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Durability, Versatility, Safety | The Benefits of an Off-Road Rear Bumper

Rear off-road bumpers have trim dimensions for clearance at extreme angles. We discuss bumpers with extra features: spare tire carriers, built-in hitches, winch trays, and more.
Durability, Versatility, Safety | The Benefits of an Off-Road Rear Bumper

Ask any serious off-roading expert what type of rear bumper is best for your 4x4, and they'll tell you the best bumper for extreme use (such as rock crawling) is one that's barely even there. What does that mean exactly? Translated, it means bumpers with edges that angle upward at corners and undersides that slope drastically upward will keep you out of trouble. Smaller size and less mass in these areas means better clearance at extreme angles - ensuring a rear bumper doesn't scrape, drag, or become damaged. Where OEM bumpers are massive and block-shaped, replacement off-road bumpers are not.

Massive OEM Bumper
Serious Rock Crawling

Off-road bumpers are made from heavy-gauge steel, giving them strength and rigidity that won't crumple easily. Additionally, robust finishes such as powder coat or polished stainless steel will stand up to damage and corrosion well. Whether you bash them into things or scrape them against rocks, off-road bumpers will continue to look and function basically the same. And most significantly, there are no fragile plastic bumper covers to break away like eggshells - damaging lights and other components in the process. In the scope of this article, we'll look at factors to consider when purchasing a rear off-road bumper and we'll guide you to specific products that meet one or more of those factors. Note that, in some cases, specific features being discussed are not always standard with every bumper we offer - Instead, they are sometimes found under Product Options as an additional choice.

For More Serious Rock Crawling

Land Cruiser With Steep Departure Angles
If you plan to encounter steep departure angles such as this one, we've got ideal off-roading bumpers for the rear of your vehicle.
Smittybilt Tubular Rear Bumper
If you like polished stainless steel, the Smittybilt Tubular Rear Bumper is available in that form - or with black powder coat.

For rock crawling, bumpers made from tubular bars are excellent because they provide a wall of beefy protection while taking up a minimum of area. Tubular bumpers have no squared edges - even their ends are rounded off. Mass is reduced, leaving a driver with better overall low-speed control because there's not as much weight to wrestle with at the rear endpoint of the vehicle. Bumpers formed strictly from tube bars have a look all their own - one that's rugged, yet minimalist. So if you feel tubular construction is for you, we've got rear off-road bumpers made from smaller-diameter tubing (some describe this as "minimalist") as well as bumpers made from larger-diameter tubing (known as "fat tubes").

Smaller Diameter Tubing Body Armor Rear Bumper
The Body Armor Rear Bumper shown here is an example of smaller diameter tubing.

For smaller tubing, we've got the Body Armor Rear Bumper and the Rugged Ridge RRC Rear Bumper that's built to receive winch attachments. If you prefer the look of beefy tubes, you may like the Smittybilt Tubular Rear Bumper (available in several finish choices) and the Paramount Fat Tubular Rear Bumper (black powdercoat only).

Bestop HighRock 4x4 Rear Bumper With Departure Roller
The Bestop HighRock 4x4 Rear Bumper is available with an optional "departure roller", as seen here.

We've also got several rear bumpers with specific extras that come in handy when severe departure angles are faced. For example, Bestop's HighRock 4x4 Rear Bumper offers an optional "rear departure roller bracket". Should you reach an angle extreme enough during the beginning or ending of a climb, the roller bracket will make contact with the ground instead of your rear bumper. The roller will literally wheel you out of trouble - ensuring the bumper doesn't scrape, drag, or become damaged. For those who like the stylish looks of tubular construction, the N-Fab RBS Bumper adds a bolt-on aluminum skid plate. Not only does it deflect abrasive ground contact, it covers and eliminates gaps between the tubes in a critical area. So when your rear bumper is grinding against something jagged, the skid plate will prevent you from getting hung up or snagged on it.

N-Fab RBS Bumper
The N-Fab RBS Bumper takes minimalist tubular construction and adds the extra protection of an aluminum skid plate to deflect abrasive contact made by the ground behind you.

Rear Bumpers With Swing-Out Tire Carriers

We've got rear bumpers with built-in arms designed to support the full weight of a spare tire and other gear such as liquid containers and jacks. The spare mounts to a separate arm that swings outward away from the vehicle to provide clearance for opening the tailgate. If your vehicle already has an externally-mounted tire carrier, odds are it's mounted on the tailgate itself. After replacing your stock bumper with one of our rear swing-out bumpers, the heavy weight of your wheel will be transferred to the bumper where it belongs - removing stress that can cause tailgate hinges to sag over time. When you consider how much twisting force and stress rock climbing and off-roading put on a vehicle's frame, swing-out bumpers really make sense because they're far better suited to handle the weight than a tailgate is. We even offer swing-out bumpers for some SUVs not originally equipped with external spares. Once installed, they allow you to relocate a bulky spare tire from the inside of the cargo area to the rear bumper - freeing up a lot of space inside for gear.

Body Armor Rear Bumpers
The Body Armor Rear Bumper.
Factory Spare Tire Location
Is your factory spare tire location taking up too much cargo room inside your 4x4? Rear off-road bumpers with swing-out tire holders let you move the spare to a safe mounting point outside the vehicle.

The Body Armor Rear Bumper can be purchased as a base bumper for best cost, or it can be purchased with a spare tire carrier that's designed to swing outward away from the tailgate. Choose just a basic holder for the spare only, or option up for a holder that can carry the spare, extra-long jack, and two gasoline cans. If you've got a Toyota Land Cruiser, ARB's Modular Rear Bumper is designed with two half-sections that swing out independently of one another when the tailgate needs to be opened. One swing arm holds the spare, and the other is fitted to hold a gasoline can. In the Product Options field, you can choose left-right or right-left configuration for the spare and can holder. It also comes with its own integrated tow hitch.

Bumper With Swing-Out Spare Tire
Spare tires for 4x4s can be heavy. If your vehicle's factory location for the spare is on the tailgate door itself, then tailgate hinges are under undue stress and can sag over time. Using a bumper with a swing-out spare is an efficient solution to this problem.

For Jeep owners, there's the Smittybilt XRC Rear Bumper & SRC Rear Bumper and Paramount HD Rock Crawler Rear Bumper with swing-out spare tire carrier. The bumper itself has built-in D-ring holes for pull straps and an integrated trailer hitch. Should you prefer the look of a tubular bumper, take a look at the Paramount Fat Tubular Rear Bumper with beefy, wide tubes or the Rugged Ridge RRC Rear Bumper with more minimalist tubular framing for the bumper. There's even the N-Fab RTC tubular swing-out bumper with a special drop-section designed to handle oversize tires up to 40 inches in diameter. The Paramount, Rugged Ridge, and N-Fab tubular choices give you the spare tire carrier choice within the Product Options drop-down window, so be sure to click there.

ARB Modular Rear Bumper
The ARB Modular Rear Bumper

Integrated Tow Hitches

Over 40% of the rear off-road bumpers we offer come equipped with trailer hitches integrated into the bumper itself. That means they're welded on for maximum strength. So if you'll be towing anything, this type of rear off-road bumper is worth considering. Because you're spared the need for a separate tow bar assembly bolted to the frame of your 4x4, overall weight will be reduced. And because the hitch is part of the bumper assembly that's designed to absorb crash energy, damage to the vehicle itself during a low-speed collision would be lower as well. If you've got a Ford F-350 or F-450, there's the Ranch Hand Dually Rear Bumper. Full-size Dodge, Ford, GM, Nissan, and Toyota pickup owners can check out the Ranch Hand Sport Series Rear Bumper (diamond plate pattern) and Ranch Hand Legend Series Bumper that's available with optional lighting for the step area. If you own a Toyota Land Cruiser, ARB offers the Modular Swing Rear Bumper.

Ranch Hand Dually Rear Bumper
Ranch Hand's Dually Rear Bumper, designed specifically with wider wraparound width for double-rear tire pickups, is one of many bumpers we offer with integrated trailer hitches.
Rugged Ridge RRC Tubular Rear Bumper
The Rugged Ridge RRC tubular rear bumper features minimalist design, and comes with an integrated trailer hitch standard.

Jeep Wrangler owners seeking a rear bumper with integrated trailer hitch can choose the Paramount Heavy-Duty Rock Crawler Bumper, Smittybilt XRC & SRC rear bumpers, Bestop HighRock 4x4 Bumper, Paramount Fat Tubular Rear Bumper, ARB Rear Bumper (removable hitch piece bolts on), Paramount Classic Rear Bumper, Rugged Ridge RRC Rear Bumper, and the N-Fab RTC Bumper (for oversize spare tires).

Will You Need To Connect A Winch To Your Rear Bumper?

RBP Pro Series Rear Bumper
Not only does the RBP Pro Series Rear Bumper offer futuristic styling borrowed from Mad Max, it's also one of several bumpers we offer that come ready with pre-punched holes designed for bolting a winch plate to.

Most off-roaders mount winches on their front bumpers, but if you've ever been in a situation where using the rear of your vehicle to pull yourself or someone else out of trouble was the only option, you understand a winch mounted on a back bumper can be worth its weight in gold. While virtually all of our rear bumpers are suitable for welding a winch mount plate to, we understand not everyone wants to deal with welding or customization. So we've hand-selected several rear off-road bumpers (both for Jeep Wranglers) that come ready with pre-punched holes designed for bolting on a winch plate. Choose the Rugged Ridge RRC Rear Bumper (plate not included) or the RBP Pro Series Rear Bumper that includes a sturdy plate for mounting a winch and fairlead.

Bumpers With 'D-Ring' Attachment Points

"D-ring" Rear Off-Road Bumper
"D-ring" rear off-road bumpers usually feature pre-attached or pre-welded eyehole plates such as these.

D-ring attachments on bumpers feature round eyeholes designed to hold heavy-duty D-rings found on the end of tow straps, chains, or cables used for pulling or winching a vehicle out of trouble. Almost two-thirds of rear off-road bumpers we sell in this section offer D-ring attachments. Those attachments are either welded directly on to the face of the bumper, or they're offered as bolt-on pieces in the Product Options field. Keep an eye out for this feature if you go off-roading regularly.

To help guide you through the selection of off-road bumpers we offer, we've set up the corresponding section of our website to provide you with all the choices that will fit your vehicle. Of course, you should also be looking at our huge array of front bumpers too! In your ideal world, you'll be picking up a set of front AND rear off-road bumpers (from the same manufacturer, for that matching look). You'll be bounding over boulders and swimming through streams on your off-road adventure, equipped to the max in style and protection!

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