Reviews for Smittybilt XRC Gen2 Rear Bumper for 07-18 Jeep Wrangler JK
Heavy duty quality like I wanted. looks great on the Jeep. Instructions are extremely lacking. There are yet to be any videos or additional information out there to refer to for installation. There were steps missing and out of order in the instructions (extremely frustrating causing a longer then needed installation time), an overload of extra bolts & washers when project was completed, and there were missing holes or holes that needed to be modified or drilled in order to fit the correct bolts through. The tire carrier is supposed to be able to fit a large tire/rims, but I don't see how that will be possible, as we had to leave the RotoPax gas water can mount off of the carrier in order to fit a regular sized tire/rim on the back and the bolts for the lug nuts along with the bracket for the tire barely cleared in order to fit the lug nuts on the wheel to hold it in place. It will have to be modified to fit a larger tire/rim in the future. Looks great on the jeep, but the lack of clear instructions and having to do modifications to make it work is the only reason I am giving it 4 stars rather then 5. Fix those minor issues, and its a 5 star product.
Looks great... & holds a 35" tire excellently. The install took a little longer but I am an inexperienced mechanic. After 1-yr, it does have some rusting near the chrome plates and bolts.
Massive and heavy. I really like how it looks on my Jeep. The delivered instructions are horrible. Take some time and do a little research, find some videos on YouTube for the installation first. I wish I had found a couple of them before I installed mine. If you get the bumper with the tire mount like I did you have got to mount the pivot bracket before you install the bumper despite what the instructions tell you. Also, you have to drill and tap the hole for the grease fitting in the hinge. This is not in everyone's skill set, so be prepared. The estimate of a couple of hours to install is ridiculous, it took me and my son the better part of a day to mount this one.
Instructions are horrible. Bumpers are very solid. Grease zerk hole was not drilled and tapped so have to remove the whole bumper to redo. Didn’t have time to when first installed.
Very well built bumper and tire carrier with excellent finish. The install is a little challenging and the instructions really need to be a lot better but the customer service at Smittybilt was excellent. I chose not to reinstall the 3rd brake light or use the ropax attachment for extra fuel cans. Just needed a great bumper with tire carrier to get the weight off my tail gate. As always Quadratec has great shipping and customer service.
As far as putting it together I have to give it a 3⭐️. The bumper came with instructions but the tire carrier did not and there is nothing on the internet for this assembly either. So I ended up with 200 extra bolts and I have know ideal what they're for. Quadratec employees attempted to help but there is really nothing for the assembly. Still haven't wired the lights because again there's no instructions for the routing of the conductors or mounting of the control device.
Nevertheless, I was able (I assume) to install the components and it looks good. I just hope the thing doesn't fall off going down the road.
I love the bumper and tire carrier, they look great and are well constructed. I love being able to open the rear tailgate without having to open the tire carrier first. The backup lights included with the bumper are fantastic and provide that added visability. My only issue with this and any smittybilt product is that they need a massive overhaul to the quality of the included instructions. The tire carrier didn't even come with instructions and I had to contact smittybilt and have them emailed to me. They also included tons of extra hardware which would be nice if the instructions clearly outlined which ones would be needed but they don't. This is not a knock on quadratec just on smittybilt. I love the product now that I figured it how to install it, just had done frustrating moments along the way.
Product is good so far. Directions sub par which seems to be a trend across multiple companies. In this case there is no notification on main directions to install the lights. May require you to remove the bumper.... The nut plate requires you to cut or grind the main bumper it does not fit naturally...
Nice tire rack but it came with no instructions. I had someone put it on after an effort myself. I was left with massive hardware left over. Not their best product.
Will not work with 35" spare. After reading the horrible instructions and watching a Smittybilt video I finally got it installed, and went to close the tailgate, nope. I need 2" to clear the tire, now I guess I need to buy a different spare tire carrier. Not Quadratecs fault, also FedEx destroyed the box on it's journey across the country, fortunately the packaging was good enough that the bumper wasn't destroyed. And for those of you who want American made, this is built in China, very nice though. The quality is top notch, just wish I could close the tailgate.