BM Fab vs Backwoods front bumper?

[IFlyEm]

I'm ordering bumpers for my snow check. I went with a Backwoods rear bumper but I'm turn between the Backwoods and BM Fab front bumpers.

Any thoughts on the two?

 

[titus_4]

I like the Backwoods for the small skid plate area. Plus the 50% replacement offer they have if you break it. Does BM offer something similar?

 

[meathooker]

I like the look of the top one between those two

ever since we left the plastic bumpers from the iQ chassis days I’ve never understood the need for a front bumper. I use the rule of wrist/forearm while riding and have never had an issue.

 

[Murph]

I like the look of the top one between those two

ever since we left the plastic bumpers from the iQ chassis days I’ve never understood the need for a front bumper. I use the rule of wrist/forearm while riding and have never had an issue.

I use the same rule....BUT.... when my sled is ghost riding, it has small man complex and always picks a fight with the biggest tree it can find....

 

[AKFULLTHROTTLE]

B&M Has a cross brace that goes under the pipe, a few more minutes for install but the rigidity for outshines the others out there.

 

[Fat_Tones]

Had B&M on my previous sled, but went with Backwoods this time. Never really hit anything hard enough to test things, but they look nice lol.

 

[kylant]

i like them both. they both have pros and cons.
I ran all BM Fab on my previous sleds.
last year i started running Backwoods.
I center punched a tree last year and i was for certain the bulkhead was toast. The Backwoods took all the brunt and folded like it should have. there was no damage to the sled. I was super impressed. They replaced it at 50% off. Nice.
The Backwoods rear bumper is fine.

Backwoods Front:
Pros:
-more compact design
-mini skid plate
-50% off replacement

Cons:
-no crossbrace (don't know if it is really necessary)
-hood brackets are 3d printed (poorly)
-nose cone has to be riveted instead of reusing the stock bolts.
-if using a skid plate, it has to be modified to fit

BM Front:
Pros:
-crossbrace
-reuses stock side panel brackets
-nose cone is bolted on
-can use skid plate without modification

Cons:
-bigger
-no welded skid plate
-no replacement reduction


Rears:

-both are basically the same
-BM has a lip that matches the tunnel

-Backwoods is all riveted, couple of spots are questionable
-BM uses rivets and bolts,

Can't go wrong with either of them.
I'm debating between them for the new sled

 

[FCR112]

I have a bmfab front and a backwoods bmp rear in my garage right now both are built very nicely. As far a Polaris neon goes the backwoods powder coat is a perfect match and the bmfab is a bit lighter shade. Will be fine for the front but if someones trying to color match the factory tunnel paint backwoods bmp has it nailed perfect

 

[kanedog]

I have a bmfab front and a backwoods bmp rear in my garage right now both are built very nicely. As far a Polaris neon goes the backwoods powder coat is a perfect match and the bmfab is a bit lighter shade. Will be fine for the front but if someones trying to color match the factory tunnel paint backwoods bmp has it nailed perfect

Post a pic of the hue

 

[FCR112]

It’s hard to pick up in the shop light pics but noticeable in person
BMP is identical
BMFab is a little different, lighter in the sun
The build quality on both are excellent

…from a BMFab repeat customer so no bias, observation only

Added different pics

 

[FCR112]

The spindles are factory. The bumper is close but a little off. No biggie but noticeable. Will look better after some tree bashing scuffs

 

[FlynHigh]

To add to Kylant's pros cons list

Backwoods Front:
Pros:
-more compact design
-mini skid plate
-50% off replacement
-uses 3/4 tubing for mounting. This could be a pro or a con smaller tube might bend and absorb some energy, but on the other hand might be too weak.

Cons:
-no crossbrace (don't know if it is really necessary)
-hood brackets are 3d printed (poorly)
-nose cone has to be riveted instead of reusing the stock bolts.
-if using a skid plate, it has to be modified to fit
-Mini skid plate will hold snow that add weights, Also the mini skid plate has lots of cutouts that seems like it would catch something rather than slide over it.
-uses plastic caps on ends.

BM Front:
Pros:
-crossbrace
-reuses stock side panel brackets
-nose cone is bolted on
-can use skid plate without modification
-Uses 1" tube for mounting.
-Has welded capped ends

Cons:
-bigger
-no welded skid plate (this could be a pro as it won't trap snow and add weight)
-no replacement reduction


Rears:

-BM has an extra plate in the middle for additional reinforcement but not sure of the purpose
-BM has a lip that matches the tunnel this adds a lot of ridgity. Think of angle iron vs flat plate.

-Backwoods is all riveted, couple of spots are questionable
-BM uses rivets and bolts,

For my Matryx I will choose B&M Front and Rear. I have a B&M rear bumper on my AXYS and really like it. Currently my AXYS has the upgraded front Polaris bumper which isn't all that great. Will probably replace it with a B&M when I "pass" it down to my kids to ride as they like to find trees.

 

[chevy_man]

I like the look of the top one between those two

ever since we left the plastic bumpers from the iQ chassis days I’ve never understood the need for a front bumper. I use the rule of wrist/forearm while riding and have never had an issue.

We'd all like to think we never need a bumper, but mine has plowed down some stuff that made me cringe while I was watching the sled ride itself.

 

[kylant]

destroyed another front bumper the other day.
was going to pick up a BM Fab as a replacement. the number 1 reason why I didn't, is that I did not want to deal with removing the pipe and the wastegate on the boost. If I had any other matryx sled, I would have gone to BM. there are a couple things that make it a bit better (IMO) than the others.
I did get the 50% off replacement on the BMP too

 

[MTsled3]

I put Backwoods front and rear on my wife's sled and B&M Fab on mine. The fronts went on smoothly and both seem to be good quality, but both did rub on the pipe. The sleds both have HPS cans on them, so i think it was a combo of the can and bumpers both being slightly different from stock. The Backwoods came with a thick washer to add under the pipe for more clearance, but it wasn't enough to clear the bumper. Had to add a few more thin washers, and silicone them together to keep them in place. Barely clears the bulkhead now near the y-pipe, but hasn't contacted it yet. I added my own thick washer on the B&M sled and the pipe clears the bumper now.

The rear Backwoods one was a bit of a pain to get on. The bends on the grab bar piece didn't match up very well with the angle of the tunnel. The rivets were too small and I had a couple of them pull out during install (from trying to get the rear piece lined up). The B&M fab rear was a perfect fit and I had no issues. One suggestion I do have is to drill out the furthest forward rivet before starting to mount the side plates, as it is easier to drill it out from the outside. Then drill the hole for the bumper from the inside once the side plates are mounted (makes sense when you read the directions).

 

[RBalazs]

I put Backwoods front and rear on my wife's sled and B&M Fab on mine. The fronts went on smoothly and both seem to be good quality, but both did rub on the pipe. The sleds both have HPS cans on them, so i think it was a combo of the can and bumpers both being slightly different from stock. The Backwoods came with a thick washer to add under the pipe for more clearance, but it wasn't enough to clear the bumper. Had to add a few more thin washers, and silicone them together to keep them in place. Barely clears the bulkhead now near the y-pipe, but hasn't contacted it yet. I added my own thick washer on the B&M sled and the pipe clears the bumper now.

The rear Backwoods one was a bit of a pain to get on. The bends on the grab bar piece didn't match up very well with the angle of the tunnel. The rivets were too small and I had a couple of them pull out during install (from trying to get the rear piece lined up). The B&M fab rear was a perfect fit and I had no issues. One suggestion I do have is to drill out the furthest forward rivet before starting to mount the side plates, as it is easier to drill it out from the outside. Then drill the hole for the bumper from the inside once the side plates are mounted (makes sense when you read the directions).

Totally agree on the rear BMP portion. I’ve had a couple come out and next sled I think I’ll use even longer ones so I can get washers on the backs. Maybe bolts and rivets like BM does.

 

[Chadly]

Totally agree on the rear BMP portion. I’ve had a couple come out and next sled I think I’ll use even longer ones so I can get washers on the backs. Maybe bolts and rivets like BM does.

You didn't leave for very long

 

[RBalazs]

You didn't leave for very long

I didn’t say I was leaving forever, I was going to bed

 

[Chadly]

I didn’t say I was leaving forever, I was going to bed

That's not very nice to tease us with paradise...

 

[kylant]

Totally agree on the rear BMP portion. I’ve had a couple come out and next sled I think I’ll use even longer ones so I can get washers on the backs. Maybe bolts and rivets like BM does.

that is what I did. used bolts and rivets like BM Fab. I think I actually used bolts supplied by them, somehow I ended up with an extra hardware pack