The JK Wrangler’s stock bumper...
The JK Wrangler’s stock bumper is lightweight and has tow hooks and foglights. It also swings back at the wings, so larger tires hit when turning. The plastic chin spoiler looks swollen and bulbous.
The JK Wrangler has a strong, big frame, one of the reasons JKs weigh so much more than earlier Jeeps. In order to fit on the frame without trimming, JK bumpers have to be larger than TJ, YJ, and CJ bumpers were. Unfortunately, many designers think larger is better. I’m not a fan of some of the swollen offerings available for the JK today. Others agree, as there are smaller bumpers becoming available that require frame trimming to fit. I applaud these smaller offerings, but didn’t want to trim the frame for bumpers on our 2011 JK.
Expedition One has been building quality 4x4 armor since 2004. When the JK arrived on the scene, they designed their Trail Series rear bumper with Smooth Motion swingaway tire carrier. The carrier carries the spare’s weight on the bumper, but attaches to the tailgate so it opens with one easy motion. This is a great design, proven by the fact that so many others are copying it today. The Trail Series bumper itself is one of the smaller full-frame JK bumpers available and is angled for clearance yet still affords plenty of protection. I chose to use a Trail Series bumper without the tire carrier. I’m keeping the stock spare on the OE carrier, so I didn’t need the swingaway carrier.
Expedition One’s Basic DX...
Expedition One’s Basic DX bumper is just that — basic — but still carries up to a 9,500-pound winch. Factory foglights mount in the removable wings. The Rubi Skid is still under wraps here.
For the front of our JK, a bulbous bumper wouldn’t do. Expedition One offers a couple of front JK bumpers and their Basic DX is outstanding. Constructed of precision-cut 3/16-inch steel, this short winch mount bumper uses the factory Jeep JK Wrangler recovery hooks and works with winches that have a load rating of up to 9,500 pounds. The Basic DX comes with two integrated shackle mounts. As the factory hooks are retained with the Basic DX, shackle mounts aren’t needed, except most purchasers won’t buy 4x4 bumpers unless they’re equipped with them. The Basic DX comes drilled with holes to mount either short drum or full-size winches. I chose to use a lightweight Warn 9.0Rc short drum rock crawling winch and it fits well.
I added the optional Basic DX foglight wings that mount the OE foglights outboard of the frame. The wings are easily removed when the going gets tough and you don’t need a bumper sticking out beyond the frame rails. The wings finish off the Basic DX bumper and look great, too.
Finally, once the OE plastic chin spoiler was removed, the sheetmetal crossmember for the spoiler had to go, too. Doing this exposes the Rubicon Smart Bar swaybar disconnect motor. Expedition One designed their 3/16-inch steel Rubi Skid to protect this motor and provide extra clearance. It does this and looks much cleaner than the OE chin spoiler does. To install the Rubi Skid, the crossmember is removed and the Smart Bar motor is rotated up, using an Expedition One-supplied bolt. The Rubi Skid is then bolted on.
The Expedition One armor on our 2011 JK Wrangler looks and works great. The front Basic DX bumper and Rubi Skid together weigh less than most JK bumpers and the rear Trail Series bumper is much smaller than the stock bumper it replaced. Now, if Expedition One would only offer these products in aluminum.
I installed the front bumper...
I installed the front bumper at home. One of my daughters is probably wondering where her blanket went. The OE bumper and chin spoiler were removed easily (eight nuts and plastic pushpins), even though every plastic pushpin with the screws in them came stripped from the factory and had to be forcibly removed.
The Basic DX installed easily...
The Basic DX installed easily using the factory tow hooks and supplied button head ½-inch-13 bolts. You can see how short and simple the Basic DX is.
OE foglights mount in the...
OE foglights mount in the wings. Expedition One supplies the jam nuts you see here so the wings can be easily removed with the JK’s lug wrench.
I painted a Warn 9.0Rc short...
I painted a Warn 9.0Rc short drum 9,000-pound rock crawling winch black and mounted it in the bumper. The Basic DX comes with winch mount holes for both short drum and regular drum winches. The bumper is small, lightweight, and strong.
Wings finish off the Basic...
Wings finish off the Basic DX and look great.
I took the JK over to John...
I took the JK over to John Williams’ shop so he could give me a hand with the rear bumper and front Rubi Skid.
John removed the OE bumper...
John removed the OE bumper easily. It was even easier for me because I took the photos.
The OE bumper is lightweight,...
The OE bumper is lightweight, but BIG. Check out the size difference between it and the Expedition One Trail Series rear bumper.
The factory receiver was ...
The factory receiver was retained.
Supplied nut plates slip into...
Supplied nut plates slip into the frame.
The bumper is installed using...
The bumper is installed using the factory bolts and large 9/16-inch Grade 8 bolts (not shown here) through the frame into the nut plates. Expedition One relieves their bumper for the body pinch welds. Remember the noise I was chasing on Project Trailrunner? It turned out to be the body hitting on a bumper that wasn’t clearanced here. We trimmed the body below the flare for more clearance.
The Expedition One Trail Series...
The Expedition One Trail Series rear bumper looks great on the JK and provides better clearance than the OE bumper did.
John cut off the crossmember...
John cut off the crossmember under the front bumper that held the plastic chin spoiler.
The Smart Bar disconnect motor...
The Smart Bar disconnect motor was swung up out the way and Expedition One’s supplied bolt was installed to hold it up. I painted the housing black to help it disappear.
The Rubi Skid is strong and...
The Rubi Skid is strong and clean. It provides much more clearance (and protection) than the stock chin spoiler and frame crossmember did.