I have been wheeling with the Expedition One front winch bumper (with the Rubi-skid) and the Warn Powerplant for three months now. The bumper has taken a severe beating with the powdercoating mostly holding up and the Rubi-skid adequately protecting the weak spots near the radiator and the sway bar motor.
The winch has aired up my tires three times and saved my TJ from a very scary spot located only .5 miles from my front door. The local ATVers and dirtbikers call the hill “Jaws.” Overall, I have become very confident in the setup. Here’s the quick run-down:
Expedition One Front Winch Bumper and Rubi-skid
Pros:
– Rubi-skid takes a heck of a beating and protects the radiator and sway bar motor well
– The powder coat finish is very durable
– The styling can’t be beat (I like that the lines of it reach the plastic fenders)
– Fits any winch. I have that huge Warn Powerplant mounted, and air flow is great
Cons:
– It is expensive at $1099.99 and the approach angle could be a bit better (though it is pretty good considering it is not a stubby)
Warn 9500 Powerplant winch
Pros:
– The Powerplant winch helped save my tipped over TJ from a very precarious spot without a problem
– The winch is fast and powerful
– The air compressor airs up my 32” BFGs from 12 psi to 30 psi in under 8 minutes
– Convenient
Cons:
– The air compressor isn’t portable. For all the money, I’d rather have a portable unit I can run up the line while on the trail with other Jeeps to help the person with the slipped bead at the front.
The on/off switch for the compressor is not on the unit. I have to go dig through my recovery bag in back to get the hand remote to turn the compressor on/off.