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| Cost - TKH Fab Front Bumper Installation |
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A new front bumper for your Jeep is an upgrade that will pay itself back ten
fold when you are out on the trail and get stuck, or if you want to protect a winch or put on some high
powered lights to help see on the trail at night. The bumper that came on my rig was stock. It was when I
pulled up to Dunkin Donuts and saw the reflection of the chrome in the window that I realized I needed a more
heavy-duty bumper. Kind of one of those weird self-realizations moments I suppose.
I had seen ones that had a 2" receiver in the bumper to allow for a movable winch, but I had already made up
my mind that I was going to mount the winch in the front in a more permanent fashion. Actually I had already
purchased a winch because I had gotten such a good deal on it. I definitely wanted some heavy-duty D-Ring
tabs welded into and through the bumper that I could put some D-rings on to help get me out of a bad situation,
or help to yank someone else out with some straps. I also wanted some light tabs so I could mount some KC
style lights to allow for visibility on the trail at night. What I got was from
tkhfab and I was very happy with it after I put it on. The
prices reflect shipping charges as well. These are heavy items and cost a bit to ship.
The install is very straightforward and requires some basic hand tools. There are no hidden costs with this
installation. I did however need the use of the angle grinder to trim off a little excess metal that was
hitting the front frame cross member. Other then that, it was just some ratchets and wrenches.
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Cost Center
TKH Fab Heavy-Duty Front Bumper
TKH Fab Heavy-Duty Winch Mount Plate
D-Ring Tabs
Assorted Hardware
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Cost
$230.00
$125.00
$20.00
$20.00
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$395.00 |
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Total Time:
2 Hours
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| Cost - Offset |
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| To offset the cost of the buildup, I sold off the stock front chrome bumper.
It went pretty quickly for $40.00.
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Cost Center
Stock Front Chrome Bumper
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Cost
$40.00
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$40.00 |
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Total Cost:
$355.00
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| Conclusions |
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The total time should be around 2 hours all said and done. That being said,
I spent some time trying to get the bumper exactly centered in the mounting holes and had to grind down some
of the metal to accomplish this. It required putting on the bumper and taking it off multiple time. I
was also in the process of putting on the winch plate and winch as well, so that took some extra time.
As you can see, the offset of the $40.00 for selling the old stock front bumper helped with the project
slightly. Keep in mind that you will need an extra set of hands to help put this in position since it is
heavy and awkward for one person. A strap or jack could also be used if you don't have anyone else to help
you. All said and done can be had for around $350.00 or less depending on what you purchase. I opted for the
D-ring tabs, light tabs, winch mount plate, as well as the D-rings, which increased the cost of the project.
It is up to you and what you decide.
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