40" LED bar on a '99 Suburban

[DaveNay]

So....I've had a 40" LED bar for a couple months now but I haven't mounted it yet because I'm not really happy with my options.

I have basically three choices.

My first choice would be on top of the bumper, in front of the grill. The problem with this is the bumper is very "pointy" and when the center of the bar is tight against the grill, the two ends are about 1 1/2" in front of the bumper!

Second option is on the roof. This has a variety of issues. The wire routing is much more difficult, there are glare issues, putting holes in the roof, looks like a cop car, etc, etc.

This brings me to the real question. Has anyone ever mounted a light bar under the front bumper? There are plenty of mounting options and the wiring is super easy. Downsides are obviously the longevity of the light due to general road debris (gravel, etc) and most importantly, will the light perform well? It is a Chinese flood/spot combo and being that low it will throw a lot of light on the ground, but how much light can it project down the road?

 

[Ducmonsta]

Sell it and get an appropriate sized light bar that will fit inside the grill or just behind it. I would be more worried about the light taking damage if it were under the bumper.

 

[DaveNay]

Sell it and get an appropriate sized light bar that will fit inside the grill or just behind it. I would be more worried about the light taking damage if it were under the bumper.

There's no room behind the grill. There is the aux trans cooler and e-fan back there. Selling and switching to a shorter model is definitely an option.

 

[AFBronco235]

I don't see how mounting the bar to the roof is any harder than mounting it on anywhere on the bumper. There are plenty of shops out there that have gotten creative with ways to mount light bars on trucks without having to drill anything for the mounts. You'll have to drill for the wiring, but drilling the right sized hole and using the right sized grommet will take care of that problem.

Besides, for a bar of that size and configuration, a roof mount is best. Two smaller light, mounted recessed inside the bumper would be best for low mounting options.

 

[rayra]

Distance between the rack rails is about 44". You could either fab a mount that suspends the light between the rails, or an alternate mount to the front crossbar. Either works. Making a tip-up shield painted to match the rack would conceal it when not in use and prevent that 'police' look.
Also, The mounting position between the front end of the rack rails is far enough back to prevent light shining on the hood, eliminating the glare problem.

 

[MaverickTRD]

you could always do a radius bar in 40" for on top of the bumper, the curved edges would prevent it from sticking out an inch and a half on each end. or possibly a 30" bar so that it wouldn't hang over so far on each end.



Edit: just realized your OP said you already had the light


you could always do something like this:

 

[RacerX29]

you could always do something like this:

Who makes that mounting bar or was it a DIY?