thinking about an ARB rear steel bumper for my 80
if you run one can you give a report of you're ownership
and some pics would be nice
cheers
OK, I have an ARB rear steel bumper with spare carrier, and it's been on the truck for 10 years, so here's a pros and cons run-down of my experiences...
Pros
Very well constructed;
Good materials (generally but see cons);
The swing out is strong and has a a very positive lock, a gas-ram for control and "open" lock, useful when not on level ground;
The bumper is well designed for the light fittings which are recessed, so they don't get damaged;
Cons
It's heavy, but only to be expected because its strong and well-made;
The light fittings are crap, meaning that although they are still on there and working after 10 years, the innards have rusted away needing replacement. It's a small issue but annoying. If you get one from new, then take care to paint / grease or otherwise protect them from disintegrating in less than 2 years, like mine did;
The swing out bearing is a mystery to me. OK, I'm no mechanic and I've been lazy, 'cos I've never had the pivot to pieces to find out why mine has always been such a pain. Someone else has though and they tell me it's a tapered roller-bearing set-up, which should be good. However, its sandwiched between the top and bottom fixed main frame "cage" so I can't for the life of me see how a tapered roller-bearing can work, you need an open end with such a rig, so that you can pre-load the tapers. So, from just after new, I had play in the pivot and that increased over time. I had someone "re-build" it and it was fine, but within a year, excess play again. I've learned to live with it and it's got no worse, but it does annoy me. It has also encouraged some rust because with the excess movement, the open end of the swing-out can catch the static part when closing, and so the powder coat has been damaged.
Don't let this put you off, it's a great piece of kit, but it's also very expensive.
If you're set on one, get to know how the pivot works inside from the onset, and set it up correctly and maintain it well. My guess, it will last the lifetime of several trucks if you keep that pivot maintained.
Another downside that I've found with all ARB stuff (front bumper, roof rack and side steps) the powder-coat finish doesn't last long. Easily stone-chipped (strongly recommend rear mudflaps to save the rear bumper side pieces, ask me how I know...) but otherwise very solid.
Mines coming off soon for its second re-furb, sand-blast, acid-dip, prime and paint. I had it sand-blasted and electro-galved last time, but they did a shite job...
Good luck, it really is a great product and much stronger than cheaper copies.
Closing on a high, it has a US style square receiver for towing equipment or rack inserts, a great asset if you tow or want to fabricate your own racking systems for bikes or whatever else you take with you.
I'll dig out some photos to post, but I don't have access to them ATM...