Barricade Extreme HD Front Bumper with 9,500 lb. Winch (07-18 Jeep Wrangler JK)

Well made, good welds, looks nice, enhances the look of vehicle, coating is good seems to be durable, winch is very servicable and is easy to use, winch runs smooth and quiet. No complaints yet.

I’m very pleased with the way this turned out. I just finished installing the bumper and winch today. Here’s some advice.

When you read other reviews and they say to install the winch on the bumper before installing the bumper on the Jeep, that means the wiring too. That terminal on the underside is a bear if everything else is already in place.

Here’s something else. With the winch already mounted on the bumper, I was able to mount the bumper to the Jeep by myself. I’m not saying it’s light, but unless you have an injured back, you can do it, too. Just leave the mounting hardware off and put the bumper in place. Then use a ratchet strap to hold one side on the frame while you put the hardware in on the other side. I’m 44 and am not muscular or very flexible, and could do it from my back by using a knee to hold the bumper up while I installed the mounting hardware.

I put “Full Day” for time to install for the following reasons:
1) I did it all alone;
2) I did not do the wiring before mounting the bumper and winch;
3) I was very OCD about my wiring and took my sweet time

If not for the winch, I would have had the old bumper off and the new bumper on in a couple hours.

This bumper is everything we hoped it would be. A little tricky to get tot he bottom bolts, but my wife lended a hand and we made it happen.

Looks great and pretty straightforward installation. Luckily I had read some other reviews before purchasing and can confirm it is way easier to install winch on bumper before mounting bumper. The nuts on the winch fit inside the feet of the winch and would be difficult if not impossible to access with the bumper installed. (Great winch anti-theft though)

I am overall pretty pleased with this winch and bumper combo, but have not yet used the winch. The steel used in the bumper doesn't feel too thin, and the whole thing is very solid. Both the bumper and winch look good and I like how the winch is set down in the bumper a ways for a cleaner look.

Installation was not quite as smooth as I expected, primarily because the pre-drilled holes on the winch plate of the bumper were set around 1/16" wider than the bolt holes on the base of the winch. This made it impossible to line the winch up on the plate. My solution was to drill the holes out slightly larger on the bumper, bringing them closer together and in to line.

Also, while this bumper is designed to use your factory foglights, they are placed much further apart. My factory wiring needed an additional 12" of wire spliced in for each light to bridge the gap.

Additionally, the support for the winch plate has minimal cutouts on the back for accessing the bolt heads, which must be threaded up into the bottom of the winch. The instructions call for mounting the bumper and then the winch, but after considering it carefully, I felt that accessing the front bolts would be needlessly difficult once mounted on the Jeep.

I mounted the winch on the bumper, and then put the whole thing on the Jeep. As a unit, they are quite hefty and I benefitted from a helper to heave this thing up and into place.

Overall, it looks great, feels durable, and came with everything I needed, including the D-rings and roller fairing, for what felt like a reasonable price.

Installation wasn't quite as simple as advertised, considering that I needed to drill out the existing holes on the bumper to make two parts from the same brand and sold as a combo, fit together. But even so, drilling holes and splicing wire are tasks at which most people confident enough to give it a shot should be able to succeed.

If this bumper catches your eye and the price feels right, I recommend it!