The answer to many problems with the stock rear bumper and aftermarket hitches - providing good, solid protection out back and a place to keep that monster tire.

The ShrockWorks Rear Bumper and Tire Carrier

The ShrockWorks rear bumper and tire carrier for the Xterra is a direct, bolt-on replacement for the stock rear bumper center piece. Made essentially of two parts; the bumper itself and the tire carrier/swing arm. You gain a much better approach angle over the stock components if you're using any kind of hitch and gain some serious protection out back. Useful options include a Hi-Lift jack and CB antenna mount (not pictured here, must specify when ordering). Available in raw steel or powdercoated black.

You might ask why someone would want to replace the rear bumper. The problem with the Xterra design is that the spare tire is kept underneath the rear of the truck, which is great in that it's out of your way and doesn't take up any valuable cargo space. The most obvious problem arises the first time you need to change a tire out in the muck. The stock location allows for the spare to get very, very dirty - and as a result, you as well.

Completely flat across the bottom	Much-improved departure angle

Other, more important limitations of the stock location are that the spare hangs down in a vulnerable position - allowing it to get hung up on and quite likely damaged by rocks and other trail hazards. If you're running larger tires such as 33" and above, they simply won't fit in the stock location, especially if you have an aftermarket hitch attached. Larger tires are usually wider as well - which means they'll hang down in harm's way that much more. This product solves all these problems... And more.

Once installed, the bottom of the bumper and the plastic quarter pieces are completely flat across the bottom and extends no more than the center piece of the bumper itself. This is great news for ground clearance and departure angles - no more digging holes with your hitch!

Packaging

Unlike the front bumper, the rear bumper is a much more manageable size and weight and can be shipped using regular carriers such as FedEx or UPS. To facilitate this, it's broken down into its two component parts; the bumper and the tire carrier. Mating the two again is a matter of installing one serious hinge bolt.

You technically could handle the two boxes by yourself, but having a buddy or at least a hand cart would be a good idea. Make sure to take apart the packaging carefully as bolts and other pieces might get lost in all the expanding foam that holds the parts in place within the boxes.

Installation

Installation really couldn't be much simpler and probably one of the easier mods you'll make on your truck - requiring nothing more than a few simple hand tools and about an hour's time. Having a friend to help would be really handy to put in the bolts while you position it or vice versa. While a jack would be the easy way to do it, I held it up and positioned it by hand...

The first step to installation is to remove the rear plastic quarter pieces. This is accomplished with nothing more than a phillips screwdriver. You might need to use a stubby variety to clear the tires. Put the plastic pieces and screws aside. If you have a Nissan or other aftermarket hitch, you'll need to remove that next - including any frame stiffeners if so equipped (the ShrockWorks unit comes with new frame stiffeners). Finally, remove the stock bumper via the three large bolts on either end.

Keep and refurb these

You want to keep the bumper mounts with captive bolts as you'll need to re-use these in mounting the new bumper. Clean these up and save for re-installation.

Now that everything is out, you can get into all the spots previously inaccessible and perform any cleanup necessary. Most likely just some surface rusting. Get everything cleaned up and basically just reverse the procedure used to remove the stock bumper. Apply plenty of grease to the bolts as you reassemble to prevent corrosion and make any future removal attempts easier. When you install the hinge be sure to grease everything - the bolt, bushings, etc. and wipe clean it when done.

Overall view of the new stiffeners	Notice the thickness of these
All stock parts removed	New bumper positioned
Driver side frame tab with stiffener	Mounted (without quarter pieces)

If you prefer to have the tire carrier stay where you position it or have it swing as smoothly and freely as possible - simply tighten/loosen the hinge bolt accordingly. You don't want to make it too tight, however. Since the tire carrier doesn't lock into an open position, you'll have to take into account the effect of an incline.

Use one of the stock license plate lights and attach it to the tire carrier using the provided mounting tab. Route the stock wires through the hole in the bumper by the hinge and under the arm, up between the license plate mount and arm - and into the light. I used some fresh split-loom conduit and nylon wire tires to tidy it up.

Attach the spacer if required (for stock backspaced rims) to the arm. You might have to drill or file out the three holes to clear the bolts as the two have a slightly different pattern. It would have been nice if this was already done, but it's not a big deal. Once mounted, you can attach your spare and adjust the depth using the three bolts on the arm holding the mount in place.

Make sure everything is tight, then proceed to re-install the plastic quarter pieces.

Lots of Details

The bumper, much like the Shrockworks sliders - are finished to amazing detail. All welds are clean with a nice radius or fillet and are finished smoothly with additional grinding and sanding before powdercoating. The bumper almost looks like it was created from billet. Computer designed, laser cut and CNC bent - all of the components fit together perfectly and come together to make a tight package.

Heavy duty hinge with bushings	The 1" thick shackle mount!

Not nearly as complicated as the front bumper, the rear bumper is essentially just a rectangular piece that replaces the stock unit exactly. A large hinge is provided on the passenger side which mates with the tire carrier arm using a large bolt and bushings to ensure smooth, squeak free operation.

One of the more shocking aspects of the rear bumper design just might be the shackle mounting tabs. Crafted out of solid chunks of 1" steel (you read that right), you could probably pull the Queen Mary out of dry dock. Attach the supplied 3/4" shackles and you now have two recovery points on each end of the bumper. Up high and out of the mud...

Tire up high and out of way	Clean, simple lines
Full ShrockWorks protection!	Much improved clearance

The bumper and tire carrier look clean and simple and compliment the lines of the Xterra. Vision out of the rear window isn't blocked as much as you might think, but does intrude somewhat.

License plate mounting w/stock light	Solution to third brake light

The license plate mounts to a plate on the tire carrier arm as you would expect, but a nice touch is being able to re-use your stock license plate light simply by mounting it to the tab provided. You run the wires back under the truck through a small hole in the bumper for just this purpose.

The one downside to the rear tire carrier is that it will block the view of the stock third brake light. Since you no longer need the hitch to mount your shackle - you can pick up a cheap, trailer harness connected brake light that slides right into the receiver. Not only does it function as a brake light, but also blinks with your blinkers, hazard and alarm!

Latch locks arm closed	Broader view of latch

On the driver side, a heavy duty latch holds the tire carrier arm closed and locks into place. A bailing pin is supplied - but you might want to secure it using a short chain, string or wire. I took a slightly ghetto approach, using what I had on-hand at the time...

Clearance between arm and hatch

There's plenty of clearance between the tire carrier arm and the rear hatch. In the picture above, the bumper is rotated slightly outwards at the top, so normally this gap is a touch smaller. Because of the design of the arm and the way the tire mounts to it - this is as close as it gets, regardless of tire size. One important thing to note is if you're using stock backspacing rims you'll need to ask for a spacer (at no additional cost). This pushes the spare a little further out, otherwise it wouldn't fit.

Field Testing

The bumper will be put through its paces over the next several months and this review updated. So far the bumper has performed recoveries of vehicles using tow straps without tweaking or shifting. The shackles are tight enough within the tabs that there is no rattling whatsoever. Likewise, the tire carrier opens and closes smoothly without a single squeak.

Conclusion

If you're looking for a do-it-all bumper, one that will hold jerry cans and CO2 bottles then the ShrockWorks unit isn't for you. However, it does provide for mounting a Hi-Lift and CB antenna (neither option pictured here) and can be requested at the time of order. The benefit of the ShrockWorks design is simplicity and being reasonably lightweight without compromising strength.

The product overall is a well thought out design with excellent attention to details. Solidly built and sure to both perform as well as look good doing so. With a reasonable and competitive price along with outstanding customer service you can't do much better than this. All hallmarks of ShrockWorks. Whether this is your first Shrockworks purchase or you're supplementing other products - this bumper will make a fine addition to your rig.

For more information, please visit the ShrockWorks Website.