Hey guys,

So I've been debating for like a year on a rear bumper. My car is 95% mall crawler with 1-2 off road trips planned this year but nothing really crazy. Having a tire carrier looks cool but bc I don't really off road or plan to go long distance to go off road I think I could opt out of the carrier. Also, in my experience with helping friends with rigs with carrier's, its those few extra steps you have to do on a daily basis to access your trunk that I think would be more of annoyance for me. I've also consider in the event I needed more clearance, I could always toss my spare into my trunk or on my roof rack. Any input from people with a carrier and without a carrier would appreciated.

Anything you 'add' is added weight, cost, etc. Anything added not used is waste. Any mod is a potential for an issue.

IMO if you don't know why you need this its not needed.

If you really just want it for looks ignore this post

Why even get a rear bumper? Adding that amount of weight "just for looks" makes no sense for the performance loss and hit in gas mileage imho. Unless you are continuously smashing your OEM rear bumper into rocks I would say skip it.

I support a steel rear bumper with no tire carrier..... although I do not have one, yet.

Only things I have damaged on my rig are the skids and plastic rear bumper. So I'd like to replace the plastic with steal.

For me...the added complexity of a rear bumper tire carrier is totally not worth it. Plus I think it is better to keep that weight low. Plus I will never go bigger than 285s which I understand fit in the factory location. Plus I don't want my Runner to be any longer than it already is due to garage space limitations. Plus I like the cleaner look.

My $0.02

Personally I do have some regrets going with a full rear bumper w/ a swingout, however my old bumper got damaged and I used the funds to purchase a shrockworks rear bumper. Like what the previous posters have said, if you don't need it, don't get it. You'll sacrifice a lot (weight, fuel economy, accessibility if you have a swingout). However, I have banged up the rear bumper already when wheeling and if I still had the OEM bumper then it would have been trashed.

On the plus side.. I do like being able to carry extra fuel outside the car and off the roof. Also, it gives me a place to mount a hilift jack on the swingout.

I am contemplating a metal front and rear bumper to defend myself from all the idiots that hit me and run. It will eventually be used in the rural, but mostly now urban since i am still working.
The urban environment is much more damaging than the off road world. Weight is not a huge problem, but is something I am considering.
I want both bumpers to be plug and play. No cutting of plastic and must fit the contours of the front headlights, same with the rear.

@joshoowa below is a compilation thread of various sans-swing bumpers:

Bumper Pic Request

I've had hefty's rear bumper for approaching 2 years. 1st year i had the tire carrier/swing arm attached and then the bearings went out so i took it off about a year ago.

for off-road use, especially with a + size tire, the stock location is prone to dragging/chunking (blew my oem spare this way), so moving it up to the bumper is the best option if the cargo area cannot accommodate. (side note: where did i see someone had a shop custom fab and stand-up spare tire mount against the rear wheel well recently? could be a good option for you) i heaved a 285 up on the roof a few times. doable, not super fun.

like you, i use the rear hatch a lot for cargo and dogs. it is definitely more convenient not to have the swing arm there if you are in that type of situation 99% of the time.

my recommendation would be to order the bumper with the swing arm option, but don't necessarily install it right away. if you want it, you can have it, and while it is not a fun chore, it is removable if you need/want it off. if hardware needs replacement from install/removal those parts aren't terribly expensive. if it ends up that you're happy with your spare setup, but need space for other accessories (jerrycan/hilift/traxboards/etc) that leaves you options there as well.

hefty's rear bumper with single swing out option not installed:

Attached Images