Low profile bumper options

So I am going to be installing a low profile bumper for a winch setup this winter.
I have been looking at options and because most of them involve hacking up my stock plastic I don’t want any regrets.
Here are all the options I have found any input on experience, regrets, other options or preference appreciate.

In no particular order

 

I settled on the Greenlane. I really liked the fit and finish. Can't say enough about the quality. It did take a month to from order to ship date. Here are some rambling thoughts after cutting and installing:

Look closely at the lines you'll be cutting for each bumper and how they fit, the cut you make and difficulty is probably vastly different between bumpers (straight cut or following a profile line). Plan in advance to use the edge trim for your border (the black border you see on the SouthernStyle, SOS and CBI). Unless you are a professional quality installer or have prior experience cutting/sanding that material your cut won't be perfect (I used painters tape for the line, had an extra set of hands help hold, and still ended up with an uneven cut). The Greenlane pictured above doesn't have the trim. That picture is of a cut/sand job by a very steady hand and I still think it looks better with the trim. So don't sweat getting a perfect cut, I was terrified because I wasn't planning on using edge trim but after much stress and sanding I couldn't get it to look good. I gave up and put the edge trim on the plastic and immediately thought 'oh that looks professional and fits the truck style'. Install the winch at the same time as the bumper. Don't take everything apart twice because you can't sneak a winch in without unbolting everything.

Greenlane thoughts: I weighed it after unpacking, and it was 28 lbs with the optional hoop and hardware. With a Comeup winch (Seal 9.5 rs gen 2) weighing about 90 lbs I lost about half an inch of hub to fender distance on stock suspension. I wanted a hoop that didn't impact the sensor in the grille or look huge so it had to stay under the pro grille sensor location. I like the profile; I didn't want something that hung out and increased the truck length much or impact the approach angle. I wasn't planning on mounting a light bar in my bumper. If and when I add more lights I'll try to hide it in the gap between the bumper and the grille (the Greenlane doesn't intrude on this space).

License plate pitfalls: Consider your front license plate status. If your state requires them you may have to get creative. I got the flip up plate holder from Greenlane and it just isn't going to work. It doesn't have enough clearance to fold down vertical over a fairlead with a winch cable (notice not cable or winch in their pic), especially if you put a flatlink on it. It also barely folds up to parallel with the ground which means you have to remove it if you need to use an upward angle on the winch line. It was the only weak point in the Greenlane system. So until I get a fix it ticket I'm just missing a front plate. Notice none of the bumpers above show a front plate?

Finally consider where you will mount your winch controller. These small bumpers don't allow space for much. Some people move the controller into the engine bay. I kept mine behind the grille (it's fairly small so it isn't impacting radiator airflow much) and the winch controller plug fits through the pro grille gaps so I can even leave the hood down. I did need to make a small custom bracket for the mount. First thing like that I've made and it was surprisingly easy and effective.

On the whole, I'd 100% do it again same bumper and winch. I left out a bunch of different little things I learned along the way (since this was my first winch and bumper there was a ton to learn). If you are really uneasy about cutting go find a scrap bumper and practice some lines, or just take a deep breath and start cutting.

 

That’s a great write up and more than I was expecting.

thanks so much for taking the time to do that !
Thanks for the additional pictures that’s not at all what I thought the finish looked like.
It looks smooth in the picture I like the way yours looks!
I was kind of leaning that way, now even more.
Originally I was leaning to a min cut bumper but I don’t like the blazing symbols in the middle.
If they were smart they would line up the tops and bottom of the emblem with the cut out for the light bar.
Then if you don’t like, two cuts and it’s gone but that probably exactly why they don’t do that.
Thanks again.

 

I chose Southern Style Offroad Slimline because I like how flush it fits with the remaining bumper; it doesn't stick out like some others do. I fit a Warn VR10 EVO in it with only minor trimming the factory bracket above it -- didn't have to completely cut it. A plus about the SSO bumper is the option to put the Stage 2 side pieces on later if you want a full high clearance bumper. Lead time was long on this one at the time, however.

Installation was not hard. You just need to take your time with the measurements and cuts. Check out all the pics on this site of people's bumpers and you can figure out where to cut.

There's a great tutorial / thread on TW: https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...nstall-guide-how-to-article-with-tips.545427/

 

Man that looks good too
This is exactly what I was hoping for sales pictures are perfect pictures and not reflective of real world.
I didn’t know about the add on option which is a great idea as I am sure I will eventually mess the rest of the front end up

Thanks for the additional info and pictures.

 

SSO was my strong second choice because of the stage 2 option. It's got a good clean look and great community support. I used the SSO videos for my Greenlane install because they are so similar (and Greenlane instructions are very basic).

 

Anybody have an SSO referral code they want to share? About to pull the trigger on a bumper with them.

 

So I asked as they are not listed as a vendor

They said they have tried multiple time’s unsuccessfully to become a vendor on here, sounds like it’s harder than I thought it would be.

This is from them

The code for Tacoma World is TW10.

If you have any questions/concerns feel free to reach out to me at 504-289-4984. I'll be happy to help you in any way I can!

 

Big Mahalo to the OP for putting list this together, so glad I found this. Now to make the decision and deal with the ship fees.