Nates 4x4
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02-26-2013, 07:51 PM
#13
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Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Tuscaloosa Alabama ROLL TIDE ROLL
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Year: 1989
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 4.0
02-26-2013, 08:47 PM
#15
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Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: SE Michigan
Posts: 165
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Year: 2000
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 4.6L Stroker
I have a Nates on my front. I went with the winch bumper with fog lamp tabs and had him shorten the returns a touch. I was a little concerned about forward tire clearance when I go to 35's. So he took an inch or two off the ends of the bumper below the fender pointing back to the wheel wells. The mounting plates to the unibody are plenty thick and nice and deep (long back into the frame) and have plenty of bolts through the frame for reinforcement. The fog lamp tabs are off the back of the bull bar so if you mount your lamps on top of the tabs they peek over the hood a bit. I have mine mounted below the bar, but you have to be leery of mounting the fog lamps upside down because not all lamps can be mounted upside down without affecting the light pattern. They don't come pre-drilled for a flag mount, so I drilled tapped and welded a flange nut to the bottom side for extra thread engagement.
I like that he sells his stuff uncoated, so you can weld, modify or whatever without breaking into a new coating. I bought his rocker gurads at the same time, and we tweaked the mounting pads to get them to match my frame and rockers perfectly. We probably could have mounted them as is, but since I wasn't in a rush, we took the time to get them dead on. The Front Bumper fit perfectly right out the box. Personal preference, his Clevis mount tabs are squared off and beveled, they look more like a Half Hexagon. My buddy has a Nates on the Front of his Wrangler, but we custom built his rear. When we made his clevis mounts, I set them up on the mill and rounded the corners instead of beveleing the corners. I really like the rounded off look and would have like to have rounded off the clevis mounts before having the bumper powder coated.
Overall I am very happy with the bumpers and would definitely recommend them. My buddy with the Wrangler is very happy with his as well. So two thumbs up over here. Nice bang for the buck and looks alot like the much more expensive Hanson Bumper but at a fraction of the cost.
NOTE: The winch is nice and low and minimally affects air flow to the radiator. He sells Engo Winches and they are significantly less cost than a comparable Warn. However the chrome lever for the clutch is already rusting and it's less than six months old. I have only used it once, so lets hope the motor lasts longer than the chrome. Also the solenoid box sits atop the cable barrel and has to be rotated 90 degrees or it hits the grille "hard". I had to make a special bracket to spin the box and move it forward. By spring I am going to relocate the box into the engine bay to get it out of the way and to access the full barrel in case the cable snarls. If you are going to get a Warn winch, it shouldn't be a problem. The control box is smaller and more tapered, They are typically taller than they are deep, so it should fit better.
I like that he sells his stuff uncoated, so you can weld, modify or whatever without breaking into a new coating. I bought his rocker gurads at the same time, and we tweaked the mounting pads to get them to match my frame and rockers perfectly. We probably could have mounted them as is, but since I wasn't in a rush, we took the time to get them dead on. The Front Bumper fit perfectly right out the box. Personal preference, his Clevis mount tabs are squared off and beveled, they look more like a Half Hexagon. My buddy has a Nates on the Front of his Wrangler, but we custom built his rear. When we made his clevis mounts, I set them up on the mill and rounded the corners instead of beveleing the corners. I really like the rounded off look and would have like to have rounded off the clevis mounts before having the bumper powder coated.
Overall I am very happy with the bumpers and would definitely recommend them. My buddy with the Wrangler is very happy with his as well. So two thumbs up over here. Nice bang for the buck and looks alot like the much more expensive Hanson Bumper but at a fraction of the cost.
NOTE: The winch is nice and low and minimally affects air flow to the radiator. He sells Engo Winches and they are significantly less cost than a comparable Warn. However the chrome lever for the clutch is already rusting and it's less than six months old. I have only used it once, so lets hope the motor lasts longer than the chrome. Also the solenoid box sits atop the cable barrel and has to be rotated 90 degrees or it hits the grille "hard". I had to make a special bracket to spin the box and move it forward. By spring I am going to relocate the box into the engine bay to get it out of the way and to access the full barrel in case the cable snarls. If you are going to get a Warn winch, it shouldn't be a problem. The control box is smaller and more tapered, They are typically taller than they are deep, so it should fit better.
Last edited by Cerveja; 02-26-2013 at 08:58 PM.