This bumper was built from May 12-15, 2003, by Rock Ware, a very well regarded off-road fabrication shop in Colorado Springs. Max Green (Austin, TX) had the only other one built for a 3rd Gen 4Runner by this shop in December of 2001 and the drooling session began immediately by myself and many others. You may view the some pictures of it, which now belongs to Vince Kao (Pasadena, CA), here.

Also having one made at the same time as mine, was Lance Urenda (AKA Bighead on the 4Runner forums: Pinehurst, NC), whom I collaborated my thoughts with on a revised design. The main two revisions from the original bumper we agreed on were to have straight sides and an off-centered tire carrier. The only other noticeable difference is that it provides a slightly better departure angle than the original by not extending as far back, probably a little over an an inch or so. We went with 1" spacing between the body and the bumper so as to allow room for the frame and body mounts to flex during encounters with rocks. Matt Peterson (Rock Ware owner) estimated the bumper to weigh ~85 pounds and the tire carrier portion ~15 pounds. I lifted Lance's at the shop and it is indeed very lightweight, relatively speaking of course. I've seen some numbers for the weight of other custom bumpers and this one is much lighter in comparison. In fact, I haven't lost any lift in the rear with this. My driver's side stayed even, while the passenger side dropped 3/8", which now sits level with the driver's side. Props to my Elmo springs! It really is a great fit and Lance and myself are extremely pleased with the design and perfect for our uses.

After Lance's and my bumpers were made, Adrian Flygt (Madison, WI) had one made for his '95 4Runner in early June of 2003. Following that, was Michael Kuperstein (Portland, OR) who traveled down and had one made for his '96 4Runner. Then, Dave Pihlgren (Telluride, CO), Ashu Rangole (Denver) and Scott Yoder (Denver) have since had one made for their respective 2000 4Runners.

Regarding the tire carrier, I have since found that it offers no advantage over keeping the spare underneath in its original location, and there really isn't a good reason to have one installed. To the contrary, there are a number of reasons to not have one installed. The only reason I initially wanted one was to have more clearance and a better departure angle out back. However, this factor rarely, if ever, comes into play, and therefore isn't a factor at all. The only reason I have left mine on is that I am planning to add an auxiliary fuel tank at some point for extended travel range, otherwise it would definitely be off.