Wheeler's Off-Road is a new Samurai aftermarket company specializing in parts and accessories that are designed with the hardcore four wheeler in mind. Their rapidly growing inventory of hard-to-find and unique parts now includes a very impressive line of front bumpers. When I got word of the bumper early on in its developmental stage, I spoke with the owner of the company, Gary Wheeler, and learned what was planned for the final product.

I had been using another aftermarket bumper for the last five years and it served me well, but I was ready for a new one. Although my old one was a vast improvement over the flimsy stock bumper - which is useful for little more than as a large turn signal bracket - it was definitely showing its years of Rubicon abuse, and I was quite familiar with its imperfections:

• The thin-gauge tubes had reduced my truck's approach angle, causing its underside to be dented and gouged as it got hung up on boulders.
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As my truck grew taller with successively larger tires over the years, I repeatedly had to cut the ends of the tubes to gain tire clearance.
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The four bolt holes in the frame to which the bumper was mounted do not have much metal in front of them, making the bumper susceptible to being torn off.
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There was nowhere to mount the front license plate.

When I told Gary about these issues, he assured me that his design solved all these problems. Seeing the pictures of the R&D unit, I knew I wanted one, so we arranged for me to mount the first unit built completely on his jig onto the front of my Samurai.

This being the top-of-the-line bumper, it is the heaviest of the three variations on the basic design theme. The Off-Road Brush Guard is the center portion of this bumper, while the Off-Road Basic Bumper adds the sidebars for additional protection. The Off-Road Deluxe Bumper adds the wrap-around headlight protection bars. In spite of all this front-end protection, I was immediately surprised by how much lighter this bumper is than it looks. It is several pounds heavier than my previous bumper, which is to be expected from its thick-gauge tubing; however, it is still substantially lighter than other bumpers on the market. An added feature with this bumper is the ability to have it customized to meet your needs. A winch mount or receiver can be installed, as well as any other modifications that are discussed with Gary, such as a high-lift jack mount or powder coating.

Included with the bumper is a mounting kit that provides all the hardware needed. This bumper was designed to have the strongest mounting system available for the Samurai, and I am not about to dispute that. It is obvious that many hours of research and development went into designing the bumper to be strong in impacts from any direction or for a powerful winch to be pulling from it. Not only does it bolt through the frame in four locations with grade 5 hardware, but the kit also includes two frame rail reinforcing blocks, a front cross-member reinforcing pipe, and two cross-member U-bolts.

Installation

The first step to installing the bumper is to remove the current bumper. In my case this was a simple procedure of removing my aftermarket lights and turn signal lights, and unbolting the bumper's four bolts. In the case of the stock front bumper, it must also be removed and the frame cross-member bars that support the ends of the bumper must then be cut off 3 inches from the outside of the frame rails.

Step two, which I had already done several years ago on my own accord, is to slide the cross-member reinforcement pipe through the frame cross-member. Oftentimes the factory welds penetrate through the frame. I found a lot of this excess metal inside my cross-member, but a sledgehammer was all it took to pound the pipe right through.

The next step is to make sure the frame rail reinforcing blocks fit inside the frame before attempting to align the bumper. Sometimes the frame ends can become distorted, so some light hammer work might be necessary to make it a true rectangle. Once the blocks fit snugly on both sides, you can slide the bolts most of the way through the frame.

Two of the included bolts are slightly ground on one side of the head, allowing them to be inserted into the lower mount holes that are in the pocket above the spring shackle. At this point, a second person to help align the bumper against the frame would make it easier for you to slide the frame bolts through the bumper holes. Tighten the four nuts finger tight, then align the top of the bumper approximately finger-width from the top of the grille and torque them down.

Next, place the included U-bolts around the back of the frame cross-member and tighten their respective nuts.

Finally, the turn signal lights must be mounted vertically behind the grille. Zip ties are the preferred method, but any way that seems fit will do.

Install the front license plate to the included mounting tabs, and any aftermarket headlights or winch, and the setup is complete. I haven't yet found my front license plate that I had put somewhere for safekeeping when I installed my previous bumper, but when - or if - I do, I will finally be legal!

Impressions

Standing back from the truck to get a good look at the bumper, I was immediately pleased with its looks. Not only is it the strongest bumper commercially available for the Samurai, but in my opinion it is also the most handsome. Even small details like the perfect welds speak of nothing but quality. Being one of the first to install this new bumper, I was unsure of how it would affect my truck's looks, but so far everyone's reaction has been overwhelmingly positive. But while looks are important for my truck, what really matters is performance:

• The reinforced, thick-walled tubing is simply indestructible, with little increase in overall weight.
• The mounting system is incredibly strong. To tear this bumper off the truck, you would have to tear off a large hunk of the frame with it.
• The fit to the vehicle's contours couldn't be better; the bumper hugs the body as closely as possible, creating an approach angle approaching 90 degrees with no obstruction ahead of the front tires.
• Two tow hook loops are located at the strongest points of the bumper, ensuring safety and reliability.
• The unique lower bar of the bumper helps to provide greater front-end protection against those inevitable unseen obstacles that can bend a tie rod or dent the axle housing, or to provide greater protection for you in a wreck.
• The integrated light and license plate mounting tabs are features that are often overlooked on other aftermarket bumpers.

As great as this bumper looks on the street, it was obviously designed for the hardcore 4x4. Only time will tell, but theoretically, the weight of the Samurai is simply not enough to dent this bumper. Its clearance over rocks is second only to no bumper at all, yet it offers room for a winch, lights, and all the features most Suzukis could need. Any scrapes and scratches from the trail can be easily touched up with spray paint, and should you decide to modify it yourself in the future, welding to it is straightforward.

The Wheeler's Off-Road Front Bumper is intended to be the last bumper you own. It was designed by Suzuki fanatics who push their Samurais to the extreme and who encourage others to modify their own Suzukis to be serious trail machines. These bumpers and other products are available exclusively from Wheeler's Off-Road.

For quick contact with either of the vendors, see the Contact information in the box at the upper left on this page.

--Geoff Beasley