Reviewer's Notebook

TOMKEN MACHINE
Stubby Bumper and Winch Plate
by Chad Crowell

The front-end of your Jeep is very important! While we invest so much money in drivetrain components and other performance enhancing accessories, you can’t deny that when you see another Jeep coming toward you on the road, you always get a quick first impression by the front clip…bumper? winch? winch mount? tow hooks? shackles? The more of these items that are present, the more you can be sure that the

1. A large, bulky bumper that covers the entire front end, from corner to corner, as wide as the Jeep. This type is generally heavy and offers superb protection from rocks and accidents all the way out to the fender flares.
2. A short bumper, barely wider than the frame rails. While providing great protection for the center of the Jeep from rocks and accidents, it leaves the fenders wide open for damage. The benefit of this type of bumper, though, is that large obstacles can be approached with the entire tread width for maximum traction.

I ordered the factory fog lights with my TJ, and the Stubby bumper has no provisions for mounting them. I ground away the paint on the outside edges of the bumper and welded on tabs for this purpose. A little primer and black paint and the fog lights fit perfectly. I am also using the Tomken Winch Plate up front, and the bumper fits on perfectly with the plate.

The Winch Plate has the same sturdy construction as the Stubby Bumper, using ¼" steel to support a winch on the front of the vehicle. It fits nicely on the frame rails behind the bumper, and works perfectly with the Stubby and a set of tow hooks.

Installation

1. Remove the stock bumper and frame cover
2. Remove front bolts on swaybar mounts
3. Place Stubby bumper on frame rails in place of the stock bumper
4. Mount winch to Winch Plate using hardware supplied with winch
5. Mount roller fairlead to Winch Plate using hardware supplied with winch
6. Place winch and Winch Plate on frame rails, over upper Stubby bumper mounting holes
7. Place flat washers in any open space between winch mount plate and frame
8. Place tow hooks over front mounting holes in Winch Plate
9. Using Grade 8 bolts, bolt down tow hooks, Winch Plate, and Stubby Bumper
10. Bolt down underside of Stubby Bumper
11. Replace bolts in swaybar mounts going through Winch Plate
12. Place bolt and nut into underside mount, located in the center of the Winch Plate on its underside. Tighten
13. Install 5/8" D-Rings or tow bar on front of Stubby Bumper

     

Installation was simple, but did require all bolts to be loose and snugged down evenly once all bolts were started. Here is the finished look. It really is impressive! The bumper has served me well for quite a few months now, proving its strength and usefulness over and over. I drilled and tapped the bumper for my license plate mount, but the bumper could otherwise hold about one gallon of air for an air tank as well. Safety Note: When bolting down heavy equipment that works under load, such as a winch, ALWAYS use Grade 8 hardware and double check that all bolts are tight. Grade 8 bolts are marked with six small lines on the head of the bolt (Grade 5 has three lines).