First of all let me point out I live in mass which may make a lot of difference, but all opinions are welcome.

I've been driving with no front bumper for about a year and never had a problem, but today a cop decided he wasn't having it, pulled me over and gave me a written warning for my infraction. Now I've been looking at B. LEE's XJ STUBBY 2.0 bumper (http://bleeoffroad.com/index.php/bum...-xj-stubby-2-0) for a while, but before I order it I need to know if I'm just going to get pulled over again and this time get an actual ticket for not having a "real bumper".

http://www.epa.gov/region1/topics/ai...540CMR4_00.pdf

Mass inspection law states: 540 CMR 4.04

(12) Bumpers, Fenders, External Sheet Metal and Fuel Tank. A Certificate of
Rejection shall be issued if any of the following conditions are evident:
(a) Bumpers. Broken or bent bumpers, fenders, exterior sheet metal or
moldings, having sharp edges or abnormal protrusions extending beyond
normal vehicle extremities so as to constitute a danger to pedestrians and
other motor vehicle traffic. If bumper face plates are removed, bumper
brackets must also be removed. On vehicles equipped with air bags, the
front bumpers may not be removed. The vehicle hood, door(s), luggage
compartment lid, and battery or engine compartment doors or lids, if so
equipped, must operate as originally designed.



If I'm understanding correctly, a bumper needs to cover all sharp edges as to make the vehicle "safe", which I think is accomplished by this bumper, but than again I'm not a lawyer, or a police officer. So let me know what you guys think, or if someone actually has experience with this it would be great.
Thanks.

 

This bumper should be fine,I don't see where someone could give you hell about it.

On a side note Iive in tennessee,where a lot of grand/cherokees ride without both a rear and front bumper,dunno exact laws but have seen it often lately.

 

Yes. That's a bumper. It's used to keep the car in front of you from destroying your frame at low-impact collisions and help absorb the force transfer to your frame. The Cherokee doesn't have a frame, it has a unibody, but the same concept applies here.

A lot of people in Florida use wood planks. It's about the hickiest thing I've ever seen, but a bumper is a bumper.

I've never seen anyone get crap about the type of bumper they run, so long as they have a bumper.

 

I guess I'm just being paranoid because of the warning. I haven't gotten a ticket in over 3 yrs and I don't want this to be the thing that ruins my streak, because of some technicality.

 

Based on what you posted on Mass law you are probably ok, it varies state to state, here in PA there is a clause in the vehicle code that "The Bumper must be at least as substantial as the vehicle was originally equipped" so a stubby wouldn't pass inspection here since it would offer less coverage than the factory bumper.

 

I rather have a full bumper not a stubby,With the stubby your header panel will take a beating off road or in a wreck.

 

Down the road I wanna get a full winch bumper with a nice winch, it's just way out of my range right now. I really like the look of the stubby, it's the best I've found in terms of value, looks, and getting a good recovery point on the front.

I just ordered it, along with a steering box brace and pair of d-rings. Should make for a nice upgrade.

Thanks for the help guys, I'll let you know if I get any harassment from the boys in blue.

 

I would have just thrown a stock bumper back on it tell i could afford what i wanted.

 

I also would suggest getting a full width bumper.

Wranglers are different. They can be made to have a very narrow front end. The Cherokee is naturally a fat vehicle. Unless you Dove Tail the front. So just get a fat bumper.

 

I recall seeing a post here somewhere about getting a ticket for that. I don't recall what state that was, but a wooden board is not always considered a bumper.

 

I did consider that, but what i would've spent to get a stock bumper and recovery points just didn't make sense, and really what it comes down to is, I just think the stubby lost sweet.

 

I gotta agree with andrew here, go to the JY and get a stock bumper on the cheap-cheap, gives you time to save money AND find a bumper you really like. Why buy a stubby, then a full width winch mount, and a winch? Do it once, and do it right. Get yourself a stocker to be compliant with the law, and be patient. My .02

 

I think if you painted it to match the Jeep color, 9 out of 10 cops would think it was a stock factory bumper.

and not even look at it.



...

 

Or down the road he could modify the bumper to a hidden winch bumper. I have a full width bumper and I can tell you with enough force welds will break and still cause a lot of damage. Back when I though mud was the ****, I hit a hole, windshield covered I popped out straight into a a big *** tree stump. Hit the passenger side, snapped a weld and ****ed up the header panel, light bezel, front and side markers, fender and of course the bumper. And before anyone goes off about bad welds, it literally ripped the weld in half, and it has been fixed.

 

If you're truly concerned about technicality with the law. Find a friend in law enforcement and ask their honest opinion. Even though I live in FL where you can do almost anything vehicle wise, I'll ask my buddy Carl who's been a cop 18 years if I'm in the clear. Not a fan of getting pulled over for bull****