Rokmen Mercenary
Front Bumper Install
One of the first
modifications every Jeeper
completes is to swap the stock bumpers for something that handles more
abuse and adds a bit of style to their Wrangler. Nothing changes the
attitude of your Wrangler more than replacing the thin sheet metal
Daimler-Chrysler gives you from the factory.
When I wanted to
upgrade the front bumper on my 2004 Wrangler
Unlimited, I had a few requirements. First, it must have an integrated
winch mount. In an effort to keep my vehicle as slim as possible, a
bumper with a separate winch mount adds weight that I did not need to
carry around all the time. Second, it must have a winch guard. I wanted
one for the extra protection but also for the appearance. A winch is an
expensive piece of equipment and providing it with a little bit of
protection is a good thing. Third, shackle mounts that are not welded
to the face of the bumper. Something welded on the front and back helps
spread out the load. Lastly, it must provide better clearance.
Clearance is the key to our hobby. Anytime you can gain clearance,
you’re improving the off road ability of your vehicle.
With all these
requirements in mind, I turned to Rokmen for their
Mercenary front bumper.
I have run
Rokmen rock sliders on my former Wrangler and now my 2004
Unlimited also sports a set of Rokmen rock sliders. After seeing the
quality in the other Rokmen products I have purchased, I knew Rokmen
would have exactly what I wanted. Dave and Jeff, the guys behind
Rokmen, have a combined 20+ years of offroad experience dating back to
the Jeep CJ days. In talking with Dave, Mercenary is more than a
bumper, but the entire concept they have implemented in their product
line to improve off road ability and survivability to tackle the
toughest trails and still get you to work on Monday morning. Rokmen
recognizes their customers daily drive their vehicle and they need to
stay that way. While we all dream of a rock buggy, most of us cannot
afford one and the requisite tow rig. In their Mercenary product line,
Rokmen is not about cutting and chopping, but rather coming up with
quality designs and great products with extreme attention to detail.
The Rokmen
Mercenary front bumper starts out life as ¼” steel
plate that is laser cut and CNC formed for a precision build. The
bumper is 46” in width with a ramped face and swept back ends.
One of the first
things I noticed upon receipt of the bumper is there
are no tool marks on the bumper. In the past I’ve bought lower quality
items that had artifacts left from bending the plate. The entire
surface of the bumper is smooth. The winch hoop is constructed using
.120” thick 1 ¾” diameter DOM tube. Every thing is TIG welded, a
process that requires considerable skill and much more time than MIG
welding. There is no weld spatter left over like with traditional MIG
welding and it creates beautiful, quality welds. This is not your
average 2”x4” rectangular tube bumper that everyone and their brother
with a welder can build. The attention to detail is evident from the
beginning of this bumper’s build and it doesn’t stop there.
The shackle
mounts are laser cut from ¾” steel and TIG welded on
the front and back of the bumper.
Prior to
installation, the freshly cut mounts are machined smooth to
rid them of any cut marks from the laser cutter. They are then
sandblasted to ensure clean metal for the strongest welds. The details
don’t stop there. Unique to the Mercenary bumper is the Shackle Lock™
design incorporated by Rokmen. The shackle is physically locked from
pulling through the bumper by its design. Rather then welding it to
only the front face, the shackle mount is inserted through the backside
and welded on the three interior sides of the bumper as well as the
front. This makes for an extremely strong shackle mount and even if the
welds should fail the shackle mount would have to be pulled through the
face of the bumper.
The integrated
winch mount is an extension of the top of the bumper.
Formed from a single piece of plate steel, the winch mount is ¼”
and runs from frame rail to frame rail.
It is setup for
the standard 10”x4.5” bolt pattern found on most of
today’s winches. (Two notable exceptions are Warn’s M8274-50 and 9.0
RC). As a single unit, the winch mount is reinforced by the design of
the bumper and a full-length reinforcement rib along the back edge that
spans the entire width of the winch mount. The reinforcement rib will
eliminate any flexing of the mount plate. Rokmen’s integrated winch
mount positions the winch lower, too. This provides a lower center of
gravity and a lower profile for better airflow through the grill. The
winch mount is finished off with a custom, fully TIG welded fairlead
mount.
Some other nice
features include pre-drilled
and tapped holes to mount a license plate and multiple light mounts. A
lot of states require front and rear license plates and many
manufacturers do not include this feature, leaving the customer to
figure out a mounting method. I would suggest removing the plate prior
to any offroad adventures or the license plate would be at risk of
getting damaged and bent. There are two pairs of light mounts on the
ends of the bumper. You’ll only be able to use one pair at a time, but
the holes allow the customer the choice of where to mount lights. In
addition, if you don’t have a winch right now, there is an additional
pair of light mounts under where the winch would be located for your
use. You can fill in that space with a nice pair of offroad lights
until you add a winch at a later time.
The bumper comes
bare steel direct from Rokmen. You will need to apply
the finish of your choice prior to installation. I choose Rustoleum
Hammered Black spray paint. I’ve used it before of various projects and
like its appearance, durability, and ease of touch-up when it does get
scratched or scraped. I first etched the metal using an acid based
product, then applied two coats of Rustoleum clean metal primer
followed by three coats of the hammered black top coat.
Installation can
be done using basic hand tools. You will need to
remove the stock front bumper and the plastic frame cover. First,
remove any accessories bolted to the front bumper, such as auxiliary
lighting. Then, remove the frame cover mounting bolts. There are two
bolts on each side. The frame cover will pull up after the bolts are
removed. Next, remove the stock bumper. Use a T-55 Torx bit on the four
bolts on the top of the bumper and another two on the bottom. A long
breaker bar for leverage will make undoing this bolts a simpler task.
The stock bumper will slide off the frame rails once the 6 mounting
bolts are removed. If you are also installing a winch, you will need to
mount the winch to the bumper prior to installing the bumper on the
vehicle. Follow your winch manufacturers instructions for mounting the
winch to the mount. With a helper (the single unit is heavy and bulky),
lift the bumper and winch into position on the frame rails. Reinstall
the bumper mounting bolts that you removed earlier. The frame cover is
not reused. I reinstalled the bolts in the frame rail should I need
them at a later date.
I chose to replace my
bumper mounting bolts
with Grade 8 bolts from the hardware store. I don’t like Torx head
bolts and try to replace them when I can. I’ve broken too many Torx
bits over the years trying to tighten them appropriately. If you’d like
to do the same, you’ll need six 1 ½” long ½”-13 Grade 8
bolts. If you wish to install factory or aftermarket tow hooks, you’ll
need two 1 ½” long ½”-13 and four 2 ½” long
½”-13. You’ll also need six ½” washers for either setup.
Regardless of which bolts you use, apply some anti-seize to the
threads. These bolts have a tendency to rust tight if you live in an
area where you see lots of rain, snow, and other moisture. You will
prevent future headaches with a little prevention now. One thing to
note is that due to the light mount options, if you want to remount the
stock driving lights, you will not be able to use the standard 10,000lb
aftermarket tow hooks as the hooks and the lights make contact. It is
unclear if the stock 7,000lb Wrangler tow hooks are compatible.
Earlier in this
article, I mentioned my requirements for a front
bumper. The Mercenary front bumper from Rokmen met these requirements
and went above and well beyond my expectations. The bumper is extremely
strong and I have complete confidence that it will perform flawlessly
when abused off road. The ramped face increases approach angles and is
great for sliding up an obstacle while the swept back and tapered ends
coupled with the 46” width works well for increased tire clearance for
the moments when you need to get the tire directly on an obstacle. On a
recent off road trip, these design features were very nice. Making a
tight off camber turn on some rocks, the open access to the front tires
made maneuvering easy.
Using the Shackle
Lock™ design, Rokmen have
produced the strongest shackle mount on the market. The winch hoop
provides that aggressive look while protecting the grill and winch from
damage. In addition, the Mercenary bumper works with a stock swaybar
and also Currie’s Antirock without any modification. When installing
the Antirock, put the bolts up through the arms with the nylock nuts on
top. The bolt head has a lower profile and tucks nicely inside the Merc
bumper. It's nice when one modification does not preclude you from
other modifications.
I am very
impressed with the craftsmanship and quality put into the
Mercenary bumper. I would strongly recommend a Mercenary bumper if
you’re looking for something that is strong, well-designed, and
compliments the appearance and lines of your TJ. Dave and Jeff
meticulously craft the Mercenary bumpers and their dedication is
clearly evident. To borrow a line from the guys at Rokmen, the
difference is in the details. Mercenary bumpers are a production item
but each one is hand crafted by Rokmen when you place your order.
For more
information or to order yours, please contact Rokmen at
303-907-6303 or visit their website at www.rokmen.com. Rokmen Mercenary
bumpers start at $299.
