the RedRock 4x4 Stubby Front Bumper with stinger
that is also going to be winch-ready.
So let's get into the options.
So the first bumper I wanna talk about is this Barricade Trail Force HD Front Bumper
with the LED lights.
This is also available without the LED lights, should you want that option.
However, I like this one.
I really like the way that those lights look.
So let's talk about a couple of the different features of this bumper.
This is going to be an off-road bumper.
This is a plate steel off-road bumper.
So this is going to change up the aesthetics of your Jeep, but this is really all about
the functionality.
This is going to be a nice heavy gauge steel with a solid black powder coat finish on it
that's going to resist rust and corrosion.
So, like I said, definitely gonna change the look of your Jeep but also has a bunch of
features.
We already talked about the lights a little bit.
Now, these lights are going to be more of a marker light.
They are a little bit more of a safety light, an aesthetic light.
They don't throw a ton of light forward, but they're still a feature I really like because
of the way that it makes this bumper look.
Right down here you're going to have two D-ring mounts and those are going to be welded all
the way through the bumper, they are solidly connected to the frame rail, so if you use
them for a recovery, you know you're not going to have to worry about bending or breaking
anything, they're going to be nice and solid.
And one nice thing about most Barricade bumpers is that this does include the D-rings.
Now, it's not as though the D-rings are going to be terribly expensive to have to buy separately,
it's just really nice that they include them in the box.
You make one purchase, you have everything you need for the front of your Jeep.
Up here there's a little bit of a hoop that goes over top of the bumper.
That's going to offer some light protection to your winch, should you be running one,
but it's also going to again change up the aesthetics of the bumper a little bit and
also give you two light mount tabs that you can throw some lights on.
So whether you have factory fog lights on your current bumper, you wanna move those
up to here, or some additional auxiliary lighting, you have that opportunity.
And as I already alluded to, this is a winch-ready bumper, so it's already pre-drilled and it
has a spot to mount your fairlead there.
So you can go ahead and mount a winch on this without needing to purchase any additional
winch plate or any additional pieces.
So overall just a very well-rounded bumper.
It has a lot of off-road features that I really like.
I personally like the aesthetic of this bumper, and this is going to be less expensive than
some of the other options out there that have similar features.
So overall, just a very well-rounded bumper.
The next bumper I wanna talk about is this Barricade Double Tubular Front Bumper with
the classic over-rider.
And this is a very classic, very kind of old school look.
Now even the newest TJ is getting older these days, so if you like this look this is going
to be a really nice option for you.
It's a solidly-built bumper, it's going to be three inch round tube again, with that
textured black powder coat finish.
This over-rider is just all about the looks.
A little bit of function that does come along with this bumper, you have two light mount
tabs right there, but this is really much more of an aesthetic modification.
You're going to have the corners that return back into the Jeep a little bit, plastic caps
on the end there.
This is going to be a fairly inexpensive bumper that is going to change up the look of your
Jeep, and if you don't need or don't want all of the features and the added benefits
that you can get from an off-road bumper, if you're not going off-road, you don't need
those features, this is a really nice way to save some money but still change up your
Jeep so it doesn't look like every other one that rolled off the assembly line.
The last bumper I wanna tell you about is this RedRock 4x4 Stubby Front Bumper with
the stinger and the winch mount.
This is going to be kind of similar to the Barricade bumper that we talked about, that
first one, in the fact that this is an off-road-themed bumper, but as it says in the name, this is
a stubby bumper, so it is going to be shorter.
This comes just outside of the frame rails.
So that's going to do is provide you with an even more aggressive style.
Now because this is a little bit shorter, it doesn't have lights in it and isn't going
to have the option for lights.
So if you want a bumper that has lights in it, you're going to have to look in a mid-width
or a full-width, something like that Barricade Trail Force HD.
Now as it also says in the name, this bumper has a stinger on it.
Now, these days a stinger is very much about style.
People like the way that they look.
Initially, a stinger was actually a functional piece.
The idea was that if you're doing some really hardcore wheeling or coming down off an obstacle
and the vehicle wants to flip forward, the stinger makes contact with the ground and
kicks you to one side or the other, putting you back on the tires.
The other situation that a stinger was good for is if you were to roll over, the stinger
would take all the weight of the front of the Jeep instead of crushing your radiator
so hopefully, you would be able to drive home.
These days, again, this is much more about aesthetics.
In fact, this is gusseted, but the gussets aren't going to be overly strong for you.
I don't think this is probably going to hold the whole weight of the vehicle, but if you
like the look of this, if you like this style, then this is going to be a pretty good option.
This, of course, does have a winch mount built right into it as well.
I can't say it enough, I like the bumpers that are already ready for a winch.
If you're gonna run one you don't have to buy an additional winch plate or any other
hardware, just bolt your winch up and go.
So this is really, again, ready to go for you.
It is gonna have the D-rings right outta the box just like that Barricade bumper, one less
thing you have to worry about purchasing otherwise.
So if you like the stubby look and you like that stinger look, I think that this bumper
here from RedRock 4x4 is going to be a very affordable option.
So those were my picks for a couple of different types of front bumpers fitting your '97 to
'06 TJ.
We talked about that Barricade Trail Force HD Front Bumper with the LED lights, the Barricade
Double Tubular Front Bumper with the over-rider hoop, and finally that RedRock 4x4 Stubby
Front Bumper with the stinger and the winch mount.
Make sure you subscribe to our YouTube channel.
You can check out more comparison videos like this, as well as more in-depth videos about
all three of the bumpers we talked about today.
And remember, these are just my picks.
So comment below, let me know what you think of 'em if you like 'em if you didn't, what
bumper are you running on your Jeep, or if you still have a stock bumper on your TJ,
let me know which one you'd love to have.