True North Fabrications (Available From SRQ Fabrications) Front Bumper For The 6th Gen Bronco

We recently covered a post on the top front bumper options for the new Bronco, and in that post, we featured True North Fabrications (TNF). Most of us Bronco owners come from some sort of automotive background whether it be Jeep, Toyota, or Ford.

I personally come from a Toyota background and that’s why I was drawn to True North.

The True North bumper has a style that is consistent with many of the aftermarket Toyota hybrid bumpers on the market. It’s one of the only hybrid-style designs that tucks the winch behind the bumper instead of mounting it on top.

I’ve never been a big fan of leaving a winch exposed to elements nor do I like the looks of a winch sitting on top of a bumper. Because of this, among other reasons, I decided to go with the True North hybrid.

Find it online: 

• True North Fabrications (TNF) Hybrid Front Bumper: Check Price

Overview

The open hybrid design on the TNF bumper provides superior strength and lightweight construction while boasting an incredible approach angle. TNF laser-scanned the Bronco in order to achieve precise fitment accuracy within .005 inches and depending on your aftermarket grille – it might even be too close. The bumper was designed around the OEM grille and some grilles are known to be larger so check your grille size before ordering.

The bumper uses 3/16″ HRPO steel for the winch plate and skid supports, 1/4” HRPO steel for vertical supports and mounting plates, and 11 gauge HRPO steel for the face plate.

They designed the hybrid around a Warn Zeon 8000 winch which features a standard 10″ x 4.5″ mounting pattern and universal centered fairlead/spool. I have confirmed the Smittybilt X20 fits however you will need to relocate the control box. To accommodate various winch models, they overscaled mounting points, providing room for adjustability during installation. Weighing approximately 95 lbs, with additional weight for grille guard tubing, this bumper offers optimal durability without compromising performance.

Features & Benefits

One of the main reasons we’re running this bumper is the design. It’s unlike many of the other Bronco bumpers on the market. The top of the bumper features a large surface area which allows for large pod-style lights to be mounted. Each wing features three pre-slotted cutouts for smaller fog and accessory lights.

• Hybrid design
• Lightweight: 95lbs
• Winch plate & skid supports: 3/16″ HRPO steel
• Vertical supports and mounting plates: 1/4” HRPO steel
• Faceplate: 11ga gauge HRPO steel
• Tubing: 1.75 OD .120 wall HREW steel
• Three (3) light mounts per wing

Find it online: 

• True North Fabrications (TNF) Hybrid Front Bumper: Check Price

Tools and Materials

• Smittybilt X20 10K Winch
• Metric Sockets
• Metric Open End Wrenches
• Drill Driver
• Impact
• Screwdriver
• Linemans Pliers
• Needle Nose Pliers
• Plastic Pry Tools
• Zip Ties
• Two people to lift the bumper

Hardware Overview

Hardware includes five (5) bolts on each side of the frame that holds the bumper onto the frame extensions and then one (1) pass-through bolt for each side as well.

Park Bronco on Flat Surface

Start by parking the Bronco on a flat surface so that the bumper doesn’t lean to one side when installing.

Step 1. Remove Bumper Caps

Removing the capable bumper on the Bronco is very simple. Start by popping off these plastic covers with a plastic pry tool.

Step 2. Remove Three Bolts on Each Side

Once the plastic covers are off, you can remove the three (3) bolts on each side holding the bumper onto the frame extensions.

Step 3. Remove Bumper & Fog Light Harness

Before removing the bumper you should disconnect this fog light harness. You can remove it once the bumper is off (pictured) but the harness does get tight. I would recommend pulling it off before removing the bumper.

Step 4. Remove the Radiator Inlet & Harness

Remove the radiator inlet plastics and disconnect the harness running to it.

Step 5. Remove Brackets Behind Frame Extensions

Remove the support brackets sitting behind the frame extensions. There are two plastic tabs on each side that you need to unscrew before the brackets come off. You can unthread and remove these by hand.

Step 6. Optional: Cut out Rubber Radiator Inlet Shroud

Depending on how close your winch sits to the radiator inlet plastics, you may need to cut this plastic piece out. The Smittybilt X20 rope wraps were touching this piece so I cut it out. You may not need to cut yours out if you’re running a smaller winch.

Step 7. Prepare Frame Extension Brackets

Each bracket is labeled.

• DI: Driver Inside
• DO: Driver Outside
• PI: Passenger Inside
• PO: Passenger Outside

Each of these brackets cradle the frame extension and connect up to the top bracket which all get connected when you install the bumper.

Step 8. Pre-Assemble Frame Extension Brackets

Here is what all three brackets look like when connected. You have an inside and outside bracket and then the top bracket. There are bolts in place to give you a visual of what it looks like when it’s all connected.

Step 9. Position First Bracket on Frame Extension

Start by mocking up where the first bracket goes. It sits directly on top of the frame extension.

Step 10. Locate Frame Extension Bolt

On top of the frame extension, you will see a bolt head that’s holding down a piece of sheet metal.

Step 11. Remove Frame Extension Bolt

Using an extended open end wrench remove this bolt.

Step 12. Position Top Bracket with Frame Extension Bolt

Now re-position the top bracket on top of the frame extension and thread this bolt back into place while aligning the holes on the top bracket evenly with the bolt holes on the frame extension mounting surface area. You may need to tilt the bracket out of the way initially in order to spin the wrench a few times. Once the bolt starts to get tight, move the bracket back into its final position and tighten the bolt all the way down.

Step 13. Mock Up Bumper

At this point, you can position the bumper and test-fit your winch and mounting points just to make sure everything lines up.

Step 14. Position Inside & Outside Brackets with Bumper

Once you have fitted your winch, you can position all the brackets in place on the backside of the frame extensions.

Step 15. Loosely Thread in all Frame Support Bolts

Once you position one bolt on both sides, proceed to loosely thread all bolts into place.

Step 16. Position Pass-Through Bolts

With the bolts and hardware still loosely positioned, slide the pass-through bolt in on both sides.

Step 17. Relocate Winch Control Box

I am running the Smittybilt X20 winch which costs around $500. Compare that to the WARN Zeon 8 they tested the bumper with sitting at $1400. I decided to run a more affordable winch and because of that, had to get creative with mounting the control box.

Step 18. Relocate Mount Points on Control Box

The Smittybilt X20 comes with a relocation bracket, however, the mounting points still put the control box pretty close to the body plastics. I ended up matching the mounting pattern about 1″ further inside the bumper away from the body and mounted it up. The clearance was perfect. We’re sitting about 1″ away from the body plastics with the control box relocated.

Final Thoughts

This bumper is incredibly well made and the installation is fairly straightforward. The bumper lines hug the body with precision and the tolerances, although they are close, sit at a comfortable 1/4″ – 1/2″ away from the body lines.

Fitting a winch on the bumper was incredibly simple as well. Because there are so many openings throughout the bumper, it’s easy to fit your hand into tight areas in order to suck down the winch.

The same applies to mounting the bumper itself as well. When fitting the bumper into place, True North provides 5 bolts for each side of the bumper and because of the openings throughout the bumper, it makes for a simple installation (compared to other hybrids I’ve installed in the past). The recovery points are unlike anything I’ve seen before.

While most front bumpers have circle recovery points, True North has an aggressive hard line that tapers around the bumper giving it an awesome look – all while still offering the same functionality.

The wings offer three mounting points on each side which creates a ton of room for lights. We will have a few KC Lights on each side of the bumper coming soon so look out for that install and wiring guide at some point.

The surface area on top of the bumper also offers plenty of room for adding pod-style lights or for you to mount something on the hoops – if needed. There are a ton of options for lighting with this bumper, which is one of the main reasons why we are running it.

I am beyond stoked at how this bumper looks on the Bronco.

Additional Shots