JL Aluminum Rear Bumper - Featherweight Series
Looking for a heavy-duty Jeep JL Wrangler bumper in a lightweight, stout package? We have modified our Rimrocker Series bumpers, by changing out nearly every component for slightly thicker, but lighter-weight, aluminum components. Let us introduce our Featherweight Series rear bumper!
Product Details
Crafted from a combination of 1/4" and 3/8" Aluminum, and 1" thick steel recovery points, this rear bumper is both lightweight and stout-where-it-counts so that you can hit the hardcore trails with confidence!
The machined 1" thick recovery tabs extend inside the bumper and are bolted through the mounting brackets that attach the bumper to the frame of the Jeep.
The bumper can accommodate up to a 38" tailgate-mounted spare tire without raising the spare tire mount; a 40" tire if you do raise the spare. The spare tire recess also doubles as a step at the rear of the Jeep -- with dimple died holes to give your boots some grip!
Features
- Aluminum construction
- Improved departure angles
- Built-in recovery points
- Up to 10 mounting points on the sides and bottom of the frame rails, which prevents unwanted rotation of the bumper into the body tub if you take a real hit on the trail
- Accommodates the factory hitch receiver, so you maintain your OE rating while towing
- Optional light provisions designed for Baja Designs S2 Flush Mount Lights
- An aluminum backing plate behind our logo cutout (shown here with blue or orange vinyl on it in some demo photos)
Weight: 40 lbs
We highly recommend relocating the license plate from the bumper. If you're out there on the trail, it's bound to be pulled off by rocks. For this modification check out our License Plate Relocation Brackets.
Like the design? Check out the matching Featherweight Series JL Front Bumper here.
FAQ:
- Can I order this bumper Powder Coated?
- Yes, however, the lead time can vary greatly depending on the choice of powder coat and other orders in the queue. Please call us if you would like to order this bumper powder coated.
Additional Details
Products are designed and fabricated to fit vehicles that have varying tolerances from the factory, minor hand fitting may be required.
Products are shipped bare metal unless otherwise specified by the customer. Bare metal products may have scratches or surface imperfections as a result of raw material handling, manufacturing, and fabrication. However, these imperfections are easily covered up with a textured powder coat finish. Additional finishing, sanding, and prep work may be required if you wish to also have them finished with a smooth powder coat or paint.
Projected lead times are estimates only, and are subject to changes due to production realities, including material and labor availability and sudden variability in order volume. Lead times are not guaranteed, but we do guarantee that we are hard at work trying to get the best product we can produce and into our customers’ hands as quickly as possible.
All Next Venture Motorsports products are laser cut, CNC formed, and hand-weld with pride in the USA. We are a Colorado-based business, and welcome visitors by appointment at our Grand Junction, CO headquarters. We hope to see you out there on the trail soon!
Customer Reviews
Based on 9 reviews
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S
Love the look, fit and quality of the new bumper, packing was great as well. I ordered it bare aluminum and had it power coated locally, but with the way it was packaged I would not worry at all about ordering it from Next Venture powder coated. I figured out an installation hack for tightening the bottom bolt that goes into the side of the frame rail and tucks snugly against the bottom of the bumper. If you have a short 22mm O2 sensor socket (DuraTech DT701109A or equivalent) it will provide enough offset to use a 3/8" ratchet to get the bolt good and tight. Otherwise just some minor filing with a chainsaw file for some final fitting and it sits perfect. The only issue I am having now is getting the back up sensors dialed back in, which is a super common problem with any aftermarket bumper (I wish the Jeep didn't even have them).
D
Got the bumper UPS, it was packaged very well protected.
Ordered it raw Aluminum, upon arriving i unboxed and cleaned the bumper with Dawn soap and water to remove any manufacturing oils and dirt. Put 3 coatings of SHARKHIDE on it to seal the bumper from oxidation and keep it looking like new. 1 can was enough to coat inside and out of the bumper 3 coats including the tow points. Painted the Eagle plate red and prepped the Jeep frame with a little grinding to level up the mounting surfaces for a perfect fit. Install instructions can be had from the web site, but you really don't need them. The bumper includes the new 6 bolts you'll need along with reusing 4 of the OEM bolts. Pryer to installing the bumper I installed the 2 Baja Design flush mount lights and ran the control wires from my Aux switch pod to turn them on/off when i want or need them. New Sensor install clips ARE NOT included in the bumper kit so make pryer inquiry to find the right ones or you'll have to do what i did. I removed the old sensor clips from the OEM plastic bumper and modified them to fit in the new Feather light bumper. No torque specs for the bolts so I used 242 blue loctite and tighted the crap out of them. Only needed my wife once on install to hold one end of the bumper up just for safety while I got a couple bolts started. There isn't any alignment needed, this thing is a perfect fit. Looks great, love it. Installed the license plate tag on the OEM metal bracket just behind the rear shock. Installed the OEM license plate tag light from the OEM plastic bumper directly above the license tag. It worked perfect I just had to modify the OEM wiring harness that contains the sensors and tag light circuit. I think you can probably leave the trailer hitch and wiring in place so you can still tow, but removed mine since I have a big dually to haul stuff with. Overall it's definitely 5 star rated bumper with great looking welds. Spray on some SharkHide to preserve the bumpers beautiful craftsmanship for years to come and your golden. I think the Baja design lights are over priced for what the are and I'm sure other options are available on the market I just didn't have time to shop around so I used the Baja design flush mounts.
Really nice bumper if you have the wait time and the cash you won't be disappointed when it finally arrives. Great bumper choice for clearance and looks and function. Thanks Next Venture for building USA high quality Jeep protection products!!!
D
Absolutely beautiful craftsman ship and work
j
Nice, lightweight, protects the body, lights give alot of light.
R
I've installed this bumper prior to painting and it fits very well. It's worth noting that you might have to even up the Jeep's rear frame pieces a bit - mine came from the factory uneven, with about 0.125" of extra material sticking out. Once I ground that back to even with the rest of the frame the bumper fit very easily.
Bumper came packed up very well, all the parts where there, etc. Having printed instructions would have been nice, but it's fairly intuitive. As others have noted, lining up the recovery points, bumper mounts, and backing plates with the holes in the frame is definitely an exercise in patience and fiddling - but it's worth it.
Why next venture?
parts inspired by the trail
Our team got into the game after rock crawling, wrenching, fabricating and being inspired to design and build parts for what we love to do: hit the trail.
what our customers are saying
★★★★★They invited me and my whole crew in for a tour of the facility on our way to Moab. These guys not only produce amazing armor for your Jeep, they are really good people. So, I’ve been running their rear diff skid for 9 months and it has easily held up to everything I’ve thrown at it.
Gary Swogger
Felton, DE
★★★★★After this go around with Moab and Holy cross, the diff skids did their job and protected my Jeep. My rear aluminum bumper performed phenomenally on the trail!
Rennato Lopez
Colorado Springs, CO
★★★★★Can’t say enough about Dan and his ultra skilled team! Dan was able to get us in for a skidplate with UHMW & sliders for our JKUR. The fit, finish and quality are just out of this world! Can you say “stacked dimes”? Absolutely gorgeous welds…
Lance Wende
Montrose, CO
★★★★★2 years later I'm writing this review. I've beaten the crap out of this thing hitting rocks, winching, draging it down obstacles, and now exposed to the Florida elements. The bumper looks like it did the day they sent it. You will not find a better company to work with that cares about their clients and their products!
Kelly Colwell
Panama City, FL
★★★★★My rear Next Venture diff skid takes a beating! Best rear diff skid available. Well done!
Lee Bower
★★★★★Without a doubt, Next Venture Motorsports is my first stop for epic Jeep parts. Their JL aluminum front and rear featherweight bumpers are solidly built, easy enough to install, and crafted to perfection. I can't wait for more products for my 2 door JL!
Michael Collette
Kimberly, WI
★★★★★I like it because it lets you use factory fog lights if you want. They also have a featherweight aluminum option that doesn't have holes for fogs and is essentially a stubby bumper. I am very pleased with all of their stuff. [JL/JT Adventure Series Bumper]
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Los Angeles, CA
