[gatorguy]

My Strong Made front bumper was delivered yesterday so I went ahead and installed it last night. I finally like the look of the front end of the P500! Personally, I just feel like the front end was a little too open and unprotected. Overall, installation is pretty simply. It gets a lot easier if you have a cordless/pneumatic ratchet and ratcheting wrenches. I can say that once you tighten everything down it does not budge. I've seen brush guards on full size trucks that have more movement. The powder coat appears to be pretty durable and has a nice texture to it. The overall build quality is very good. I was never thinking about getting a winch until I got the bumper mounted. I doubt that I will use it very much. I'm leaning towards getting a utv Hi Lift jack and mounting it to that top bar of the bumper.

Here are a few pictures of the install.

The bottom bracket attaches to the stock front bumper and hood roll bar using u-bolts




Here is the actual bumper mounted over the bottom bracket


Now with the top bar on the bumper


Doesn't stick out more than 1/2" more than the stock bumper


Complete! Now time for a winch/hi lift jack


For more info:
BG-48W - Winch Series Front Bumper for 2015 Honda Pioneer 500 4x4

 

[WYmtnMan]

Cool bumper! Get some lights on that baby!

 

[gatorguy]

Cool bumper! Get some lights on that baby!

Lights are coming! I'm waiting on my roof to come in though. I'm going to mount a 24" light bar forward and an 8" bar rearward with some cubes on each corner probably.

 

[gatorguy]

I ordered a 21" led lightbar from Superbrightleds.com with the original intention of mounting it to the roof. However, after I installed the roof I realized how often I'm going under low hanging tree limbs etc. so a light wouldn't last long on the roof for me. I noticed the bumper seemed like a pretty good place to mount the light.

I thought about on top of the bull bar but I liked the low mount better as it is more protected. The very edges of the light only stick out about 1/2" infront of the bumper so it is pretty protected. Unless you chose a light bar with a similar mounting mechanism as mine, you won't be able to mount a 21" light here. The only negative I could see is if you drive through a lot of tall brush you might want a light higher up.

https://www.superbrightleds.com/mor...vy-duty-off-road-led-light-bar-54w/1272/2947/

 

[ahlgringo]

Or if you want a winch, though looks good. I am so far super impressed with the bumper- rock solid and protects the radiator- and in my case provides an ideal winch mount.

 

[scott]

It looks good i just don't like them or the EMP one. I'm waiting for some company to come out with something i like.

 

[gatorguy]

Or if you want a winch, though looks good. I am so far super impressed with the bumper- rock solid and protects the radiator- and in my case provides an ideal winch mount.

True! I meant to mention that I have no plans for a winch. They just arent as useful down here in Florida. Heck, this is my first 4wd four wheeler/SxS. Also, if you want to mount a winch you could use the lower mount.

 

[chooglin]

It looks good i just don't like them or the EMP one. I'm waiting for some company to come out with something i like.

Scott have checked out the bison bumpers ?

 

[chooglin]

http://www.atventure-accessories.com/2015-honda-pioneer-500-front-bumper-brushguard-bison/
Forget it,It looks more like a brush guard then a bumper !!!

 

[geraldvg]

Like the looks of the Strong Made bumper. What are you doing about skid plate and A-arm protectors?

 

[Silvertrd09]

Looks really good. How much does it weigh?

 

[Code54]

Think the shipping weight was about 40lbs, so i am thinking a shade less. Not really bad at all for the coverage it provides.

 

[gatorguy]

Like the looks of the Strong Made bumper. What are you doing about skid plate and A-arm protectors?

I'm not planning anything yet for skid plate since we don't have rocks. Although, I might end up making a new skid plate out of UHMW sheet like someone did here on the forum. I've already dented the stock skid plate just going over fallen trees and palmettos.

As for A-arm guards, I'm a little perplexed. Some swear by them while others say they trap debris and cause a boot to fail anyway. There is a nice looking aluminum set on ebay that I have my eye on if I make a decision.

Honda Pioneer 500 15 Front Stick Guards A Arm Boot Protectors Skids | eBay

 

[Code54]

I have had A arm guards on all my past machines (almost 20 years worth) and never had a boot get torn. No sticks ever caught any nor did mud build up ever cause an issue. Just my experience riding WV/PA woods and places like wayne Nat forest, Hatfield/McCoy - places like that.
I am going to put a set on my Pioneer as I would hate to rip one out on the trail if it preventable.
In all honestly a boot is not that bad of a repair - it is a job that look worse than it really is. I sometime rebuild older quads and have done several and it is more of a time consumer than a high skill level job in my opinion.

 

[gatorguy]

I have had A arm guards on all my past machines (almost 20 years worth) and never had a boot get torn. No sticks ever caught any nor did mud build up ever cause an issue. Just my experience riding WV/PA woods and places like wayne Nat forest, Hatfield/McCoy - places like that.
I am going to put a set on my Pioneer as I would hate to rip one out on the trail if it preventable.
In all honestly a boot is not that bad of a repair - it is a job that look worse than it really is. I sometime rebuild older quads and have done several and it is more of a time consumer than a high skill level job in my opinion.

What do you think of these guards? I like the idea of aluminum over steel so you don't have to worry about rust and I'm sure aluminum is more durable than UHMW. Since I don't have any experience with cv axles in atv's period I don't really know what to look for in A-arm guards. I ride a lot of flatwoods and drive over fallen trees etc so I can't help but think I'm asking for trouble.

Honda Pioneer 500 15 Front Stick Guards A Arm Boot Protectors Skids | eBay
Honda Pioneer 500 15 Rear Stick Guards CV Boot Skids A Arm Protectors | eBay

 

[Code54]

The aluminum should be fine, but the umhw is actually a tougher material as it won't bend and stay bent, it sort of pops right back. It also is sort of slippery when rocks hit it, really a surprise but that "plastic" is good stuff!!!! I always has steel ones in the past but they can develop rust and the others are lighter which is an advantage. For the price the ones on EBay look pretty nice.

 

[dnaburrell]

Cool look how much weight did it add to the front end

 

[gatorguy]

Cool look how much weight did it add to the front end

The bumper only weighs about 35 lbs so not much at all. It didn't change how it rides or steers at all.