Reunel Rear Bumper Owners - Question

[stg2500]

I am trying to decide on a replacement rear bumper due to a hit and run in a parking lot. As a result I want to buy a Reunel due to it's durability, but I have a few questions.



1. Does anyone have a photo of the Dodge rear without the back-up lights?



2. Are the back-up lights worth the added expense or are tractor type lights mounted underneath just as good?



3. What is the difference in height between the welded in receiver and bolt on receiver compared to the stock receiver?



4. How has the finish held up after several years of use?



5. Is there a hole in the bumper for the trailer wiring plug?



Sorry for so many questions, just trying to make the right decision.



Thanks for the help.

 

[BarryG]

STG:

I don't own one but I did call them once and ask them some questions so I can tell you what they told me about a couple of yours.



they told me the difference in height on the reciever was theirs was 3 inches higher



they told me there was no hole for the plug



they said only real advantage of the light in the bumper is they are safer, don't have to worry so much about ripping them off in a snow bank or whatever (they do use piaa lights though)



They gave me this info about 1 1/2 years ago



Hope it is helpful and not out of date.

 

[Big Best]

Ihave that bumper on my 97. It is a heavy duty bumper. THE BUILT IN BACKUP LIGHTS are PIIAS ABOUT $90. OO MORE, tHEY ALSOhave a plate they make for your wiring. It is a good product I went and had my installed free. They were close by in Yuba City, ca. BOB.

 

[Mactruck]

Originally posted by stg2500



1. Does anyone have a photo of the Dodge rear without the back-up lights?



No Sorry



2. Are the back-up lights worth the added expense or are tractor type lights mounted underneath just as good?



That's entirely up to preference. My PIAA's that came with the bumper shine up the back real well. Tractor type could do the same. Just won't look as "Custom" I guess... .



3. What is the difference in height between the welded in receiver and bolt on receiver compared to the stock receiver?



Can't compare to Stock but I know if it's welded in between the two horizontal center channels, it's about three inches higher. The attachement one that bolts in is actually more expensive but can be removed. To weld in the reciever is about $50. Thats my preference - I use a ball hitch with a 6" drop.



4. How has the finish held up after several years of use?



Not Well! I've had three Reunel rear bumpers ALL have had a Sh**ty paint job that started rusting within two years. I paid extra on my last one to have it custom matched for my silver on the two-tone. It's held up ok but I know I'm going to have to sand blast it and repaint it in a couple of years.



5. Is there a hole in the bumper for the trailer wiring plug?



Yes, It comes with a Bracket that attaches in betweeen the two horizontal center channels of the bumper. I decided not to use it.





No problem with the questions. Thats why we are here!

 

[stg2500]

Mactruck thanks for the input! I liked that bumper ever since I saw it installed a couple years ago.



The receiver height is my main concern. I currently have a 6" drop for the car trailer and it is adequate with the stock receiver. If the welded in one is 3" higher I don't know what I would do for a drop. I do like the increased capacity of the hitch in the Reunel.



Can the stock receiver be retained with the Reunel bumper?



So based on the finish concerns I should consider the stainless overlays or full stainless bumper I guess.

 

[Mactruck]

Originally posted by stg2500



The receiver height is my main concern. I currently have a 6" drop for the car trailer and it is adequate with the stock receiver. If the welded in one is 3" higher I don't know what I would do for a drop. I do like the increased capacity of the hitch in the Reunel.

Just to clarify - The reciever on my bumper is approximately the same as a stock reciever. The 3" difference in height is compared to the add on/bolt on reciever available from reunel. Not a stock reciever.

Can the stock receiver be retained with the Reunel bumper?

No It definetly cannot!



Personally I would get the black for no extra charge. Then plan on painting it whatever color you want in two years. It will still be cheaper than the stainless option. It will still look good for a few years before it needs painting.

 

[dan_gilson]

I have one with the lights. I have put lights on every truck that I own. Inside the bumper in my opinion is the way to go. You do not have to worry about ripping them off when going over something, not breaking them if you back into something and not tripping over them if they are on top of the bumper.



Sorry no pictures.



As for the receiver height, I fixed that by using a Roto-eze see: http://www2.cnewsusa.com/ads/22029.html.

You can replace the pin rings with padlocks and make it complete secure. They are nice people to do business with too.



You can also fix the receiver height by added the winch option. That will drop the receiver down about 4".



Paint is poor. I would have gotten stainless if it was available at the time.



The original trailer plug can be mounted below the bumper.



I have backed into a tree (no damage). I have had a 35' flat bed truck run his body work along it. It broke my Horton step and cracked the end cap weld. It took off some paint too. Nothing that could not be handled by a flat file and some touch up paint.



Am I still pleased? Yes. Would I get another? Yes. I wish I could afford a front bumper right now. I hope this helps.

 

[dan_gilson]

I forgot to mention. I have the backup lights on a 3 way switch. Up - on full time. That way I can work back there with some light. Center - off full time (normal position). Down - On when in reverse. Backing trailer mode.



If you do anything with trailers having backup lights are a must. I put thm on after backing the '47 wood boat up a curved driveway. I stopped when I heard a crunch. Fortunately, I just smashed a tail light on the driveway wall and was inches from the boat. I really did not want to explain to my dad how I just screwed up something that he put hours and hours of time into.



The PIAA that Ruenel sell seem to be really well engineered. Check out the PIAA website. I was impressed that I could get pdf specs for just about everything that they sell. I have yet ot have a problem with them.

 

[Spooled-up]

Check MacTruck's photo album pics for a pic of the bumper. There is one in the Four Wheeling section.

 

[Mactruck]

How's this.

#ad

 

[Mactruck]

#ad

 

[Joseph Donnelly]

That's the newer design, and I think it looks a lot better than the simpler, first design Reunel rear bumper. Where did you take the picture, Colorado?

 

[Mactruck]

Yes, Colorado. San Juan Range. Engineer pass in between Silverton and Lake City. I actually started the trek from Ophir which is just south of Telluride. The Mountain range on the left of the pic is looking North-North west towards the range.



My first Reunel was the simpler design. I had it on an 1986 F250.

The newer design is much better IMHO.

 

[stg2500]

Thanks for all the help. I think that this is definately the way to go.



Mactruck,



Thanks for the pics.



I thinkt that I will probably go with the bumper and lights with the bolt on receiver. I would like to drop the receiver a few inches for ease of trailering especially when the 295 BFG's are mounted in a little while. The bolt on receiver should have a similar rating to the weld in right?



do you have any recent pics of the bumper? I would like to see how it has held up as far as finish goes.



Is the reunel the same depth as the stock bumper. Does it stick out any farther from the truck?



sorry for all the questions.

 

[NVR FNSH]

Originally posted by stg2500

I do like the increased capacity of the hitch in the Reunel.

How exactly is the Reunel mounted? Does it use the stock mounting locations/fasteners or does it use additonal mounting points/bracing to strengthen the mounting configuration? I have a real hard time buying their claim of a 20K tow rating when the factory receiver is only 10K. The bumper may have been tested to 20K but was it bolted to a Dodge frame for that testing or something else?



They do look good though, and I'll probably be buying one for my truck to replace the tinfoil rear bumper that bent when a 6" dia tree got in my way... .



Brian

 

[fbadmaev]

Ranch Hand

Before you make a decision, check out www.ranchhand.com



I have the rear and its great.



Frank

 

[dan_gilson]

The Reunel is rated over the frame. So, for out trucks the frame is now the limit.



It also mounts to other vehicles that have more capactiy in their frames. The rating is from lab testing.



The 10K# is for a ball hitch. If you use a pinta you can get the 15K#.



I have the bolt on hitch because of the winch. The (2) 1"+ diameter bolts are pretty stout. They are grade 5 and Mr. Ruenel did stretch them on installation. I watched as he did. You are welcome to go to a materials book and figure out what the shear is on those suckers then divide by the appropriate safety factor. The testing lab would not have allow the rating if they were not up to snuff.



When I watch the bumper being mounted he used all available existing holes in the frame to bolt to. I believe that it was 3 but I will have to craw under to verify. I think the stock bumper only use 2 out of the 3 holes.



The winch does limit the spare tire size. It has not been a problem yet for me. But I have not yet tried to put the Rickson 19. 5 under there yet. I am waiting for a non-busy good weather weekend.

 

[RAndrae]

reunell

I bought my 02 LB in july and drove it up to yuba city to get my rear reunell. I checked this personnely as the people at the factory didnt know -- the welded in receiver is about 1 1/2 inches higher than stock!! I would definately go with the welded in receiver as the bolt on one is going to be much lower than stock.



Another idea is to have both. If you are going to have a BIG cab over camper you could use the welded in one to strengthen a LONG extended receiver.



Also I got the white with stainless overlays, but I had them NOT install the stainless. When I got home I bought two 4" stainless rimmed, flush mount lights. I cut a hole in each side and then the stainless, installed the stainless and then the lights. looks awsome works GREAT!! (cheaper too) Paint job SUCKS!!!!! get the bumper unpainted PREP and PAINT it yourself!!!!

 

[NVR FNSH]

Originally posted by dan_gilson

The Reunel is rated over the frame. So, for out trucks the frame is now the limit.



It also mounts to other vehicles that have more capactiy in their frames. The rating is from lab testing.



The 10K# is for a ball hitch. If you use a pinta you can get the 15K#.

Dan,

I'm missing something here. How does using a pintle hitch increase the factory hitch (or any other hitch for that matter) capacity to 15K? The rating is for the weakest link in the system and I don't recall seeing anything that differentiates between the frame mounted receiver vs the drop hitch/ball. I believe DC requires a 5th wheel or goose neck for any towed loads over 10K so a 15K rated pintle is a moot point.



Where are you located in the bay area?



Brian

 

[dan_gilson]

The max you can tow with a ball hitch is 10K#. The weakest link.



They make pinta's that go up to at least 30K#. Put on a heavy pinta. Work back on components (find the weakest link) and you should find that the receiver is rated at 15K# and so is the Frame. So, you should legally be able to pull 15K# with a pinta providing that you do not exceed the GCVW.



I think we are both thinking the same things. I am probably not saying it very well.