Bumpers: winch & light bar

[Renoran]

Hi all,
New to the forum and new to ownership of a Ram!
I have a 2017 2500 Laramie and am looking at upgrading the front and rear bumpers. Curious if anyone has any recommendations for either. For the front, I am looking for it to either have a winch or be winch-ready. And I’d also like to have a light bar on it. The truck is lifted 4” and my headlights just don’t put much light down. Also curious if there are good winch-ready bumpers with side lights? Is that a thing?
Thanks! Looking forward to being part of the community!
RJ

 

[Sando]

I am quite happy with my Chassis Unlimited Bumpers. The fit and finish is incredible and they are very low profile. https://chassisunlimited.com/

 

[DILLIGAF]

AEV

 

[Dean2]

Bulletproof Bumpers

Prices are in Canadian so costs you 30% less. Aside from the ones shown, they will custom add things like light pockets, and add or subtract any features you like.

 

[ppine]

After market bumpers are all the rage. They change the way vehicles look and they can personalize your vehicle. I do not plan to hit anything so I have always had stock bumpers.

For 35 years I drove in the dirt for a living. I had a logging company for awhile. The rest of the time it was consulting work for mines and working in remote places with bad roads. I drove company trucks, rented trucks and personal trucks but never used a winch once. A lot places in the West there are few trees to attach a winch cable to. That means a dead man, which is a lot of work.

 

[Dean2]

ppine - Interesting. I have had a winch on every 4x4 I have owned since 1974, and that is many different vehicles. Every one of those winches got used regularly. From getting me unstuck to pulling out others I would bet I still use a winch at least a dozen times a year, and when I was younger WAY more often than that.

Tow trucks are REALLY expensive if you are any distance out. One tow easily covers the cost of the winch. So in addition to the money I saved myself, if I would have charged just for the recoveries of the people I don't know that I helped get out, I could have paid for the winch many, many times over.

I would not own a 4x4 that didn't have a winch.

 

[DILLIGAF]

If you never had to use a winch, you never actually full send! and must be booring to off-road with

 

[crazykid1994]

If you never had to use a winch, you never actually full send! and must be booring to off-road with

I mean… I’ve yet to need a winch but my group is also mostly smaller jeeps so I’m going through places they can’t. Now on the other hand I have bypassed a few spots and watched the couple jeeps on 37s in my group go through and they were taking in water… lol. Mud is fine but water is where I cross the line.

 

[DILLIGAF]

I got to admit, I lack any type of mental functions that a grown 43y old should have. 22y of service will do that to you . Im also very fortunate that all my friends are also mentally challenged service members. We all act like we are 16y old and just got our DL. But this is why I always have a ****-eating grin on my face and I will never take life seriously.

This is also why most guys only come out wheelin' with us once

 

[ppine]

Good comments by Dean. Different reality.
I have driven bad roads and no roads in every western state except Montana. But I have never "gone four wheelin'" once. I could not afford to stay stuck. I could not afford to break a company truck or a new rented truck. I never called a tow truck. There was no phone service. I was usually alone. I walked out only once after breaking a front axle. Was it fun? Sometimes.

 

[Dean2]

Good comments by Dean. Different reality.
I have driven bad roads and no roads in every western state except Montana. But I have never "gone four wheelin'" once. I could not afford to stay stuck. I could not afford to break a company truck or a new rented truck. I never called a tow truck. There was no phone service. I was usually alone. I walked out only once after breaking a front axle. Was it fun? Sometimes.

I hear you. Have to admit that sometimes we were four wheeling but even more often we were just going point A to point B. A great many of the people I rescued fell off of main paved or gravel roads because of road conditions. Also pulled out a ton of guys who got stick on frozen lakes or on ice roads travelling between communities. Driving conditions, even on main roads in northern Alberta and the territories makes a lot of southern off road driving look pretty tame.

 

[ppine]

I rarely ran into anyone. Some mine sites are 50 or even 100 miles off the pavement.