Wrangler Upgrades: Rugged Ridge Bumpers and Rigid Industries Light Install

Apr. 22, 2015 By Jim Brightly, KF7SCT

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Attractive, functional, and strong, the Rugged Ridge RRC tubular front bumper protects the grille, fenders, and Rigid Industries’ LED lights.

When I opened the two huge packages from Rugged Ridge and the smaller package from Rigid Industries, I was more than pleasantly surprised. I had seen the bumpers on the Internet and really liked their looks, but I was still surprised when I saw them close up. The bumpers and LED lights together look fantastic. The front bumper is designed to protect the lights and fenders, and the front bumper and lights complement each other’s appearance.

I had ordered a Rugged Ridge RRC Front Grille Guard Bumper ($302), an RRC Rear Bumper, 2-Inch Hitch and Tire Carrier ($600), a pair of Rigid Industries D-Series Dually D2 six-LED Lights for driving ($360), and a pair of Rigid Industries D-Series Dually four-LED Lights for fog and snow ($190) from Summit Racing. (Both sets of LED lights are for off-road use only.)

This 2005 Rubicon Unlimited was purchased in New Hampshire after a decade of New England winter driving, so the original but aftermarket bumper had to go.

First step is removing the bumper-to-frame bolts with an impact wrench. Rust from the winter road salt made this difficult.

The Rugged Ridge RRC Front Grille Guard Bumper is black-textured, powder-coated steel. You will add beef to your Jeep’s front-end with this tubular bumper. This well-built, well-designed bumper is crafted from heavy-duty 0.120-wall tubular steel, treated with a special coating, and then powder-coated for a long-lasting, no-rust finish. There are welded tabs for four off-road lights and two reinforced D-ring attachments (a winch plate can be added). The bumper’s side supports provide fender and fog light protection but does not change the Jeep’s width. (This RRC front bumper fits ‘87-‘95 Jeep Wranglers (YJ), ‘97-‘06 TJ Wranglers, and ‘04-‘06 LJ Wranglers.)

Rust is readily evident on the frame and front sway bar. We sprayed on Rust Converter (which sprays on clear and dries to a dark gray while converting rust to primer), followed by Rustoleum black after it dried.

After a test fitting of the front bumper, we realized that a shim was needed on each frame rail before we mounted the winch plate.

A second fitting showed that the shims would level out the winch plate.

Also available for the same model Jeeps, the textured black powder-coated RRC rear bumper from Rugged Ridge has a reinforced hitch and spare tire carrier (or you can order just the bumper without the tire carrier). This rear bumper has a frame-mounted platform that features a heavy-duty grid-like system with raised sides for the ultimate protection and greatest ground clearance. All RRC rear bumpers feature a reinforced hitch box that is designed for off-road accessories (not designed for heavy-duty towing). These tough and durable off-road bumpers are made from heavy-duty 0.120-wall tubular steel, and then treated with a special E-coating and a dual-stage powder coat to ensure a hassle-free, no-rust finish. The tire carrier mounts your tire off the rear bumper, taking the load off your tailgate. With a grease fitting and special latching mechanism, this tire carrier is capable of holding up to a 35-inch oversized tire. However, I’ll be leaving it off until after the Jeep is repainted.

Kevin Lake cuts the flat steel for the winch plate. I forgot to order a winch plate from the bumper supplier.

With the frame fails and sway bar painted, we bolted on the front bumper and tow hooks (the steel shim is beneath the tow hooks). The fit of the winch plate was tested.

Kevin is welding up the winch plate’s strengthening rib, which makes the plate more rigid to better support the Ramsey 9500 winch.

My first view of the Rigid Industries’ LED lights, in this case the six-LED D2 units.

Here’s the wiring in the Dually fog lights. We used the Jeep’s factory fog light wiring so that they could be controlled with the factory switch.

Back up front, Rigid Industries’ Dually LED lights fill all four welded tabs on the RRC bumper. Mounted higher on the bumper’s upper loop (in order to have a greater distance for the beams to illuminate more of the trail), the D2 six-LED driving lights reach out for more than 800 feet. Mounted low and wide for a close-in wider coverage, the pair of four-LED lights are for fog and snow.

Front bumper, winch, and lights are mounted and finished. As noted, the lower fog lights are wired into the OEM fog light switch, while the higher driving lights will be wired through a relay to the Jeep’s high beams.

The rear of the Jeep was much more affected by a decade of New Hampshire road salt than the front.

The one-owner 2005 Rubicon Unlimited was completely original except for Warn bumpers (probably installed before he took delivery) and steel rocker panels. This rounded-out “W” is indicative of the amount of rust on the rear of the Jeep.

Light is measured in lumens per watt (the amount of light produced for every watt of electricity used). Due to their somewhat unique design, Rigid Industries LED lights produce very high light output and require very little power to run them. This eliminates the need for additional power and reduces the drain on your battery compared to tradition lighting. LEDs are solid-state devices with no moving parts. This means they are better able to withstand shock and vibration than the more traditional halogen, HID, and xenon lights. Rigid Industries’ LED lights have a lifespan of more than 50,000 hours (halogen and xenon lights typically last up to 1,000 and 5,000 hours, respectively). According to Rigid Industries’ information, its LED lights are manufactured to withstand the harshest environments that Mother Nature can dish out. Its lights are made with only the highest grade materials available, which ensure that the lights are resistant to water penetration, shock and vibration.

Even with liberal applications of PB Blaster, removing the rear bumper was a chore.

The rust was so bad, Kevin had to drive the sockets onto the bolts with a hammer.

Rigid Industries D-Series Dually D2 lights are said to be the most powerful LED lights with the highest total lumen output available in a 3- x 3-inch finned aluminum housing. They feature a six-LED design that can be used for anything from a reverse light on an SUV or truck to a handlebar light on a motorcycle or a floodlight on a trailer. They produce 2,600 lumens of light while using only 15 watts/3.8 amps of power with a 50,000+ hour lifespan.

A couple of bolts had to be cut off with the “flame wrench”—a cutting torch.

Held in place by Vice Grips until we insert new bolts or make new brackets, the RRC tube bumper protects the rear quarter panels and provides a secure hook up if a tow or tug is needed on the trail.

The bumper also provides a fairly comfortable seat during lunch stops if the tailgate is open. We’re waiting until after painting to mount the swing-away tire carrier on the bumper.

Also with a 50,000+ hour lifespan, Rigid Industries’ four-LED Dually lights can also be used for anything from a reverse light to a floodlight. They produce half the lumens of the six-LED design (1,300) while using a few more watts (17.3). While mounted on the Jeep’s original bumper, these lights—with amber lens covers—may very well have saved our lives (or at least saved several hours of travel time) when we were caught in a very heavy snow storm on I-70 in the ski area of Colorado. Their low-aimed beams spread their light on the road just in front of us (without reflecting off the snowflakes), which allowed us to continue traveling along the highway in four-wheel drive.

SOURCE
Rugged Ridge
http://www.ruggedridge.com/

Rigid Industries
http://www.rigidindustries.com/.

Summit Racing
http://www.summitracing.com/