🛠️ Member Build GX 550 Front Winch Bumper options

[Jrox]

I've been a bit of a Debbie Downer in this forum, but I'd like to know how these bumpers are designed to handle accidents and what safety testing is being done (My guess is not much.)

On my 200, I had an ARB bumper that was designed to slide back on its mounts a tiny bit in a low-impact collision. This would minimize damage to the frame in a fender bender or minor offroad mishap, with the factory plastics no longer there to take the initial crush. The arb also had a bunch of safety testing performed prior to release.

I worry the bumpers from some of these smaller welders and/or new companies to the market could end up being damage multipliers. I'm mostly concerned about the versions that hold winches. In an accident or trail mishap, these could basically become cannonballs aimed at the radiator. Makes me a little nervous if I don't see any safety testing details.

The small boutique guys with the strongest reputations in the premium Toyota/Lexus space, like Slee and Dissent, don't have anything out yet. Meanwhile, I see them out on the trails with pictures testing their prototypes, taking hits on the rocks, spending time to refine and get things as right as they can with the smaller-company budgets they have. If I can't get a highly tested product from ARB, I'll incline toward Slee or Dissent myself for products where safety is crucial.

It’s certainly things most of us don’t think about much if at all and should. Great post!

 

[Bluegill]

I, too, like to live dangerously.

 

[Bluegill]

I just ordered the JW Offroad front bumper. Deciding on a 12K winch in the next day or two.

 

[Mainelexus]

I just ordered the JW Offroad front bumper. Deciding on a 12K winch in the next day or two.

Let us know your thoughts once it comes in. While I would love to get set up, I am still Leary about spending a bunch on a safety product from unknown vendors.

 

[Kennedyusmc]

I've been a bit of a Debbie Downer in this forum, but I'd like to know how these bumpers are designed to handle accidents and what safety testing is being done (My guess is not much.)

On my 200, I had an ARB bumper that was designed to slide back on its mounts a tiny bit in a low-impact collision. This would minimize damage to the frame in a fender bender or minor offroad mishap, with the factory plastics no longer there to take the initial crush. The arb also had a bunch of safety testing performed prior to release.

I worry the bumpers from some of these smaller welders and/or new companies to the market could end up being damage multipliers. I'm mostly concerned about the versions that hold winches. In an accident or trail mishap, these could basically become cannonballs aimed at the radiator. Makes me a little nervous if I don't see any safety testing details.

The small boutique guys with the strongest reputations in the premium Toyota/Lexus space, like Slee and Dissent, don't have anything out yet. Meanwhile, I see them out on the trails with pictures testing their prototypes, taking hits on the rocks, spending time to refine and get things as right as they can with the smaller-company budgets they have. If I can't get a highly tested product from ARB, I'll incline toward Slee or Dissent myself for products where safety is crucial.

This guy gets it.
You’re changing the dynamics of your crumple zones etc.
This is a completely new design, so I’m gonna wait a bit and see what the competitive industry produces.

 

[Bluegill]

I've been doing steel winch bumpers on my trucks for a long time now. As far as I know, ARB was the only manufacturer that did (or had done) actual crash testing and they utilized crush cans in their bumper frame mounts. On the Land Rovers, the ARB crush-can bumpers were also famous for rotating upward and damaging the body work if the bumper hit the ground, in a steep descent for instance.

Of course it is true that a steel winch bumper will change the crash dynamics. If you're not willing to accept this fact, then you must stick with the OEM equipment or wait and see if any companies come out with full crash-tested bumpers. I doubt that the Lexus GX550 will specifically be on ARB's radar but the new Land Cruiser probably is....if it's a direct-fit swap then the Lexus may be in luck.

 

[Overandunderland]

Not sure about their testing, but Ironman (generally not held in the same esteem as ARB but a big brand) has had bumpers on sliding mounts that at least protect the frame (not to mention the bumper itself) in certain types of collisions. And they've had models for past Lexuses. I expect we'll see from inter-brand compatibility among future ARB bumpers too, but it will probably be a while.

I know everyone's needs are different, but mine don't involve climbing over fields of rocks and boulders or up extremely steep, low-traction surfaces. I think most people who go over that stuff have more purpose-focused rigs than our Swiss Army knife GXs. I expect to use a winch in my GX the same way as in my old Land Cruiser--as a recovery device in the rare situations I get stuck in more moderate terrain and can't get out with my 4 traction boards (which take care of 90% of problems). And in those recovery situations, I've almost always wanted to go backwards. I have a hitch-mounted rear winch for now for that purpose, and I expect I'll skip the front winch to optimize the highway safety of my rig. But again, that's just me, based on my needs. And I might change my mind as my travels or the available products evolve.

 

[jagud09]

I just ordered the JW Offroad front bumper. Deciding on a 12K winch in the next day or two.

Did you settle on one? I was looking at the X-Bull XRS... but I'm very new to this world so any advice will be freely taken!

X-BULL Electric Winch XRS 13500 LBS 12V Synthetic Rope for Towing Truc

Buy X-BULL Electric Winch XRS 13500 LBS 12V Synthetic Rope for Towing Truck Off Road with 2 in 1 Wireless Remote for only $429.00 at X-BULL!

www.xbullauto.com

 

[Bluegill]

I have this winch sitting in my garage waiting for the bumper to arrive:

SCAR 12S - 12,000 lbs. Rated Synthetic Rope Winch

 

[jagud09]

I just ordered the JW Offroad front bumper. Deciding on a 12K winch in the next day or two.

Just ordered the same bumper last night! they crank out that fabrication!

 

[Bluegill]

X-BULL Electric Winch XRS 13500 LBS 12V Synthetic Rope for Towing Truc

Buy X-BULL Electric Winch XRS 13500 LBS 12V Synthetic Rope for Towing Truck Off Road with 2 in 1 Wireless Remote for only $429.00 at X-BULL!

www.xbullauto.com

I've never heard of the X-Bull....but that's not saying much because I had never heard of the SCAR winch I bought before I started researching it and bought one.

I'd read (or watch on youtube) as many reviews as you can. Ignore the "sponsored" reviews, those are just paid commercials. Badlands winches seem to be all over the place with good reviews. The days of Warn being the only winch to have are long gone - the majority of winch internals all come out of the same china sweat-shops nowadays and only the stickers are different. But you wouldn't know it with Warn's prices!

 

[Bluegill]

I just noticed that X-Bull is advertised at 13,500 lbs. That's a monster! I'd investigate that to see how true it is....make sure the advertised pull ratings are apples to apples (max pull is only for the first wrap of rope on the drum - is that what Brand A is advertising, is that the what Brand B is advertising?).

As I mentioned before, most of these winches are pretty much the same - planetary gears, similar power, similar speeds, similar waterproofing, similar electronics, etc. Check the power rating, line speeds, rope or cable specs, etc. Also, is the winch cheap because the fairlead and hook are optional at extra cost? Is shipping free? Etc.

 

[Bluegill]

A couple final comments on the X-Bull:

Check the size - it's big!

Overall Dimensions (L x W x H) - 23.6" X 13.4" X 10.2"

For comparison, the advertised dimensions of the SCAR 12k winch are
21.3” L x 6.3” W x 7.9” H

I'd check with Josh at JW Offroad to make sure it will fit. The bolt pattern is the standard 10" X 4.5" so it should bolt into the bumper's winch tray just fine, but make sure it will fit in the space allotted in our trucks. I haven't yet investigated the space up there/back there as I have yet to disassemble anything on this GX550. I don't know why the X-Bull would be so wide (13.4" vs. 6.3").

Also, can you "clock" this winch? This means that you can unbolt and rotate the right side cover with the free-spool handle so the handle faces forward. That would be a benefit for our application with a winch that's pretty much hidden with only small access ports in the front face of the bumper.

 

[Bluegill]

Regarding the size of the X-Bull, I just noticed that the pictures they have show that it's much smaller in dimensions....it certainly looks smaller.....something is incorrect....

 

[jagud09]

Regarding the size of the X-Bull, I just noticed that the pictures they have show that it's much smaller in dimensions....it certainly looks smaller.....something is incorrect....

View attachment 5094

Yea the more I read on it (which is not much) the less confident I am it's something I want to invest in. Just too many questions marks for that money.

 

[chris.gio]

Did your bumper come? Put it on yet?

 

[Snowy]

Let us know your thoughts once it comes in. While I would love to get set up, I am still Leary about spending a bunch on a safety product from unknown vendors.

Any thoughts on the JW bar?

Did you change the front shocks to compensate for the added weight of the bar and winch? Or did you put a lifter / preload kit on the front?

 

[Snooperstyle]

Let us know your thoughts once it comes in. While I would love to get set up, I am still Leary about spending a bunch on a safety product from unknown vendors.

I also have the same setup. Here are my thoughts on the JW Offroad bumper. Overall, I think is awesome, and I am really glad I purchased it. So, the cons here are really just things that could perhaps be improved in subsequent design updates.

PROS:
--Looks really clean and exactly what I was after in terms of appearance. I have already had multiple people ask me about it.
--12 heavy duty bolts hold it on. Overkill, and I like that.
--Recovery points are solid and work great.
--There is room for a good sized winch.
--It results in the winch fairlead sitting a little higher than the other low profile bumper options that utilize the upper area for a light bar.
--No trimming of bumper covers!

CONS:
--It is a serious pain to adjust anything once it is on the vehicle, namely the winch and the light brackets. One of my lights got pushed back when I jammed the front into a mud hole and I don't even know how I am going to re-adjust it without taking the whole front bumper cover back off and removing the winch. Can post back once I fiddle with this.
--The winch holes are slotted, which gives you a nice ability to position the winch forward or backward by about a half inch or so, but unfortunately, they didn't provide any sort of part to put into the holes after installing the winch in the furthest back position, which is where mine needed to be. The concern is that the winch could slide forward under extreme pressure. I ended up screwing in some stainless screws to keep the winch from sliding forward, and so far that seems to have worked. Tried to pull out a 13,000 lb Unimog and it didn't move, so that is good I guess. But the actual weight being pulled was really just the weight of the GX, since we did not secure the GX to a tree from behind, and it basically just pulled me towards the Unimog. Just would be nice if there was some sort of way to secure it once bolted in. Don't know if that makes sense?
--Modifying the fender liners was not that easy. I ended up using heat gun to bend them up and forward, and then zip-tied the shit out of them to the inside of the JW bumper. It looks fine, but it would be nicer if the bumper had a more specific method for this. I am sure those zip ties will eventually fail sooner than I'd like. If you cut your liners (which I did not), then I am not sure how you'd secure them. There are not any tabs on the back side of the bumper.
--Another CON, which has been mentioned here, is the lack of crash testing. etc. But not real sure any aftermarket bumper companies are doing this, other than ARB and maybe Ironman? (who hasn't released a bumper for this GX)
--There is a gap between the stock engine skid and the bumper. Not a huge deal, but it does allow a whole lot of mud and debris to get up into the area above the stock skid. I wonder if aftermarket skid options come further forward or not?
--There is an access panel under the winch, which is nice, but it is vented, which allows mud to get in there. Would be better if it was solid. I don't think there is any reason for it to be vented?
--Not a real con, since this is sort of known prior to purchase, but this type bumper is still not getting you much better approach angle at all, but at least you don't have to worry about ramming something with thin plastic or aluminum. To get the most clearance, you'd have to go with Dissent's recently released bumper, which makes you lose the fogs and cornering lights and also involves cutting and probably relocation of some connectors and maybe the washer fluid tank.

 

[Snooperstyle]

It is a serious pain to adjust anything once it is on the vehicle, namely the winch and the light brackets. One of my lights got pushed back when I jammed the front into a mud hole and I don't even know how I am going to re-adjust it without taking the whole front bumper cover back off and removing the winch. Can post back once I fiddle with this.

Update on fog light adjustment. I was able to put a large screwdriver behind it and just pry it back forward. But if I had to anything other than that, such as tighten a bolt, or replace the lights, it would be a HUGE pain.

 

[Bluegill]

Update on fog light adjustment. I was able to put a large screwdriver behind it and just pry it back forward. But if I had to anything other than that, such as tighten a bolt, or replace the lights, it would be a HUGE pain.

I know exactly what you mean. If the lights get totally moved and need to be re-bolted into place, this whole bumper will need to come off.

I put 3" Rigid cubes in those spaces and no matter how hard I try to tighten the hex-head bolts that hold the Rigid cubes to the Rigid mounting brackets, they can still move under force. I can almost move them up & down with my thumb from the outside.