I have been told that if you put a heavy duty front bumper on an xj that has tow hooks or a winch on it, that you nee to get a bracket that ties the bmper into the uni-body. Is this true and if so where can I get one? Doesn't the bumper bolt to the uni body anyway?

 

The stock bumper don't use many bolts and all of them are in to sheet metal pretty much.The aftermarket off road bumpers do use the stock bumper bolts but they also use tie in brackets that add extra support,That you need if you want to pull with the bumper or use a winch on it.A off road bumper front with out those brackets can be pulled off the jeep if you try hard enough.Same thing goes for a rear bumper that don't use the rear nut strip tie ins.

 

Yes they are a must have.

 

I got these from a member on here (ducter?) was going to custom build a winch bumper off of it but sold the XJ. I have no use for them. I paid $80 shipped, I'll take $50 shipped. 1/4 inch steel plate that was lazer cut.

 

If OP doesn't want those....^^^^ I will take them. PM me and we can exchange paypal and address info!

 

Ok. We'll see if the op wants them then go from there.

 

I don't need brackets right now I have a few other things to take care of (ball joints, control arms, lift, wheel, tires) before I buy a bumper. Do the brackets come with the bumpers or are they sold separate?

 

No problem.
The ad for the bumper should let you know whether or not it comes with it.

 

Most quality bumpers do and even some of the crappier brands. There are a few that I have seen that do not.

 

And not all of them are created equal that do for sure!

 

a decent bumper worth it's weight will use longer mounting brackets right off the hop.
if not, you can always use the tie in bracket to help support your bumper.

there are a lot of decent xj bumpers out there that have stood the test of time, while others have had their shortfalls. for example, i've seen an arb bullbar xj winch bumper twist from a pretty hard recovery but have seen cheaper bumpers outperform in even more severe situations.

do your research and see what others are using.

i have the warn with bullbar and it's a tough sob of a bumper. but very heavy.