By dmarch on Friday, March 30, 2001 - 08:44 am: Edit

Ok, bumper guys (ARB, Trek Out, disco2guy, rovertym): Does the black powdercoat on steel bumpers stand up for more than one winter? Or should I expect to strip and coat a bumper every spring? Who has the best make and price in your opinions?

DII
Dave

By Joshua Bova (Jbova) on Friday, March 30, 2001 - 09:04 am: Edit

Powder coat is impervious. The only place I have any problem is where I hit a big rock and took a little chunk out of my ARB. The stuff is great.

-josh

By disco2guy on Friday, March 30, 2001 - 10:29 am: Edit

Powdercoat is the deal. You shouldn't ever have to touch it again unless you really chunk it. ARB has the best price, and the worst angles and winch mount. $G Blows Goat. Trek Outfitters, RoverTym, and I (disco2.com) all make good stuff in similar price ranges. I say that based on our other products, as none of us has seen the others' front bumper, yet. Expect that to change really soon. You will have to do your own assessment of the pros/cons of each design and choose what you like best...

Hope this helps.

disco2guy

By Ron on Friday, March 30, 2001 - 10:44 am: Edit

The SG bumper does not blow goat, sure their sliders do but not the bumper.

Ron

By nadim on Friday, March 30, 2001 - 10:49 am: Edit

disco2guy...
i know competition is important to a business...
but a coin has 2 faces...
do i sound like a sensei already?

By disco2guy on Friday, March 30, 2001 - 10:51 am: Edit

Ron, I didn't say that their bumper blows goat. It is a very nice unit, and they must be damn proud of it for the $$$ they ask. And who needs airflow to the radiator anyhow?

I said $G blows goat...

disco2guy

By disco2guy on Friday, March 30, 2001 - 11:05 am: Edit

Okay, Nadim. Trek Outfitters keeps very stock lines, which appeals to some. Mine is a blade style without the hoops and stuff. I offer frenched in fogs and driving lights. The strengths of my unit are based on what I do with it. Just like my other products. Strength. Approach angle. Lighting. Winch access and strength of mounting. Recovery points. I build all my gear based simply upon what I think will work the best for the use I intend for it. If I consider cosmetics at all, it is at the end of the prototyping process. Form follows function is my motto, and mine does. If you want the prettiest equipment, you probably won't buy mine. If you want the most capable bumper that does all you ask of it and does not interfere with the function of anything else on the rig, then I think you'll call me.

John (RoverTym) and Matt & Tina (Trek Outfitters) are good people, and I would strongly suggest you buy their products if you prefer the way those look or are built. As for the others, I wouldn't even encourage that peckerwood, Kyle, buy one of their products...

disco2guy

By Ron on Friday, March 30, 2001 - 11:22 am: Edit

disco2guy
I like them whether or not they blow goat in your opinion. Some of their stuff is great (rockgard, dif gards, Bumpers, HD sliders, mastercraft seats, HD rear trailing arms) and some of it sucks (drop kit, sliders) but overall their prices are not outrageous (like RN) and their quality is very good. Now if you exspect to get your stuff quickly or have someone who knows anything answer the phone then look elsewhere, but their products are superior.

Ron

By nadim on Friday, March 30, 2001 - 12:16 pm: Edit

"form follows function"...the 3 Fs of ferdinand porsche...i know about that and all the custom stuff i have done is based on that...granted i am a little too young for welding and manufacturing altogether, but i know now what i will fix and so on...

where can i see your products?

and by the way...what part of the SG bumper is cosmetic?...and RT's?....trek outfitters...i kinda agree though...

By disco2guy on Friday, March 30, 2001 - 02:48 pm: Edit

Amen to both of you. Opinions are what they are, but based on hands on experience. Like the DSII diff guards we had to cut an 1" off to even get close to fitting. And the D90 diff guard that took one hit to knock loose and another to punch itself through the diff. And look again at that trailing arm setup and tell me what "double shear" means... And their sliders don't offer the side protection that I've needed many times. Or the steps that the short folks need to get in. I'll leave the seats that they don't make alone, and the rockgard because I'm not sure which one you're referring to, although I'd guess you mean the tie rod protector. And their bumpers are very attractive. But they suck for 1) light mounts block the radiator 2) no freaking turn signals in the rear 3) winch access is poor 4) cost. Not to say that every product doesn't suck in some fashion...mine included. On that note, my sliders , front bumper, and CDL kit will debut at Twist-Off '01, which I am competing in, on the 7th in Fruita. Soon, they'll be on my website, which is getting totally revamped at the current moment. Rover on guys. $G was there when nobody else was. And they deserve credit for that. But too many folks come into the Rover world thinking they're the only game in town, and putting up with the excessive BS (timeframe, customer service, custom requests, poor fit, horrid instructions, missing hardware, missing parts, reused parts) as a result. The world is about to get much bigger. And amen for that, and everybody who makes it possible.

disco2guy

By Milton Mars on Sunday, April 01, 2001 - 03:26 pm: Edit

Hey Disco2guy, would you stop preaching all this stuff about how good your gear will be, and going off and having fun at TwistOffs etc and just put the damn stuff up on a website so I can get my order for some of it in already!! It's like waiting for Xmas!!

BTW, PLEASE make sure you have a way for international (read Australia at least) to order your gear over the net, either from the webpage or by email.

I want a CDL (small start, but big car!), and yours sounds like the ants pants!!

Milt

By Ron on Monday, April 02, 2001 - 04:43 am: Edit

D2 guy. We will see about your stuff. Maybe if you make the DII bumer to hold on RE, Husky, or 8274 I will trade in the RR and get a DII. The rock gard (SG speak for tie rod (whatever the one behind the axle is) protector is very stout). It is thick wall 2x3in channel and is mounted to the dif and both sway bar mounts. I have seen a full laden D-90 sitting on a rock under it with the entire weight of the front of the truck supported only by the rock gard. The front dif gard on the disco took a hit from a rock that I am convinced would have cracked the housing and has only a dent to show for it. If yours fell off I am sure it was the install as I hit the one on there with a hammer and it did not budge. As far as the bumper goes, yes the lights block air flow but you can mount the lights on the Roof rack or use smaller lights. As far as winch access I see no problems with the Husky access as the clutch lever is easy to get to, I cannot recall how the one for the planetaries work though.

Ron

By disco2guy on Thursday, April 05, 2001 - 11:57 am: Edit

The diff guard was not mine, but a rig I worked on as a LR tech. I wouldn't put that s**t on my rig!! Actually, I tried hard to order a custom front bumper from them...many moons ago.

The tie rod protector you speak of is a solid unit. I'd go with a RoverTym tie rod, myself, though. The DSII tie rod is MUCH beefier and I've had all of Miss Lita sitting on it just fine.

It's all opinions and preferences, which is whey there are more than one of us making the stuff. I hope to have my full catalog online by May 1, but will have the slider pics and front bumper pics up immediately following Twist Off. Thanks for the good tips, Milt!

disco2guy