100-series rear bumper options

texascrane

Adventurer
My 06 LX470 got smacked while parked a few weeks ago. The rear bumper is toast. An aftermarket rear bumper has been on my list of planned upgrades, but not anything that I was planning to do soon. However, I've got a check from the insurance company and it doesn't seem to make much sense to drop a bunch of money into a brand new oem bumper that I'm planning on ditching in a year or so anyways.

I've been looking at the Slee, ARB, and BIOR offerings. They all seem to have their positives and negatives. I'd like to get some feedback on these options from the crowd here given that the intended use is overlanding, not rock crawling.

I like the Slee option, however I'm concerned that it may be to difficult for my wife to get open easily with no strut assistance. It also seems to require both hands to open/close. That could potentially be an issue for her (or me) when dealing with children. On the plus side, it seems extremely well built and solid. I also like that the install seems quite a bit simpler than the ARB. The ladder on the second swing out seems like it gives you a lot of options to fabricate/attach whatever you want on that side.

The ARB seems to be easy to open/close. However, I've heard some say that it's huge. But that may not be an issue for me given my intended use. It also seems like a waste to me to only have a single jerry can holder on the second swing-out... there should be plenty of room for at least a dual can holder. I'm also not sure if it's a huge job to switch out swing arms (maybe taking them off while on mall duty?). The recovery points also seem a bit anemic although I suppose you can just attach a shackle via the receiver. I do like that it has a rated receiver. I don't tow anything right now, but it's nice to know that the option is there "officially". One thing that isn't clear is how the back-up cam is affected by the rear tire placement. I haven't seen an ARB camera relocation kit so I'm not sure if it blocks the cam or not.

I like the price on the BIOR. The strut/safety-pin configuration seems superior to the Slee. However, I don't think it's a great idea to cut into the rear crossmember to make room for the receiver. I know it can be ordered without the receiver (requiring no cutting), but then I would need to throw my factory receiver back on in order to tow if needed. It seems like having the factory hitch on there would negate a lot of the benefits from ditching the oem bumper - primarily departure angle. But then again, maybe not.

I did briefly look at the Kaymar. Seems awesome but it's $800 more than the Slee/ARB options. Maybe it's worth it, but $3600 just seems over the top for a rear bumper with tire and dual jerry can carriers.

Right now I'm leaning towards the ARB although that's been changing on a daily basis :) What says expedition portal? Is there anything else I should be thinking about when considering rear bumpers? I know most of you have way more experience and exposure to these different options that I do so I'd really appreciate hearing the collective wisdom.
 
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Grego

New member
Lots of info over on 'mud. I have the Bior and like it for the reasons you stated. Don't like how it has some flex in it that allows the spare to shake on certain patches of highway. I spent some time looking at the Slee and think if I had to do it over I would go that route. That is a seriously stout bumper.
 

texascrane

Adventurer
Thanks Grego,
I appreciate your input. I've been reading everything I can find over on 'mud. My concern is that some of those guys do some serious wheeling, which really isn't my cup of tea. I want to make sure that I end up with a bumper that suits my needs/uses which is why I'm soliciting input over here.
 

peneumbra

Explorer
I got a Slee rear bumper for my 1997 80-series, and I've been very impressed with it in terms of construction and ease of opening/closing.
 

spressomon

Expedition Leader
Thanks Grego,
I appreciate your input. I've been reading everything I can find over on 'mud. My concern is that some of those guys do some serious wheeling, which really isn't my cup of tea. I want to make sure that I end up with a bumper that suits my needs/uses which is why I'm soliciting input over here.

What purpose do you need an aftermarket rear bumper to serve? Stay in the 33" tire world, OEM spare location and forget the swing arm inconvenience issue; or the rear aftermarket bumper altogether.

And if you opt for more "serious wheeling" know 33" on a 100 can still get it done...
 

texascrane

Adventurer
What purpose do you need an aftermarket rear bumper to serve? Stay in the 33" tire world, OEM spare location and forget the swing arm inconvenience issue; or the rear aftermarket bumper altogether.

And if you opt for more "serious wheeling" know 33" on a 100 can still get it done...

Thanks. I'm definitely staying in the 33" world.

I guess I'm looking for 3 things (roughly in order of importance): Impact protection, getting the spare out from underneath the truck/improved clearance, the ability to carry spare gas outside the vehicle when in remote locations like Big Bend.

In practical terms, I realize that a rear bumper isn't always the most useful upgrade to a vehicle which is why it was something that I was planning on revisiting in a year or so. However, getting hit threw a wrench into the works.

I like the idea of potentially just doing a steel bumper but leaving off the swing arms for now (or maybe never adding them). In that situation, the Slee becomes pretty appealing. It's easy to install, looks good, and while the hitch isn't rated, it looks to me like it would be as strong as the factory option. I'll pull out the F350 for heavy duty towing, so I really just need something that will work for smaller trailers in a pinch.
 

fireball

Explorer
Texas,

I had the same debate as you when purchasing a rear bumper. The LC is our family overlanding, vacation, trip and mild-off roading vehicle. I was able to see the Slee rear a few days before I was in CO to purchase a BIOR rear. For me there were two big factors in deciding to go with the BIOR:
1. you can easily open the BIOR with one hand.
2. Mike at BIOR will customize the bumper and swing arms to whatever you desire. Tire on right side or left side. End caps. Antenna mounts. backup light mounts. two swing arms or one. One swing arm now, one later. Etc. I purchased the bumper, PS spare tire carrier and also a driver side arm. I still have not decided what exactly I want on the driver side, and may actually never need it, but I have that option if I want. I can also build that attachment myself or have someone locally do it.

The notch in the rear cross member is not a big concern IMO. Here is a photo of it:
IMG_0204.jpg

The BIOR arms are very easily removable if you want to take the spare tire carrier on and off. You'll need to be mindful of how you do the wiring if you think you'll actually do this often. I've got the license plate light, back up light, CB antenna and back up camera all wired to the PS swing arm so have actually never taken it off. If this was my wife's DD and she got tired of opening the carrier I might rethink this. But again, with one handed quick and easy operation of the arm it hasn't been an issue.

All that said, both the Slee and BIOR are really nice heavy duty sturdy units that will more than meet your goals. Just a few nuances about either that will sway your decision.
 

zimm

Expedition Leader
bio is the value option, and he'll customize to your liking. i have him put a rear winch cradle on mine, and 8 people ive extracted with it, thank him.

the bumper itself is 10x as ridged as the cross member. removing it is in no way an issue.
 

zimm

Expedition Leader
bio is the value option, and he'll customize to your liking. i have him put a rear winch cradle on mine, and 8 people ive extracted with it, thank him.

the bumper itself is 10x as ridged as the cross member. removing it is in no way an issue.

i think theres almost a 7-800 dollar difference between bio and slee. overhead kills.
 

Yuman Desert Rat

Expedition Leader
The ARB is decent. It came on my vehicle with a dual spare tire setep so I made it work for me. The nice thing is that you can do just one tire and add things as you need. I am NOT a fan of the one Jerry can holder. Seems a bit steep for 1 can holder. Im sure something could be custom fabbed or modified to add to it. There are Clevis attachment points on the underside of the bumper.
 

sleeoffroad

Adventurer
I like the Slee option, however I'm concerned that it may be to difficult for my wife to get open easily with no strut assistance. It also seems to require both hands to open/close.

FWIW, the easy of opening is the same (if you are referring to how easy it swings open.) On ours you do not need a gas strut to help it open. The bearings make it easy to move. What people are referring to with two hands is the location of the safety pins we have. The latches we use are the same. So one or two handed depends on how high the tension is set on the latch. With ours, you have to undo the latch, then pull the pin on the hub side and swing the carrier open.

We have reasons why it is on the hub side and not the latch side. All to do with safety and if the latch had to fail / pop open. If people want to eliminate that safety feature, then that is easily done.


I like the price on the BIOR. The strut/safety-pin configuration seems superior to the Slee.

I would argue that the configuration is different, but not superior. We do use superior pins in that they are bigger and machined out of stainless steel vs. the commercial off the shelf units that have a plated pin, but bare steel sleeve. Those are prone to corrosion and will eventually get stuck due to that. We used to use the same ones and stopped doing that due to the corrosion issues.

Right now I'm leaning towards the ARB although that's been changing on a daily basis :) What says expedition portal? Is there anything else I should be thinking about when considering rear bumpers? I know most of you have way more experience and exposure to these different options that I do so I'd really appreciate hearing the collective wisdom.

ARB is the only "slam shut" option out there. That is convenient for a lot of people, however the bumper and associated lights / latch mechanism is really complex and a bear to install.
 

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