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ARB rear steel bumper
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- Start date
OK, I have an ARB rear steel bumper with spare carrier, and it's been on the truck for 10 years, so here's a pros and cons run-down of my experiences...
Pros
Very well constructed;
Good materials (generally but see cons);
The swing out is strong and has a a very positive lock, a gas-ram for control and "open" lock, useful when not on level ground;
The bumper is well designed for the light fittings which are recessed, so they don't get damaged;
Cons
It's heavy, but only to be expected because its strong and well-made;
The light fittings are crap, meaning that although they are still on there and working after 10 years, the innards have rusted away needing replacement. It's a small issue but annoying. If you get one from new, then take care to paint / grease or otherwise protect them from disintegrating in less than 2 years, like mine did;
The swing out bearing is a mystery to me. OK, I'm no mechanic and I've been lazy, 'cos I've never had the pivot to pieces to find out why mine has always been such a pain. Someone else has though and they tell me it's a tapered roller-bearing set-up, which should be good. However, its sandwiched between the top and bottom fixed main frame "cage" so I can't for the life of me see how a tapered roller-bearing can work, you need an open end with such a rig, so that you can pre-load the tapers. So, from just after new, I had play in the pivot and that increased over time. I had someone "re-build" it and it was fine, but within a year, excess play again. I've learned to live with it and it's got no worse, but it does annoy me. It has also encouraged some rust because with the excess movement, the open end of the swing-out can catch the static part when closing, and so the powder coat has been damaged.
Don't let this put you off, it's a great piece of kit, but it's also very expensive.
If you're set on one, get to know how the pivot works inside from the onset, and set it up correctly and maintain it well. My guess, it will last the lifetime of several trucks if you keep that pivot maintained.
Another downside that I've found with all ARB stuff (front bumper, roof rack and side steps) the powder-coat finish doesn't last long. Easily stone-chipped (strongly recommend rear mudflaps to save the rear bumper side pieces, ask me how I know...) but otherwise very solid.
Mines coming off soon for its second re-furb, sand-blast, acid-dip, prime and paint. I had it sand-blasted and electro-galved last time, but they did a shite job...
Good luck, it really is a great product and much stronger than cheaper copies.
Closing on a high, it has a US style square receiver for towing equipment or rack inserts, a great asset if you tow or want to fabricate your own racking systems for bikes or whatever else you take with you.
I'll dig out some photos to post, but I don't have access to them ATM...
Here’s some pics, I’ll edit in my comments later....
Peeing down with rain today, but here's a general view
The side pieces used to have rubber cappings. If you get one, make sure the securing nuts are well greased or painted during assembly. Mine were not, so at the first re-furb, the retaining nuts were rusted solid, and the studs are integral with a steel strip embedded in the rubber making it almost impossible to remove, even with heat, because you burn the rubber. The rubbers look good though and cover the bolts attaching the sides to the main bar, also cover the swing-out pivot bolt and house reflectors, it's a very neat and good looking bumper when new.
A close-up of what the rubber cappings cover up, not too pretty without them, but for me it's functional and I destroyed the cappings trying to salvage them...
The recessed rear lights. They still look OK, but as i said, the guts of them rotted away, so be sure to protect them somehow when assembling and make sure the drain holes are open to stop them from filling with water.
The catch mechanism, very positive and solid, the best I've seen on a swing-out, it releases with a loud click and engages well, there's a galvanised steel bar (visible in the next photo) that locates the swing-out section, very solid...
The "open" position lock, which is very useful when the truck is on a slope. The gas-ram deals with most angles, but to be sure the "open" lock stops the carrier from swinging shut when you want it open. It's bloody heavy with a 305/70/16 on a 10" steel rim....
A nice touch is the square receiver, and there's another in the centre of the spare wheel, handy for a high lift rack to keep bikes up and away from the impact zone in a rear-end shunt...
Unfortunately, I lost the stainless steel bolts holding the ally footplate on, so the replacements have rusted. I'll replace them with stainless on the next re-furb.
Peeing down with rain today, but here's a general view
The side pieces used to have rubber cappings. If you get one, make sure the securing nuts are well greased or painted during assembly. Mine were not, so at the first re-furb, the retaining nuts were rusted solid, and the studs are integral with a steel strip embedded in the rubber making it almost impossible to remove, even with heat, because you burn the rubber. The rubbers look good though and cover the bolts attaching the sides to the main bar, also cover the swing-out pivot bolt and house reflectors, it's a very neat and good looking bumper when new.
A close-up of what the rubber cappings cover up, not too pretty without them, but for me it's functional and I destroyed the cappings trying to salvage them...
The recessed rear lights. They still look OK, but as i said, the guts of them rotted away, so be sure to protect them somehow when assembling and make sure the drain holes are open to stop them from filling with water.
The catch mechanism, very positive and solid, the best I've seen on a swing-out, it releases with a loud click and engages well, there's a galvanised steel bar (visible in the next photo) that locates the swing-out section, very solid...
The "open" position lock, which is very useful when the truck is on a slope. The gas-ram deals with most angles, but to be sure the "open" lock stops the carrier from swinging shut when you want it open. It's bloody heavy with a 305/70/16 on a 10" steel rim....
A nice touch is the square receiver, and there's another in the centre of the spare wheel, handy for a high lift rack to keep bikes up and away from the impact zone in a rear-end shunt...
Unfortunately, I lost the stainless steel bolts holding the ally footplate on, so the replacements have rusted. I'll replace them with stainless on the next re-furb.
Last edited:
Julian T
Well-Known Member
From my research Kaymar is TJM, just a different name and I chose TJM for my truck because lighter than ARB.
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You’d be advised to check, but AFAIK, the ARB comes in whatever configuration you choose.
There’s no interference with the underslung, and you can choose none, one or two swing-out versions. A single swing-out can be to the left or to the right, again your choice.
