Jeep Gladiator Winch Bumper Upgrade | Inside Line

When I first picked up my 2020 Jeep Gladiator Rubicon, I knew that the stock front bumper would eventually have to go. This was for two particularly important reasons. The first being that it did not have a spot for me to bolt up a winch. Given I frequently go off-road solo, having a winch is an incredibly important asset. The second reason was that the full-width style front bumper was a bit of a hinderance off-road. This is primarily due to so much of the bumper sticking in front of my 35x11.50 Nitto Trail Grapplers.


By moving to a stubbier winch-capable bumper, I could not only solve my recovery tool challenge, but increase my approach angle drastically. While there are plenty of aftermarket bumper options available, I had a few specific attributes I was looking for. Obviously, it needed to be able to hold a winch, but where it held the winch was equally important. Given that Jeep did a great job with the Gladiator in creating a wide opening at the front of the frame for a winch to sit down low, I wanted bumper that would allow me to take advantage of this design.


Additionally, I was looking for something that would have multiple recovery point options (i.e. a hook and shackle mount). I’m a bit old-school in that I’ve like the convenience and rapid recovery that a tow hook provides. Since I’m still running the factory halogen lights, being able to move over my stock fog lights or at least have a place for a set of aftermarket ones was also very important to me. Couple all this with the fact that I am doing my best to be weight conscious weight conscious with all of my upgrades, and my options quickly narrowed.


What I landed on was an Arcus series bumper from Rugged Ridge. While Rugged Ridge offers a huge array of accessories for the Wrangler, CJ and Gladiator platform, they also have some very well-crafted front bumpers. One of the things that makes its Arcus series so unique is that it’s comprised of 11-gage stamped steel. This gives it an OE-style look, while a winch tray and massive 1-inch recovery points provided the added strength needed.


On this Inside Line, I will take you through the upgrade process and show you the cheapest way you can rotate the sway bar disconnect motor on the Rubicon model.

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