RacerTech Ridgid mount bumper
When looking for a bumper for the RZR I found most bumpers mounted with two bolts right in front of the radiator, which is fine for light duty bumpers designed for pushing brush but it is by far from the best setup for impacts! The problem with mounting the bumper right in front of the radiator is upon a light front end impact the bumper could be pushed through and distroy the radiator which could mean a long walk back to the truck. After a lot of research I found this Ridgid mount bumper for the RZR by RacerTech that mounts to the frame for a much stronger mount. This bumper is offered with a few options but I choice the Baja option for the stylish looks and extra protection.
This bumper is made of 1.25” steel tubing and for the ultimate in strength this bumper has two tubes that run from the bumper up to the chassis that RacerTech calls "Rigid Arms". These Ridgid arms bolt to the front bumper and to the tube chassis just behind the dash for a strong upper mount of the bumper. The bumper can also be quickly removed by removing the two lower mount bolts and the one bolt from each Ridgid arm.
For the lower mounts the two front forward diff bolts are replaced with longer bolts and the bumper is bolted to that location. You maybe thinking why put strain on the front diff? Well actually the rear of the bumper rests on the frame and all the bolts do is hold the bumper in place, upon a front end impact the bumper presses against the frame applying most of the force directly to the frame and not the bolts.
The RacerTech bumper also has a removable and easily replaceable bash plate on the lower most part of the bumper that is a heavy gauge steel designed to take most of the abuse from rocks while protecting the bumper and the machine. It also had a a removable logo backing plate which allows for changing the color of the logo simply removing the plate and coating it with the color of choice.
This bumper came with two universal tabs for mounting accessories and I used these tabs to mount a piece of 1" tubing that I used as a light mount. I just drilled and tapped the tubing so it is easily and quickly mounted as well as strong. I mounted my lights a little different than most, I mounted them up side down for three reasons. Reason one the lower the light the more usable light and the less light wasted, reason two mounted like this they basically block none of the air flow to the radiator, and reason three I like to be different.
For the ultimate in bolt on protection this is the only way to go! I did a lot of research on bumpers looking for not only one that looks good but looking for one that can take some abuse while protecting the front end and this is the bumper I found. This bumper can also be integrated into the gage easily if desired by adding a few bars which I plan to do when I build the cage. And best of all this bumper is made in the USA!
The instructions for this bumper says to remove the hood but with a little finesse I managed to install the bumper with the hood on which saved a little time.