Reviews for Smittybilt XRC Gen2 Rear Bumper for 07-18 Jeep Wrangler JK
SB has good products
Awesome add-on. Looks great, fits perfectly and appears to be as strong as I'd ever need.
How looks
I had the Smittybilt XRC brush guard on the front of my JK. Got the Gen 2 XRC for the rear. This thing is awesome! I still have to wire up the lights but in total, it took about 1.5 hours to install.
I have a 2015 4 door wrangler with a 3.5 inch lift with 35” inch tires I have had their bumper on for three years now with no issues at all.
I've had this bumper now for over a year. It's pretty impressive. One of the frame bolts was tricky but install it first and then the bumper. Adjusting the spare tire carrier so it was rattle free took a couple of tweaks but worth it. Before this installation I had bent a latch bolt on the tailgate from the force of my 35's on that sucker.
Great bumper! High quality and looks great!
Loving this bumper with backup lights, very sturdy with no rattle at all.
Learn From My Experience
Love the product! Heavy! Tough! Grrr! The bumper itself is easy enough to put on. If you can find your way around a socket set, then you’ll be fine. The real challenge was the tire carrier. I learned a lot to get the install right and wanted to share. First thing to know is that you’ll need to “dry-fit” the bumper and carrier mount to line it up properly. Then mark the hole, take it off, drill the hole, then put it all back together. You WILL need help. I know what you’re saying, “I’m in shape and I work out. I can do this myself.” But, can you hold up 100ish lbs, bent over, while lining up a bracket, and mark the bolt hole. Probably not. Next thing is that the instructions shipped with the bumper are INCORRECT in some areas. I had a lengthy discussion with Smittybilt where I learned all this. First, the Rotopax Mount picture shows the flange facing the rear of the vehicle. It needs to face the front of the vehicle, and sit above the spare tire. Which allows it to sit flush with the tire. Which helps stabilize it. Second, the Zerk Fitting doesn’t go in the swing arm above the bumper – it goes below it. I’ll include a picture of the corrected instructions. Moving on to the spare tire bracket, tire mount holes. The bolts that hold the spare tire should be very tight. So that you’ll need a hammer or a press to insert them into the bracket. On my bracket the holes were drilled out so large that the bolts would fall out when the nut was removed. The cool guy at Smittybilt sent me a new one in 1 day. Last, you’ll need to know how to adjust the barrel connector. With your tailgate opened about an inch, crank down the barrel connector and lock nuts. This should really stabilize your spare when the tailgate closes all the way. My setup doesn’t move at all and is completely silent. Hope this helps someone.
Great heavy duty construction. Instruction not the best but if you know anything you can figure it out. Great price can't be beat.