R50 Bumper Replacement

[01R50]

Well one (of many) mods I have planned for my 01 R50 is new front and rear bumpers. I believe in having real metal bumpers like they use to put on vehicles 20+ years ago. The crappy plastic bumpers they put on today will simply not do, as most of the time one small bump and it cracks right away.

Now as most people know, R50's have a really crappy aftermarket. For some reason very few places make parts for them, so getting a new set of bumpers is not as easy as one might think.

So far I have only found 2 places that make a front bumper and only 1 that makes a rear bumper for the 2nd gen R50.

ARB makes a front bumper. It is called the Sahara Bull Bar.



This one is nice, as you can have a winch inside, bar to protect the gill and has integrated fog lights. ARB is also known as making high quality products and front what I have heard, most people with one really like it.

There are a few down sides. One is that there is no guard for the headlights. Though I guess you could make some yourself if you have access to the materials/tools/equipment. Second is that you cannot get it customized with what you want. And lastly the bumper is very pricey. I called around and was told it was about $1800-$2000 plus taxes, plus transport. Ouch.

KMA (Kennesaw Mountain Accessories) also makes a front bumper. They call it the "Wincher".



Like the ARB, this one has the option of putting a winch inside. Yet that is where the similarities pretty much end.

Except for the general shape, pretty much everything is customizable (though I guess they could change the basic shape if you really wanted to). You can have just the standard metal bumper with no guards, no lights, no nothing. Or you can have one with grill and light guards, winch mount, 2inch receiver (yes on the front), integrated fog lights, integrated turn signals, off-road lights, D-links or shackle mounts, rubber dock bumpers, etc. I am sure they could also add anything else you want (as long as you are willing to pay for it). They also offer to paint it in any color you want or will even cover with with the bed-liner paint for bit extra.

The price is also very reasonable. It starts out at $520 for just a basic bumper, and the price goes up depending on options. But a well equipped bumper is around $750-800. Not bad for a custom bumper.

KMA also makes the only rear bumper for the 2nd gen R50 that I have seen.

They call it the "Multicarrier".

Now they do not have a picture of one installed on an R50, but here is a picture of one on an earlier model pathy.



Just like the front bumper, it is highly customizable. You can get just a standard bumper, or one with a tire carrier, integrated lights, 2inch reciever, D-links/shackle mounts, jerry-can mounts, etc. Prices start at $250 and go up front there depending on options.


Now there is another option available to pretty much everyone, which is to build one yourself, or to get a local shop to build one for you. I went by and talked to 2 metal fab shops in the area to ask them if they could do it, and if so, how much.

One shop said they didn't want to bother. I was told that they don't build bumpers for smaller vehicles and would only build bumpers for large trucks (like dump trucks). They said that it was too much work trying to put one on a smaller vehicle, as getting it to fit right can be a pain in the ass, where as big trucks are much easier to build a bumper for, and they rarely have "fitting" problems.

The second shop said they would make a bumper for me. But they told me that the bumper would be a minimum of $1K with no special options, like a place to mount an internal winch, integrated lights, etc. They said that $1K was a minimum price due to labor costs. A rear bumper would cost around $800 as long as I got the front bumper made as well.

Now I could build one myself, as I do have the tools, including a large welder, access to a metal break/bender. I could also build it "exactly" as I want it. But after calculating the materials and time, it is just not worth it. Just the metal is a couple hundred dollars. Then I would likely spend a hell of a long time putting one together, as I have never built one something like a pathy before. I would likely have problems getting it to fit properly and in the end probably end up killing myself putting it on, then taking it off the truck a couple million times to cut/bend/grind it until the thing fits properly and looks good. Why go through all that bother when I can pay a little bit more and just get one pre-made.


Sooooo......I sent the guys at KMA an email to ask about costs on a front and rear bumper for the pathy.

For a front bumper, I asked about one with the internal winch mount, the heavy duty grill and light guards (these guards are stronger than standard ones you find), place to mount two off-road lights and shackle mounts. He said it was $765.

For the rear bumper, I just wanted a basic setup with the 2inch receiver and shackle mounts. I do not need the tire carrier, as I will carry my spare on the roof. Another $465 for the rear bumper.

Naturally I cannot pickup the bumpers in person at their place, as they are down in GA, near Atlanta, and that is a little far to drive. He said they shipped to Canada all the time, so shipping up to me wasn't a problem. Shipping for BOTH bumpers, including freight and ALL customs fees/charges was $365.

So if you add that all up, it comes up to $1600 shipped to a depot/terminal here in Ottawa. Even once you add the conversion to Canadian dollars and possible taxes once it passes customs, it should come in just under $2K for a front AND rear "custom" bumper shipped to me. I think that is pretty reasonable.

He did say that they have a 9 week back-order, but that isn't so bad, as it would give me time to save up my pennies to pay for it. We are going into winter anyways, so it isn't like I need it right now.

So what do you guys think? Options, suggestions, or just stating that I am crazy is all good

[LGM]

I'm pretty sure Morpheus has a KMA bumper on his Pathfinder. Looks nice.
It really is a shame that there isn't much aftermarket support for the R50's in any respect.

[Bow_Tied]

He did say that they have a 9 week back-order, but that isn't so bad, as it would give me time to save up my pennies to pay for it. We are going into winter anyways, so it isn't like I need it right now.

Would they not ask for payment up front for a custom bumper?

[01R50]

Would they not ask for payment up front for a custom bumper?

They take a deposit of 50%. Because as you said, it is a custom job. Then I would assume the rest before shipping. They also take credit cards, so it isn't too bad.

[LGM]

R50 front bumper group buy!

[HotWod]

I've got a guy making me a rear bumper like this:



the only difference is, the sides will wrap around a bit more and there is a hitch receiver in the middle where the plate is.
After that, I'm going to take him a CAD drawing of the bumper like Morpheus' and see what he can do about that

[steelcityslicker]

KMA bumpers for sure. They look good and after seeing Morpheus' front bumper at AW they look very stout. In case you didn't say or consider it I would suggest accessing a U.S. address from one of the services there that offer it. That way if KMA does free shipping in the U.S. then you go pick it up and bring it back saving a wack of cash. A group buy sounds great but if he's already 9 weeks behind what would 5, 10, 15 bumpers at the same time set him back?! Still a great idea though, it's a long way away from spring!!

[Xtrapol8]

I'm pretty sure dudu has the ARB on the front. Give him a PM if he doesn't post.

[dududuckling]

Lol... yeah, I have an ARB on the pathy.

01R50, since our trucks share the same grill and color, your truck will look like this if you choose to go with the ARB bumper:





The good thing about the ARB is that it provides more tire clearance so that you don't have to trim the front plastic bumper when you increase the tire size. I figure this is the same as KMA bumper as well.

The bad thing about the ARB is that the recovery point on the bumper hangs way too low and you always get hung up in the front before your tires reach the obstacles. So, I always had to go at an angle.

I purchased the ARB bumper via National 4wd. I placed the order in December 2008 and it was only installed somewhere in late March/April. I still have the invoice for the bumper. If you want to compare the pricing or want to know how much would N4WD charge, send me a PM and I'll get back to you as soon as possible.

On a side note, Rod, can you post up pictures of your new rear bumper when its done? Why don't you get a prerunner bumper for the front as well? Then your pathy will have even more angle of approach (I think thats what its called) Hahahhaa...

[HotWod]

Dudu! I like the first pic with lil "Pepsi" peekin' around the bush hahaa

Yeah I'll post something when I get it. This guy is pretty good at what he does, I've seen some of his work on other 4x4's (mostly Broncos and those kinds of monster trucks haha)
Here's what he gave me in the mean time I
I
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hahaha little bumper there to keep Ol'Johnny Law off me arse!

[Morpheus]

I have the KMA bumper on the front, and a Bender built on the rear.

I vote KMA all the way, they make a great product. One downfall of them, whatever time they quote you on, simply double it. If they say 9 weeks, expect 18 weeks.. I'm not exaggerating.

As for the shipping. Don't ship it across the border if you don't have to. They will nail you for brokerage fees bigtime at the border. I had one shipped to a freight terminal in buffalo, and the wife picked it up for me. Only charged me something like $100 bucks tax at the border.
I'm sure you could find a freight terminal across the border from cornwall or something.

[Pezzy]

Re KMA, although I do not own one, I have heard more than once about time delays.

Coconut will also know about ordering from them, and the rear bumper on lookscustomz's fronty is a KMA.

[01R50]

I have the KMA bumper on the front, and a Bender built on the rear.

I vote KMA all the way, they make a great product. One downfall of them, whatever time they quote you on, simply double it. If they say 9 weeks, expect 18 weeks.. I'm not exaggerating.

As for the shipping. Don't ship it across the border if you don't have to. They will nail you for brokerage fees bigtime at the border. I had one shipped to a freight terminal in buffalo, and the wife picked it up for me. Only charged me something like $100 bucks tax at the border.
I'm sure you could find a freight terminal across the border from cornwall or something.

Yeah I have heard about the "extended" delay. Though ordering now would be a good idea as it would then be ready by the spring. I am in no big hurry.

I was told it would cost $365 for shipping including customs/duties for the front and rear bumpers. Naturally I would have to pay taxes on the bumpers, but I still find that very reasonable. I asked and he said he could ship it to a terminal in the US where I could pick it up, but in the end I doubt I would save all that much and I would spend at least half a day driving down there and back

[Adam]

Hey, I live like 30 minutes from the border, by the way

[HotWod]

Me too!!! YAAAAY

[Morpheus]

Unless I'm wrong, I've never heard of a company quoting border duty, usually it's the freight company that charges it to you. I'd caution you on making sure that this point is clear with them, as you don't want it to show up at your door and have the guy tell you that he needs $300 bucks or he's taking your bumper away...

[01R50]

Hey, I live like 30 minutes from the border, by the way

Yeah I can see it now. I tell everyone that my bumpers have arrived. Then we I go to pick it up across the border I am told some other guy already picked it up. Later on I find that you got yourself a nice new bumper at the same time

Unless I'm wrong, I've never heard of a company quoting border duty, usually it's the freight company that charges it to you. I'd caution you on making sure that this point is clear with them, as you don't want it to show up at your door and have the guy tell you that he needs $300 bucks or he's taking your bumper away...

Sorry, I should have been more clear. That price is for shipping and the fees for passing it through customs (customs broker). As I said before, I would still have to pay the taxes. So once it arrives, I would just have to pay the taxes on the price of the bumper before I could pick it up, which is the same thing I would have to pay if I brought it through the border myself. I could save the brokerage fees by getting it shipped to a terminal in the US, but for that price, it is not worth it.

[01R50]

FYI, I actually found some pictures online for the rear bumper that KMA build's for the R50. Looks pretty good.




I am not interested in the tire carrier, as I would just carry it in the roof, but it looks like a much better bumper than the stock crap-o-plastic one currently installed.

[HotWod]

So, we doin a group buy at kenmtnac?!

[01R50]

lol. I am not sure how many people would be interested. Plus then you would likely have the problem of options that people want on the bumpers.

I will likely be placing an order in the new year once I get through the holidays.