Best options bolt on bumper (no cutting)

Wanting to upgrade the front bumper but there aren’t a ton of options that don’t require cutting. Anyone have any opinions on the DV8 bumper or something similar?

 

https://www.metaltech4x4.com/metal-tech-2016-tacoma-blackbird-front-bumper-stage-1/

https://fabfours.com/product/toyota-tacoma-premium-front-bumper/
These are no cut bumpers. I’d stick with American Made but that’s just me.

 

I was stuck on this one a while back, I decided to run the stock front bumper till I tore it off...still going.

 

I purchased the DV8 Low Profile off of eBay for $355. It arrived with damage to the shipping box and had minor paint damage and missing hardware. I contacted the vendor and they provided a $50 credit to my PayPal account and have sent out a new hardware kit and touchup paint kit. The very good communication and fast action was heartening, and I feel even better to have the bumper for a $334 investment (Incl tax).

In looking at the installation instructions and posts from others, I decided to weld additional gussets on the right angle brackets before installing.

In my opinion the DV8 would need additional modifications to use the winch tray safely, and even pulling utilizing the shackle mounts posses risk of sub frame damage without additional buttressing. I purchased the DV8 knowing that it would require modifications and have accepted it’s limitations in exchange for the price. An advantage of the DV8 is you do not have to trim any of the plastic valances as you do with others. If I was going to mount a winch on I would probably just go with a full bumper.

 

Not trying to grill anyone but I saw this old thread: https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/cheap-bumpers-on-ebay.438074/

And watched this video a few months ago (TLDR):https://youtu.be/LKKWFlVf8vk around 5:20 mark.

I just thought it was funny..

 

If you had not considered, I'm planning to buy an unpainted replacement bumper to cut up if I go that route. It's about $250 for OEM, $150 non-oem. There is a company also making replacement sections just for off road bumpers that doesn't have the fog light notch.

 

100% of the full bumpers that don’t require cutting look like shit. The stealth/slim bumpers are OK but they won’t get you the type of clearance that a full bumper will.

Just cut it.

 

Yours looks great man. I’m fine with it not being top notch performance wise, as long as it looks great and can handle some minor stuff. I think you’ve sold me on that exact bumper.

 

Check out victory 4x4. They have a no cut slim front bumper that looks real nice.

 

Here is a photo of the gussets I got welded to the L brackets. Also drill a hole in the back of the bumper where the light bar bracket is welded to the bumper to allow you to run the wiring for the light bar through and be able to hide the wiring. I also drilled weep holes on both sides of the bar mount to avoid water settlement. You’ll understand when you see the bumper physically. I also repainted the drill holes and also reached in and painted the interior portion of the bar light mount at the same time. Once aligned, I torqued the mounting bolts to 63 ft lbs. Oh yes, I replaced the supplied mounting bolts with Grade 8 Stainless, it came with ungraded.

 

It does look pretty good, and it’s quite well built, 1/4 inch steel with pretty good powder coating (Built in Mexico). But if you really want to mount a winch and plan to do a lot of wheeling, a full bumper is a better way to go.

 

Bit off topic, but does your truck have any lift? Or are those just bigger Tires and what size are they? It looks really good.

and good to know that the bumper is ready for winching out of a mud bog.

 

G'day CWill

You may like this: Victory4x4 Tacoma Front Winch Bumper | Blitz | 3rd Gen (16+)

www.victory4x4.com/product/VT3FB.html

I just finished the install yesterday. Elected to go aluminum for weight. I also installed a Smittybilt X20 winch. The bumper weight plus the winch can be done by one person as I did this myself, but would have been quicker with a helper.
The install was easy and only had to remove/cut one plastic part under the truck per the instruction. It's designed to be able to replace all the stock parts should you every want to that one day.
There's a install video on the website to see what is actually done for the whole process.
Cheers

 

I've been trying to find one that doesn't cut the bumper as well but doesn't seem to be many options. Might have to lean towards SSO since it isn't too extreme.

 

I have an SSO on the way. I did not find anything I liked that did not require cutting and finally gave up. For a daily driver, I think bumpers like SSO's slimline will have less of a detrimental effect on gas mileage.

I had been looking and a BAMF Hybrid with these to avoid cutting https://runnin4tacos.com/products/bumper-caps-2016-2020-toyota-tacoma

For me, the primary purpose of the bumper is to hold a winch, so may add these https://c4fabrication.com/collectio...nt-bumper-frame-support-brackets-3rd-gen-2016 though I'm not certain they will work with the SSO.

 

Thanks for the updates and links. I will look into those and most likely lean towards SSO's bumpers as well.

 

sorry to resurrect the thread but curious about mounting the x20 winch. Did you have to relocate the control box or mount it to the left? Getting ready to install this to my 3rd gen with the same winch and just looking for any tips or experienced pointers.
Thank you!

 

Has anyone seen anything further on this new no cut bumper from Southern Style Off-road? https://www.southernstyleoffroad.com/product/2016-tacoma-slimline-lite-front-bumper/

 

There are a couple of red flags on that bumper.

One, they don't show the mounting hardware/backside of the bumper,
Two, there are no shackle points (indicating they know it isn't rated for squat)
and Three:


At that point, the stock bumper would outperform this under all conditions, including as a low speed brush guard. Even my cheap chinesium bumper weighs 75 pounds, and its the same shape and size as that one.

 

Looks like it just covers the plastic front bumper cover. I dont think it replaces anything. They have them with winch mounts and clevis points if you need it heavier. This is strictly cosmetic cover for parking lot bumps