Thank you everyone for the interest. Thank you William for starting this post.
The biggest issue with us releasing a new product like this is interest obviously. We need lots of it and it needs to be fairly consistent to justify producing this.
That said, this thread shows there is some interest in a bumper like this. We have built a couple in the past for customers on a custom basis.
There are a few hurdles to overcome with a rear 4runner bumper of any kind. First and foremost is cost, they are expensive to produce and expensive to ship. We have found in the past to make things modular always works better for the customer and for us. In other words you can order a plane jane bumper bare-metal or you can order a fully swing out powder coated beast ready to go. Even at this it wouldn't be a cheap option. And on a vehicle that's already 20 years old plus, we find it a hard sell to some.
The other part of the equation is managing expectations. Rear bumpers are heavy, there is a lot of steel and a lot of weight associated with that back there. Aluminum isn't even an option for most unless everyone wants to spend in excess of 5k for a for a swing out. Steel you are looking at a 150-200lb bumper before you add a 100lb tires on there and 25-30 lbs of gas can and what ever else you want.
Understanding that once you put a rear bumper on like this, if you often use your rear door it will become more of a chore to open it in a parking lot with one or two swing outs in the way.
These are just some of the things one needs to think about.
Our own shop 4runner has never had a swing out. I have recently decide I will be building a rear bumper for our 4runner but not sure if I will add a gate. I personally don't like all that weight back there but I'm also running out of space with a 3rd row and 4 kids!
Now to answer some of the questions below.
1) Weight....this is a big one for me, as I already have a lot of added weight with my overland build.
This is always a concern, I would recommend a set of stiffer rear coils like the OME heavies or Icon over land rear springs with any rear swing out.
At minim a rear bumper is 100lbs of steal. A swing out adds roughly another 75-100lbs. These weights are nothing compared to the compounded weight of a spare tire and wheel roughly 100-150lbs for those running heavy tires. I know my 35's on light 17in aluminum wheels weigh around 140lbs. And it hands out over the rear creating leverage on the rear of the 4runner. combine this with a couple gas cans full of gas and you are tipping the scales. Just something to think about before you add this to your wish list.
2) swing-out options (preferably dual) for a rear tire carrier, jerry cans...etc
That's been the way I've been leaning for a swing out, there simply isn't enough frame support to do a one arm option if you want it to hold together and last.
3) smooth, sleek, yet rugged design that compliments the 4runner. I also am not a huge fan of the CBI rear, as it looks very bulky and doesn't seem to compliment the lines of the 4runner as well as it could. I like coastaloffroad's design although I would prefer it come up the sides (instead of having to cut part of the rear panel).
Unfortunately it will be a cut version. Main reason is weight but look at anyones rear bumper that didn't cut after they have taken it off road and you will see clear places where it rubs the body, unless it has an inch gap. Toyota's body on frames flex and they flex a lot. having a bumper run up to the metal part of the body is almost a guarantee you will have a couple worn spots.
We currently have all our newer front bumpers require cutting for this reason and we are working on fiberglass replacement pieces on our new 4runner bumpers for those that hate cutting.
4) departure angle.....as good as it can be. This is very important to me, as I feel my departure angle is a limiting factor for my offroad route selection.
This is difficult as well. some require you to cut your rear frame which is scary for most. I'd prefer this but most likely we will build it so you "DON'T" have to cut your frame.
5) relatively simple install with lots of strong mounting points.....it has to be tough, safe, and strong. Personally I'm not at all opposed to chopping the rear cross-member and doing some grinding work (such as 4x4labs kit), if it saves a fair chunk of weight and increases the departure angle, so long as the rear bumper replaces that cross-member's function and adds the strength back.
I'm not sure I would feel comfortable with a bolt on piece to replace a welded in piece but we could look at it.
6) ship welded together and ready to install......there are lots of weld-together bumper kits on the market, some really good ones in fact, but the cost for me to have someone weld it together, brings it close to a CBI rear, and is a lot more time-consuming and inconvenient for me.
Yes, which is part of the reason why we really don't want to go that route, the problem becomes people want the bumper super cheap but want everything in it. We get it, we do too, but this is honestly a large part of the reason we don't make one and very few others do.
8) price point....I know rear bumpers are costly to R and D, and build, but I know that if the price point were lower than your competition, it would attract more customers to you. I think the pricing on your sliders and bumpers are good, especially with the discounts you guys frequently offer.
This is one of the major reasons why we haven't come out with one yet. There isn't much of a price increase or margin on something like this. They are very costly and time consuming to design, build and store. We may even keep it a simi custom option where people can order it to fit their needs. We also don't like to build something like this unless it's right with the right parts and the right design. that all adds up. Our rear swing out for the FJ isn't cheap and honestly we need to increase it's cost because it's a low money maker for us and is extremely time consuming to build and the support we have to supply with it, we'd have some happy people here if we deleted it off our menu.
That all said, we aren't against building one and having a rear 4runner bumper in our line up. I think we need to know who wants just a rear bumper and who wants a swing out? also price point where is everyone at realistically in terms of what you would want to spend on a rear bumper and rear bumper with swing out. If everyone wants a 1000 rear bumper but our material cost alone are right there then it makes no sense to go any further for us. But if people want to see a different option and value is determined by what they get for that money then we may pursue a rear bumper design.
I would love aluminum too but the cost difference would be crazy.
