philsey
New member
Weathertech BumpStep
Bump Step Hitch Step - Trailer Hitch Mounted Bumper Protector | WeatherTech.com
Bump Step Hitch Step - Trailer Hitch Mounted Bumper Protector | WeatherTech.com
Trailer Hitch Cover or Mini Bumper for Parking issues
- Thread starter bluecollarjock
- Start date
Pseudo-Fed
New member
Nice.
Engineer
New member
Sounds like you need a trunk money! I get the intent but at the same time not sure I agree, parking is tight I gather, so lets make our 4runner LONGER to prevent a scratch from someone parking to touch?
meh I would either try to let it go and accept it as a "fact of where you live" or move.
meh I would either try to let it go and accept it as a "fact of where you live" or move.
Boyds4Runner
New member
Couldn't agree with you more on the DC driving! I've grown up on the MD side of the DC suburbs and learned to drive living around here and it has gotten far worse as the years/decades have passed. I have numbed myself to it all by now. I resign myself to the fact that I will be spending the next 45 minutes to an hour to go 7 miles to get out of the city whenever I have to drive in. At this point it is comical to see what people will do to not let you in or cut you off or crawl smack into the middle of the pedestrian cross-walk when the light has been red for a while.
Anyway I went off subject and sorry for the hijack. Hope you find the bumper protection solution that works for you.
Maybe steel front and rear would be the best option.
I have enough scrapes on the bottom part of the plastic front from off-roading that I don't worry about it much. I also park in parking garages since the client pays for my parking anyway and thus avoid the bump-and-feel parallel parking dings.
Jernik
New member
I didn't say it was pretty! lol Don't know anything about it's structural integrity or how it's mounted. It's just the first one I found that wasn't the typical Westin bull bar.
bluecollarjock
New member
Yes I know, I meant no brush guards or pre runner bumpers that do not replace the stock bumper but protect over it.
I like a lot of the steel bumper options, just not looking to do that at this point with a 2 week old truck that I do not plan on doing hard core wheeling for a while.
bluecollarjock
New member
A search for "trailer hitch skid" came up with some nice possible options tbat all look similar to this
CURT® 31007 - Skid Shield for 2" Receivers
CURT® 31007 - Skid Shield for 2" Receivers
That's my experience with driving in LA as well. The traffic sucks, but people actually know how to drive.
bluecollarjock
New member
Well I have tried to kiss the front end of my 4runner to the front garage wall and I might have 5" of clearance, and that is with me spending a lot of time parking and risking bashing in the front end hah....
I think as far as protecting the bumper and adding some safety, that the bumper shield dealio is nice and I was sold on it, until a kind member here sent pictures and informed me its about 6" or more past the hitch, when the website says only 4.5", but for the 5th gen its a little longer. So it will not work. For the same reason I cannot do the Beavertail as much as that thing looks nice and Mad Max, and is a recovery point too, and I really bet visually a deterrent. In the past I have used the Go Rhino step and it did the job and I do not think they look that bad either, but I am thinking its too long...
So for now I am going to pull the trigger on the Curt trailer hitch skid thing, it only sticks out 3.5" so will clear the garage door without me needing to kiss the front bumper to the wall, and looks like it might be a nice rear end saver if the a$$ end is going to drag while in the rocks or climbing a hill with severe angles. It will not give much lateral protection but if someone kisses the bumper head on most likely protect me from dings.
The D ring was a close second choice because it would be a nice recovery point. I have not crawled around and only quickly skimmed google for recovery points on a 5th Gen which turned up it was lacking anything stout, so it does seem like the D ring in the rear would be nice.
As I've explained more in other threads...I went with the TRD Pro (as much as I understand many think its a poser truck for wanna be's) in hopes the minor minor lift, slightly upgraded suspension, rims, and locker would prevent me from modifying it or upgrading anything for years. Once I start doing stuff to 4x4s it gets addicting, and I do not see the point now in my 40s of dumping all sorts of money into a 4x4 unless I am off roading regularly and on really difficult trails. Normally I do steel bumpers on all my 4x4s, but for now with this TRD I am trying to stay stock for at least a few years before I start screwing around spending money I do not have, when most likely a stock 5th gen of any sort can wheel more capable than I need to have fun and enjoy the outdoors. I did not tally up all my receipts for the Rubicon I just sold, but I was certainly past $15k in upgrades that I did not get my money back out of....and I never wheeled it as much as I daydreamed I would when I was adding all sorts of skids, sliders, winch, lights, upgraded suspension, bumpers, re-gearing, heavy duty custom built tranny, etc. If I got a front bumper, I know i would want to do a winch and lights at the same time, and if I have a front steel bumper of course I would want a rear one, and sliders too!! Well at least its better than a drug addiction or alcoholism hah...
I think as far as protecting the bumper and adding some safety, that the bumper shield dealio is nice and I was sold on it, until a kind member here sent pictures and informed me its about 6" or more past the hitch, when the website says only 4.5", but for the 5th gen its a little longer. So it will not work. For the same reason I cannot do the Beavertail as much as that thing looks nice and Mad Max, and is a recovery point too, and I really bet visually a deterrent. In the past I have used the Go Rhino step and it did the job and I do not think they look that bad either, but I am thinking its too long...
So for now I am going to pull the trigger on the Curt trailer hitch skid thing, it only sticks out 3.5" so will clear the garage door without me needing to kiss the front bumper to the wall, and looks like it might be a nice rear end saver if the a$$ end is going to drag while in the rocks or climbing a hill with severe angles. It will not give much lateral protection but if someone kisses the bumper head on most likely protect me from dings.
The D ring was a close second choice because it would be a nice recovery point. I have not crawled around and only quickly skimmed google for recovery points on a 5th Gen which turned up it was lacking anything stout, so it does seem like the D ring in the rear would be nice.
As I've explained more in other threads...I went with the TRD Pro (as much as I understand many think its a poser truck for wanna be's) in hopes the minor minor lift, slightly upgraded suspension, rims, and locker would prevent me from modifying it or upgrading anything for years. Once I start doing stuff to 4x4s it gets addicting, and I do not see the point now in my 40s of dumping all sorts of money into a 4x4 unless I am off roading regularly and on really difficult trails. Normally I do steel bumpers on all my 4x4s, but for now with this TRD I am trying to stay stock for at least a few years before I start screwing around spending money I do not have, when most likely a stock 5th gen of any sort can wheel more capable than I need to have fun and enjoy the outdoors. I did not tally up all my receipts for the Rubicon I just sold, but I was certainly past $15k in upgrades that I did not get my money back out of....and I never wheeled it as much as I daydreamed I would when I was adding all sorts of skids, sliders, winch, lights, upgraded suspension, bumpers, re-gearing, heavy duty custom built tranny, etc. If I got a front bumper, I know i would want to do a winch and lights at the same time, and if I have a front steel bumper of course I would want a rear one, and sliders too!! Well at least its better than a drug addiction or alcoholism hah...
Jernik
New member
Sounds like a plan. Wheel (and drive) it as is. If the idiots tear it up, then you'll have a good reason to replace/upgrade/reinforce. Hopefully they won't, though.
I hate that society is such that we even have to consider such things, but that is a discussion for a different section on the forum!
I hate that society is such that we even have to consider such things, but that is a discussion for a different section on the forum!
Boyds4Runner
New member
LOL!
I did the same thing when I purchased the TRD. When my wife first saw me pull it into the garage she said "Don't lift it any more!". To which I responded "of-course not, that's why i got this particular model!". Here I am now with a year and a half since I bought it and it's lifted, skid-plated and soon-to-be slidered. Not to mention all of the recovery gear, automated air-down tools and fancy portable air-compressor gear, TRED Pro's etc. that I would have bought anyway.
Of-course, I blame this forum COMPLETELY for that! I would have never known that there were options if not for the other wonderful 4Runner drivers posting their mods!!
bluecollarjock
New member
Ha! God bless your wife for putting up with your "addiction" but again not as bad as other things you could spend money on. I seriously am going to put forth my best effort to keeping this thing stock all the way around for a few years if not at least through the 5 year warranty. The hitch skid is on its way and thats not a mod, and going to order Husky floor and cargo mat next week when their sale goes on but that is to keep it nice and new inside.
If there is anything that seems lacking in stock form its the weak fog lights. Perhaps if there are plug and play great lights that go in the stock location I can sneak that in. Holding off on bumpers, skids, and sliders because I do not foresee wheeling this thing hard enough to need any of that anytime soon.
Truth be told if I had a driveway or a second garage spot, I would still have the Rubicon and tinker with it or if I did not have to sell my 3rd Gen due to financial issues a few years back, I would still love to have that and be plunking down cash for mods on it. I loved that 3rd Gen, already had a small lift, I put a Shrockworks front bumper, and was about to do skids, sliders and rear bumper when some medical bill and income issues reared their ugly head and I sold it to pay rent in an emergency. Someday if I have more parking I would love to find a nice 3rd Gen as a second vehicle to modify.
Sliders are great for "door ding" protection ..lol..
I have my factor55 hitch block but have recently replaced that for a "go westy" hi-lift hitch mount. When we go up to the mountains, I have my hi-lift on my roof rack, but wanted to put it lower for convenience. I'll measure it tomorrow.
I have my factor55 hitch block but have recently replaced that for a "go westy" hi-lift hitch mount. When we go up to the mountains, I have my hi-lift on my roof rack, but wanted to put it lower for convenience. I'll measure it tomorrow.
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DgoDog
New member
Had one of those on my wife's Eurovan. She used it both offensively and defensively..
. Worked great to prevent bumper rubbing.
Boyds4Runner
New member
So let me help you with that as others have done here for me :cheers:
these fog light replacements were plug-and-play and made a HUGE difference.
H11 Philips LED bulb | H16 Philips LED bulb | H8 Philips LED Fog bulb
XenonDepot happens to be a sponsoring vendor on this site as well. I had problems with the Headlight LED and they replaced a bad driver no-questions asked. Really personable to work with if you call. Might try to mention the T4R.org membership and they might help you further on price.
bluecollarjock
New member
Thank you...might have to ponder this as the price is not bad. Is it simple enough to get the stock bulbs out and plug these in?
I got the curt hitch skid, its nice looking and should do some preventative maintenance on the rear bumper.
Yes skids would be nice....I gotta wait at least a few years hopefully! Skids and a front bumper would be tempting but just wanna keep it stock for now. Plus if I throw on a front bumper I wonder if the minimal lift the TRD has will be lost with the extra weight and I would need to get new springs, and if I need new springs then it will be tempting to go with a lift, and there lies the domino danger of touching anything on a new 4x4! One mod is not enough!
SirBarton
New member
I live in Los Angeles and I have a weathertech bump step on the back. (Bump Step Hitch Step - Trailer Hitch Mounted Bumper Protector | WeatherTech.com) I think it looks kind of lame, but I use it about once a week to access the roof and it adds some bumper protection for parallel parking.
on the front end I have a BumpShox 3.0 license plate frame that adds a minor bit of protection and doesn't look terrible.
Unfortunately neither of these protects from the idiots that swipe the bumper corners as they pull out of a parallel spot too fast, but that's LA for you.
I agree with the guy who said take the insurance money for the Steel Bumper fund. I think that's the best idea yet.
on the front end I have a BumpShox 3.0 license plate frame that adds a minor bit of protection and doesn't look terrible.
Unfortunately neither of these protects from the idiots that swipe the bumper corners as they pull out of a parallel spot too fast, but that's LA for you.
I agree with the guy who said take the insurance money for the Steel Bumper fund. I think that's the best idea yet.
Boyds4Runner
New member
Yes they are very straight forward no cutting, no splicing, it all fits into the existing factory plug harness. Only need to find a place to zip-tie the driver dongle that LED lights need.
Another thing, LED's are polarity sensitive and I don't recall if the plug harness can only plug in one way so that positive goes to positive and negative to negative. Just try the fog lights before going to the trouble of twisting them back into the housing to make sure the polarity is correct.
Another detail, disconnect the factory plug harness from the factory fog lights first and it will be easier to twist them out of the housing. I made the mistake of leaving it all connected and unscrewing the entire backside housing to get the fog lights out. Another benefit of this forum as others were kindly able to tell me I was making it too difficult on myself lol!
This is the post I did where I thought I was being helpful by posting the pictures.:embarassed:
http://www.toyota-4runner.org/5th-gen-t4rs/200488-led-fogs-arrived-me-likey-3.html
