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Old 10-15-2010, 01:16 PM #1
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Adding a winch: Trail Gear bumper or Marlin Crawler bumper?

Hello off-road forum people.

In the coming weeks I am hoping to add a winch bumper and winch to my 2nd gen 4Runner. At that time I would also like to install a rear bumper that has a 2" receiver and/or D-shackle recovery points made into it. I probably won't do much of any towing, but the receiver is nice for bike racks and other things.

I've looked around for pre-made bumpers since I lack the equipment to bend tubing and possess only marginal welding skills. In my search I have found 3 winch bumpers: Warn, Marlin Crawler and Trail Gear; given the absurd cost of the the Warn bumper I have ruled it out.

That leaves me with the Marlin Crawler and Trail Gear bumpers. Both companies offer a winch bumper for the front of my 2nd gen and both offer rear tube bumpers with a receiver. Price wise they are similar and the appear similar in overall design. Marlin Crawler is a semi local company for me (about an hour south of my location), and I do like supporting local companies. Then again, the Trail Gear stuff looks really nice as well.

Is there one brand that stands out above the other, or perhaps one that has features not contained on the other?

Any input on this will be helpful.

Also, any suggestions on a winch would be helpful. I am not a rock-crawling, weekend warrior, so I most likely will not need the best of the best in winching technology. I do however, want a reliable and simple winch to provide me a bit of help out on the trail should I encounter trouble.
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Used to have: 1990 Toyota 4Runner, SR5, V6, 5spd, 4wd, 4.56 gears, 31x10.50r15 ATs, all options... sold due head gasket and other issues.

Have: 1991 Jeep Wrangler, 4.0L High Output, AX-15 manual transmission, NP231 transfer case with 4:1 low range conversion, slip-yoke eliminator, CV driveshafts front and rear, sway bar and track bar quick disco's, 4" suspension lift, extended shock towers, Bilstein shocks, 2" body lift, custom stinger front bumper, 33x15.50-15 Swamper TSL-SX bias ply tires on 15x12" steelies. Ford 8.8", gears and lockers coming soon.
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Old 10-16-2010, 10:31 PM #2
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fourwd1 is just really nice fourwd1 is just really nice fourwd1 is just really nice fourwd1 is just really nice
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fourwd1 is just really nice fourwd1 is just really nice fourwd1 is just really nice fourwd1 is just really nice
How about some pics so people can check them out and give you their opinion?
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Old 10-16-2010, 11:53 PM #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by fourwd1 View Post
How about some pics so people can check them out and give you their opinion?
They are very similar bumpers in design, which is why I was hoping to get the opinions of people who have actually used one or the other. Nevertheless, any help is better than none and I am open to all of it. Here you go:

Trail-Gear front bumper:


Trail-gear front bumper installed:


Marlin Crawler front bumper installed:
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Used to have: 1990 Toyota 4Runner, SR5, V6, 5spd, 4wd, 4.56 gears, 31x10.50r15 ATs, all options... sold due head gasket and other issues.

Have: 1991 Jeep Wrangler, 4.0L High Output, AX-15 manual transmission, NP231 transfer case with 4:1 low range conversion, slip-yoke eliminator, CV driveshafts front and rear, sway bar and track bar quick disco's, 4" suspension lift, extended shock towers, Bilstein shocks, 2" body lift, custom stinger front bumper, 33x15.50-15 Swamper TSL-SX bias ply tires on 15x12" steelies. Ford 8.8", gears and lockers coming soon.
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Old 10-17-2010, 10:49 PM #4
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fourwd1 is just really nice fourwd1 is just really nice fourwd1 is just really nice fourwd1 is just really nice
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fourwd1 is just really nice fourwd1 is just really nice fourwd1 is just really nice fourwd1 is just really nice
The 2 TG bumpers are slightly different, and the 1st TG one looks like the best design of all 3.

On the 2 TG's I like the beefier trusses from the hoop to the main horizontal bar, compared to the MC.
If they had a vertical plate from the winch mount to the main bar they'd be even stronger.

Probably not the answer you were looking for , just my .02
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'83 Toy P/U - Buick 231 V6, Holley 4 bbl, Weiand intake, Downey headers, TH350 w/700R4 low gearset,
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Old 10-17-2010, 10:50 PM #5
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fourwd1 is just really nice fourwd1 is just really nice fourwd1 is just really nice fourwd1 is just really nice
Oh yeah, the hitch receiver on the TG is a nice touch too.
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'84 4Runner - ARBed 5.29s F&R, 4.7 & 2.28 t-cases, 2" drive train lift, BudBuilt x-member/skid, 30 spl Longs
'83 Toy P/U - Buick 231 V6, Holley 4 bbl, Weiand intake, Downey headers, TH350 w/700R4 low gearset,
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Old 10-18-2010, 02:55 PM #6
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The TG bumpers are model specific, and I believe the picture of it shown unmounted is the actual model for my 4Runner. As for the MC bumper, it too has a receiver, but it is hard to see in the picture.
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Used to have: 1990 Toyota 4Runner, SR5, V6, 5spd, 4wd, 4.56 gears, 31x10.50r15 ATs, all options... sold due head gasket and other issues.

Have: 1991 Jeep Wrangler, 4.0L High Output, AX-15 manual transmission, NP231 transfer case with 4:1 low range conversion, slip-yoke eliminator, CV driveshafts front and rear, sway bar and track bar quick disco's, 4" suspension lift, extended shock towers, Bilstein shocks, 2" body lift, custom stinger front bumper, 33x15.50-15 Swamper TSL-SX bias ply tires on 15x12" steelies. Ford 8.8", gears and lockers coming soon.
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Old 10-18-2010, 02:58 PM #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by fourwd1 View Post
Probably not the answer you were looking for , just my .02
Actually, that is exactly the kind of answer I was looking for. An answer that points out subtle differences and highlights technical specifications.

Thank you for your input.
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Used to have: 1990 Toyota 4Runner, SR5, V6, 5spd, 4wd, 4.56 gears, 31x10.50r15 ATs, all options... sold due head gasket and other issues.

Have: 1991 Jeep Wrangler, 4.0L High Output, AX-15 manual transmission, NP231 transfer case with 4:1 low range conversion, slip-yoke eliminator, CV driveshafts front and rear, sway bar and track bar quick disco's, 4" suspension lift, extended shock towers, Bilstein shocks, 2" body lift, custom stinger front bumper, 33x15.50-15 Swamper TSL-SX bias ply tires on 15x12" steelies. Ford 8.8", gears and lockers coming soon.
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Old 10-20-2010, 06:11 PM #8
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I like this one , Addicted Offroad
Pirate4x4.Com Bulletin Board - View Single Post - Addicted Offroad's new Toyota winch bumper


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Old 10-21-2010, 11:02 AM #9
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The first TG has the double bar across the front, which is better than the second TG. The TG winch mount areas also have the plate that your fairlead is attached to, whereas the MC looks like just tabs. Of the three options, I would go with the first TG. Addicted Offroad also makes very good quality bumpers, but I think it will run you more. Make sure that whatever you get is made of good DOM material and not some cheap tubing junk. On the winches, a good quality winch for the price is the Smittybilt XRC8. Go ahead and spend a few extra bucks and get it with the synthetic rope.
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Old 10-22-2010, 11:34 AM #10
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manhunter - thank you for the reply. Would the XRC10 Comp (synthetic rope) be overkill for a 2nd gen 4 runner?
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Used to have: 1990 Toyota 4Runner, SR5, V6, 5spd, 4wd, 4.56 gears, 31x10.50r15 ATs, all options... sold due head gasket and other issues.

Have: 1991 Jeep Wrangler, 4.0L High Output, AX-15 manual transmission, NP231 transfer case with 4:1 low range conversion, slip-yoke eliminator, CV driveshafts front and rear, sway bar and track bar quick disco's, 4" suspension lift, extended shock towers, Bilstein shocks, 2" body lift, custom stinger front bumper, 33x15.50-15 Swamper TSL-SX bias ply tires on 15x12" steelies. Ford 8.8", gears and lockers coming soon.
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Old 10-22-2010, 12:43 PM #11
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Quote:
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manhunter - thank you for the reply. Would the XRC10 Comp (synthetic rope) be overkill for a 2nd gen 4 runner?
I have the XRC8 Comp (synthetic rope) and it works fine. The XRC10 would not necessarily be overkill, but you would need a minimum of the XRC8. Either one would work fine. Good luck on your choices.
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Old 11-03-2010, 02:21 PM #12
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Thank you for the information. A buddy I wheel with has an XRC10 on his YJ, so I figured something smaller on a larger vehicle would be insufficient. After talking to him it sounds like he expects his winch to pull him straight up the side of a rock going uphill, so I imagine that is why he has a 10k pound winch. You and most others have agreed that an 8k pound winch is a good starting point and probably enough for my needs.
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Have: 1991 Jeep Wrangler, 4.0L High Output, AX-15 manual transmission, NP231 transfer case with 4:1 low range conversion, slip-yoke eliminator, CV driveshafts front and rear, sway bar and track bar quick disco's, 4" suspension lift, extended shock towers, Bilstein shocks, 2" body lift, custom stinger front bumper, 33x15.50-15 Swamper TSL-SX bias ply tires on 15x12" steelies. Ford 8.8", gears and lockers coming soon.
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Old 11-04-2010, 03:50 AM #13
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Don't know much about the front bumpers. Still looking for one on my 1st gen. (I don't really like the stingers), But have a trail-gear rear bumper, which survived a Hyundai a few weeks ago with only a few scratches in the paint. And I've hitched checked a couple of times in Moab, it's pretty sturdy. I can imagine the front bumpers are just as good, as they're made from the same material.
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Old 07-27-2011, 04:26 PM #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tornadom View Post
They are very similar bumpers in design, which is why I was hoping to get the opinions of people who have actually used one or the other. Nevertheless, any help is better than none and I am open to all of it. Here you go:

Trail-Gear front bumper:


Trail-gear front bumper installed:


Marlin Crawler front bumper installed:
This first TG bumper looks like it has some side bracing? Does this bolt to the frame?

I'm sure I can see a side bracing on the second TG, the Marlin or the Addicted bumpers. Coming from the 4th Gen world, side bracing was all too important. Is it sufficient on the 1st Gen, to only bolt to the 6 bolt points on the front even for side pulls.

I would think that all the force of the pull gets transfered to the front bolts unevenly on a side pull. But with frame braces on the side the load is also transfer to the side of the frame.

So the better bumper is the one with the side braces. I have no experience with either one it just makes sense to me in my mind... so if someone does have this experience on a bumper/winch mount with out side braces and winches regularly, maybe you can confirm or deny.
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Old 07-27-2011, 05:29 PM #15
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Tornadom- standard rule of thumb when buying a winch is 1.5x's the vehicle weight minimum but most recommend 2x's. This allows for the different multipliers for drag/resistance to recover your stuck vehicle.

Addicted off-road makes some good stuff but I also like the first TG one you posted
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