“Fortune favors the prepared mind.” – Louis Pasteur
It’s been about a year since I installed armor on SDROVER with Tactical 4×4 front and rear bumpers, sliders, and spare tire carrier. In full disclosure, I have no affiliation with Tactical 4×4 and purchased everything with my own hard-earned money.
Several years ago, on a trip to Monache Meadows with a bunch of Land Rovers, I had the opportunity to meet Eric and Wendy, owners of Tactical 4×4. They were driving an LR3 that sported the front and rear bumper and one slider – an example of a cobbler with no shoes.
Over the weekend, I got to know them and appreciated the hand-crafted quality of the armor. By the end of the trip, I had decided to save up money and arranged to outfit the LR4 with front and rear bumpers, a spare tire carrier, and sliders.
Let’s start with the positives of this decision
First, I enjoy the look of the LR4 – much more rugged and off-road worthy. Every time I approach the rig, I appreciate its style. I’ve never been a big fan of LR4’s boxy look. I think it looks like a hearse for short people – the armor improves the overall style.
Front Bumper Detail
When I decided to keep my LR4 long-term, I wanted to have a winch on board. I often go on solo adventures, and self-recovery is top of mind. And, of course, having a winch involves helping a stranded adventurer back on the trail.
Eric has a clever design of the front bumper system. Once the factory plastic bumper has been removed and the metal bumper behind that removed, he provides a sturdy 1/4 steel winch plate bolted to the frame. The attachment of the shell bumper with four bolts – is easily removed for servicing the winch or access to the vehicle.
According to their website, the front bumper does not affect the operation of the airbag system. I opted not to have parking sensors on my bumpers since I find them very annoying off-road. However, at the time of order, they had the option to have them fitted.
The OEM fog lights can be removed and fitted into the bumper with no issues – I plan on replacing them at some point with some Baja Designs – but it is not high on my list.
Take some care in the selection of the winch you choose to install for fit. I had decided on the Warn 10S Zeon Platinum, but during Covid, it was back ordered and would not arrive for a year. I’m glad I ended up with my current Warn 10S Zeon winch since it offers a wired winch controller – the Zeon Platinum had no manual option. I did purchase the Bluetooth version of the controller to use my iPhone to winch wirelessly.
I did opt for synthetic line over steel to keep the weight down on the rig. However, remember that adding this armor adds a great deal of additional weight; I will discuss that later in this article.
The bumper allowed attachments for my Baja Designs Light bar. Watch for a review of this lightbar soon – I cannot tell you how handy they are for late-night arrivals to camp in the desert!
One small detail to note is the front bumper does not have any way to attach a front license plate, which is required in California. So instead, I opted for a solution from Cascadia 4×4 Flipster V3 – (Affiliate Amazon Link).
Another nice touch is the connections for branch deflectors from the bumper bar to the roof rack if you make off-road trips that threaten to break your expensive windshield. Front runner offers an out-of-the-box solution, but you could quickly put one together yourself.
The front bumper provides excellent approach angle and protection. With all the armor products from Tactical Rovers 4×4, you have to appreciate the superb craftsmanship and attention to detail. The powder coat has held up well in our SoCal weather, but I have a few scrapes from some close calls.
Finally included in the front bumper price is replacing the plastic washer bottle. In addition, the bumper affords protection for the lower portion of the radiator.
The Sliders
The size of the sliders, when seen off the vehicle, is pretty extensive. So far, I’ve not tested them on rocky trails with impact, but I’ve seen other rigs in action, which are very sturdy. I firmly believe in the old Land Rover adage, as slow as possible, fast as necessary. Giving the LR4 is my daily driver, these sliders provide peace of mind without damaging the rocker panels or underbody components.
Tactical Rovers offers 4×4 several options to finish the slider rails, but I wanted to keep them as tight to the body as possible.
A bonus is I never worry about someone dinging me in the Home Depot parking lot anymore – it will hurt them more than me. I love the additional extension of these on the rear bumper – it’s a perfect place to leash up Kiki in camp.
Rear Bumper & Spare Tire Carrier
Moving on to the rear of the LR4, I’m pleased with the rear bumper. It features the same quality craftsmanship and finishes. In addition, the recovery hook is easily accessible along with the seven-pin trailer connector.
I did opt for the rear tire carrier to get the spare from under the rig for increased ground clearance and assessability to change tires while on the trail.
Here are the positives: the rugged look of the rig and easy access. It’s also a great place to install a tire-mounted trash bag; I can’t tell you how happy I am to get that plastic trash bag out of the rig or strapped to the rack.
Here are some of the negatives
Earlier this year, while I was on Mojave Road, I had trouble with the tube systems that held the wheel/tire onto the carrier slipping resulting in the tire coming off the rest stops on the bottom. I did several trail fixes, including using a rachet strap to secure the tire. Given that these tubes need to be adjustable for various tire sizes, they are held secure by hardware that can allow the adjustments to shift.
Eric suggested that you drill through the horizontal tube with a cotter pin-style pin to keep the tube from slipping out of place; since I have installed that, I’ve not had any issues with movement, and the tire rests securely on the supports.
The tire carrier moves a bunch of weight to the rear, which causes some issues with ride quality and noise. Mainly since my Mojave Road trip, I’ve been unable to adjust the carrier to eliminate all the noises on rough roads. I’m sure I could manage to change the latch or tire to minimize this – but I find it pretty annoying.
The other negative in my mind is every time you want access to the rear of the LR4, it is a two-handed job. First, you must unlatch the carrier and pull the tire out – this can be difficult in tight garage situations— the same way when closing everything up. Again, as a daily driver, handling the tire tends to get a bit dirty.
Summary After One Year
Would I purchase them again? – the answer is an absolute yes!
If you are using your Land Rover for serious off road make the sliders your first purchase. If you want just looks go with the front and rear bumper.
Keep in mind that Tactical 4×4 is a small shop – all orders are filled at the time of order and are not mass produced. So be prepared to be patient – these are beautifully engineered and built hand-crafted products.
Tactical 4×4 offer products for Land Rover Discovery 1 & 2, LR3 & LR4 including bumpers, sliders, skid plates, water carriers and the LR3/4 Ox Hitch.
You can find more information regarding Tactical 4×4 at their website– be sure to say Jeff said hello!
Remember to get outside!
