Info on wilderness rear bumper.

[idaxj97]

well like it states im looking for info on the Garvin wilderness rear swingout tirecarrier for the jeep cherokee, how do you like it and does it preform the way you want it. I just got my 97 jeep cherokee about a week ago and im building it as an expo rig and this is the bumper ive been looking at. any pics would be helpful. thanks.

[JeepinJason]

My understanding is it's basically their TJ bumper with brackets to mount it on an XJ. That said, I'm not impressed with it. A friend of ours used to run it on his TJ, and while it's fairly well made, and seemed strong enough, it used a screw-pin latch for the tire carrier which IMHO is a complete PITA to have to use, especially if you're in and out of the back of your rig a lot.

And holy heck it's expensive!! Nearly $1200 for one of the ugliest bumpers on the market? Yikes. It doesn't even make an attempt to match any of the body lines of the XJ and it looks like it still uses a screw pin latch (at least they've finally gone to a clamp latch on their Wrangler bumpers).

Check out RockHard4x4. I still don't think theirs is all that good looking, but it's much better than the Garvin bumper, plus the RH swingaway uses a slam-shut latch and comes with an integrated Hi-Lift mount.



Or check out Custom4x4Fabrication. They've got one of the best looking bumpers on the market for XJs IMHO, and they've got Hi-Lift and jerry can mounts available too.

This is my C4x4 bumper/tire carrier, with no additional mounts on it:



Neither of those two options have ax or shovel mounts available, but considering the cost savings over that Garvin one, you could probably have some fabbed up easily, or get a cargo rack for the roof to hold extra gear.

You might also get in contact with AJ from AJsOffRoadArmor. He does custom bumpers and could probably get you set up with whatever configuration you want.

[IllianaXJ]

I like the Garvin bumper, but it does have shortcomings as Jason pointed out. #1 for me is the cost. Another thing to think about is the mounting system. I don't know for sure, but I think the Garvin only mounts to the stock bumper mounting holes, which IMO is not enough for a tire carrier, jerry cans and a 2" hitch. Ideally you want some type of frame tie-in; you can see on mine below where there are "bars" that run from the bumper down the framerail (parallel to the gas tank skid).

I have a screw-type latch on my tire carrier, and it is a PITA, especially when you remember just as you get it snug that you forgot something inside On the plus side, it never rattles. Mine is custom built and was on the XJ when I bought it.



Check out JCR Offroad as well, they have a nice bumper/tire carrier: http://www.jcroffroad.com/Merchant2/...egory_Code=XJB

[idaxj97]

thanks for the info guys a couple of side notes on the the garvin bumper, i have a friend who does custome fabrication and i was thinking of having him chop the original mounts on the garvin bumper and having new mounts the mount into the frame? and the crazy thing is about the price when i was looking at garvins web site and looking at the bumper you can order the bumper through bill me later for those of you who do not know what that site is its where you can make payments on things over time i know that i will most likly pay more for the bumper after intrest but for someone who is on a super short budget i think its worth it.

[BIGdaddy]

I like the Garvin bumper, but it does have shortcomings as Jason pointed out. #1 for me is the cost. Another thing to think about is the mounting system. I don't know for sure, but I think the Garvin only mounts to the stock bumper mounting holes, which IMO is not enough for a tire carrier, jerry cans and a 2" hitch. Ideally you want some type of frame tie-in; you can see on mine below where there are "bars" that run from the bumper down the framerail (parallel to the gas tank skid).

I have a screw-type latch on my tire carrier, and it is a PITA, especially when you remember just as you get it snug that you forgot something inside On the plus side, it never rattles. Mine is custom built and was on the XJ when I bought it.



Check out JCR Offroad as well, they have a nice bumper/tire carrier: http://www.jcroffroad.com/Merchant2/...egory_Code=XJB

you guys are funny...lol....XJ's don't have frames.

[JeepinJason]

thanks for the info guys a couple of side notes on the the garvin bumper, i have a friend who does custome fabrication and i was thinking of having him chop the original mounts on the garvin bumper and having new mounts the mount into the frame?

No sense in cutting off the existing mounts, just have some frame rail (yes, XJs have "frame rails", they're just not separate from the body ) tie-ins fabricated.

and the crazy thing is about the price when i was looking at garvins web site and looking at the bumper you can order the bumper through bill me later for those of you who do not know what that site is its where you can make payments on things over time i know that i will most likly pay more for the bumper after intrest but for someone who is on a super short budget i think its worth it.

A credit card lets you do the same thing, but you can buy any bumper you want. Payment plan or not, I personally still wouldn't buy the Garvin because 1) it's way overpriced for what it is and what you get, and B) IMHO it's pretty ugly (which makes the price that much worse). The price on the Garvin website is easily 2x what that bumper should sell for based on its design.

Example:
This bumper, from JCR OffRoad, $625 not including the built-in lights:


This bumper from Nates4x4, $540, not including the Con-Ferr jerry can mount:


Compared to this bumper for $1,269?!


If you've got a friend that does custom fabrication, he could probably fab you up an identical looking bumper for 1/3 the cost of that Garvin one.

Also, the interest rate on that BillMeLater thing is 20%!

[idaxj97]

thanks for showing me other options it is hard to find a nice bumper that will hold the items on the bumper thanks for all the info and concerns.

[Purple People Eater]

I have the Garvin Wilderness bumper for my XJ and love it. It is a VERY stout piece of equipment, and I would buy another in a heartbeat. I like the vertical positioning of the hi-lift jack, the class II hitch, and two solid recovery points. The hinge is very heavy-duty, with a grease zirk for age. It has the availability of accessories, such as the jerry can mount, axe/shovel mount, antenna mount, and above-spare rack. A lot of engineering is involved with this bumper system, and the welds are beautiful. Due to the weight of the bumper, it includes unibody reinforcement as well, so it doesn't tear any metal. It comes powder-coated, and looks slick with the 97+ XJs because they can retain the rear body molding (with a little trimming on the passenger side for the hinge).

Only a couple inconveniences with this bumper system. The license plate repositioning somewhat interferes with the threaded bolt style latch, but with some imagination, I'm sure there's an easy solution. And with all that weight on the swing-out when it's open, the body tends to lean to the passenger side a bit. Not a big issue, just looks... funny.

I give this bumper an 'A'. Quality stuff from Garvin.

.

[troy]

I would love to see a pic ofthe '97+ cherokee retaining the stock end caps. To me that is a big detractor of the other's on the market, they look too custom.

I'm also worried about rust, all the rear carriers I've seen in the midwest are rusting badly.

[idaxj97]

I would love to see a pic ofthe '97+ cherokee retaining the stock end caps. To me that is a big detractor of the other's on the market, they look too custom.

I'm also worried about rust, all the rear carriers I've seen in the midwest are rusting badly.

Thats my plan i feel the same way about the bumper end caps this rig is my DD so i want the body lines to "FLOW" welland keep everything nice looking.