Road Armor Spartan Front Bumper

No time to read this whole article? Just want the quick and dirty dets? “Too long; didn’t read” you’re fav acronym? Don’t worry. We hear ya. Here’s our Midwest Aftermarket Bullet Point Breakdown of the Spartan Bumper:

• A Heavy Duty Steel Bumper
• Non-winch Bumper for Pickup Trucks
• Finished in a 5 Stage Powder Coating
• Backed by Road Armor’s Lifetime Guarantee
• Made in the USA, right in the heart of Texas!
• Black Bumpers and Trim Match OE Style
• Heavy Duty Bumper, Prevents Unnecessary Wear and Tear
• Shipped Free of Charge to your Home
• DIY Install
• Top Notch Aftermarket Bumpers
• Great for your Ford F-150, Dodge Ram 1500, GMC Sierra, or Chevy Silverado
• Got a Toyota Tacoma and like this style? Might we suggest the Stealth series from Road Armor
• Top of the Line Truck Bumper
• A True American Made Product
• Did we mention that sexy Black Powder Coated Finish? Yeah… we did, twice.

The Spartan Front Bumper from Road Armor

When we think of American Made heavy duty bumpers, a few great brands come to mind: Ranch Hand, Addictive Desert Designs, and, of course, Road Armor. Whether you’re looking to personalize with their Identity series or just want to go straight to full badass with the Spartan bumper line, Road Armor has some great front and rear bumpers for your pickup truck.

If you’re looking for a replacement bumper, you’ve reached your destination. The Spartan eats other aftermarket bumpers for lunch or kicks them into a pit before shouting This is Sparta… or something like that.

Seriously, though, this aftermarket bumper has the look and feel of the true Spartan warrior. All the sharp details and fine edgework, finished in Road Armor’s 5 stage powder coat. That’s right. 5 Stages. Not one, or two. Five.

One of the first questions many of us have about steel aftermarket products is will it rust? Of course, steel is super durable. No one will argue against that. But the constant fear of rust remains. Especially if you’re in a northern climate that has rough winters or anywhere with a heavy raining season, oxidation and corrosion is a real concern.

But with Road Armor, you know they’ve got you and your bumper covered with their 5 stage system. First they Blast the raw metal with sand to clean it down to the bare bones. Next they pre-bake the bumper to remove additional impurities and clean her with fire! Next up is the first full coating--a zinc coat is applied to prevent oxidation and rust. She then topped off with that sick satin black finishing powder coat that Spartan is known for. Finally, the whole thing is baked together to seal her up proper. And just like that, she’s protected against wind, rain, snow, salt, and all those nasty corrosive chemicals. Where other companies just finish their product in a single step of powder coating, which of course can scratch off, Road Armor goes above and beyond.

Replacing your OE Bumper with an Aftermarket Bumper

Rarely a planned event, most Aftermarket front bumper purchase come after the catastrophe. If you’re shopping for a front bumper, then you don’t need me to tell you what happened, cause it already did, and probably to you or your significant other.

Around here, it’s almost always one of two things: deer or hail. In your neck of the woods, maybe it’s elk or moose or teenage drivers or your wife driving into a closed garage door. Either way, we sincerely hope nobody got hurt. Well, nobody except your poor truck. And that stings too. But it hurts even more when you hear the potential bill from your custom body mechanic for that OE style replacement bumpers.

Why is it that those plastic OE bumpers straight from the factory that crack the second you put any weight into them cost so damn much? Well, here’s the good news: most aftermarket bumpers will be at least partially if not completely covered by your insurance check. BAM! You’re welcome. And even if you do have to shell out a little dough, wouldn’t you rather get something that’s gonna last instead of plastic crap that’s gonna crack the next time there’s a stiff breeze?

Here’s where aftermarket really shines. Unlike stock bumpers, an aftermarket bumper, like the Spartan, is designed to take a beating and give it right back. These babies are going to protect both the front end of your vehicle and all of your passengers too.

When you get a heavy duty bumper on your truck, you won’t have to worry about any future incidents on the daily anymore. The next deer you hit, won’t be damaging your truck. That Spartan can take and absorb the impact, preventing your engine and frame from taking any damage. And when it comes to Road Armor, you know you’re getting quality and a product you can trust, made right here in the US of A.

But you might be thinking that choosing an aftermarket truck bumper is more about style than material and construction. And don’t get us wrong. We are sure you want something that’s going to look great. And no doubt you’ve come to check out the Spartan because you like the look of her. But you should also know all the hard work that goes into making her and just how durable she really is. After all, not all aftermarket steel bumpers are cut from the same material… literally.

The Road Armor Difference

When you’re looking at stylized images on a website, it might be hard to distinguish quality produced bumpers from cheap knockoffs. So let us help you out by explaining the Road Armor Difference. Savvy buyers often ask just these kinds of questions. So, it’s made of steel, huh? What gauge? Or how thick is it, in other words? And that’s a hell of a question.

So let’s be real. Most of Road Armor’s heavy duty lines, like the Stealth series, is made of heavy duty steel. And that term is often bandied about, so let’s make it clear just what Road Armor means by “heavy duty.” While many competitors release their HD bumpers made from 10 or even 12 gauge steel, Road Armor’s heavy duty steel bumpers are made of steel that is nearly 2.5 times thicker. We’re talking 3/16’s of an inch thick up to a quarter of an inch thick steel here! So don’t let the cheaper models fool you. The strength of your aftermarket bumper starts with the thickness of that steel.

Now if you’re looking for a lighter weight bumper, then Road Armor has you covered their too. Their Spartan series starts with 11 gauge steel attached using heavy duty brackets. So if fuel economy is something you want to maximize but you still want a hardcore bumper, then the Spartan is the one for you.

And the material isn’t the only thing that separates Road Armor from the rest of the pack. They also use top of the line construction and assembly methods, starting with Laser CNC machines over the cheaper plasma cutter method because they want their cuts to be perfect so that the bumper’s construction fits exactly as designed. It all starts with those first CNC laser cuts.

Next you have to look at the quality of the welds on your bumper. Since Road Armor’s bumpers are all made right here in the States, you can count on their craftsmanship. Road Armor employees professional tradesmen who weld for a living. That means their welds are top quality. Not only do Road Armor’s welds look more professional, the be lack of bubbling and ugly welds means their bumpers are built to last. And they back it up with that lifetime guarantee to boot.

Road Armor uses high tolerances and minimal seams for assembly too. This means their products are designed to fit together perfectly and fit snugly and securely. Once those individual pieces are fitted together and properly welded, they aren’t going anywhere.

And Road Armor always fully boxes their internal structures, unlike so many of the competitors who use interior internal structure. This means the brackets and attachment areas are better protected and secured, meaning that should you ever get into an accident, your bumper is going to take the bulk of the force and it isn’t going to bend off or shred a bracket. This is what top quality construction looks like.

Finally, Road Armor’s bumpers are properly finished. We already talked about the 5 stage powder coating, but even before we get to that finishing level, we start with top quality, professional welds. Next they have high quality light can construction. Finally, when all that is done and the piece is fully assembled, they grind down and eliminate all the weld spatter and buff smooth the grind marks. Not only does this make your bumper look better cause it doesn’t have all those pockmarks and bumps, but it also means that the powder coat finish is going to take better, that it’s not going to chip or rub off.

At the end of the day, you can tell that the folks over at Road Armor are serious about what they produce. They take pride in making top of the line, quality aftermarket bumpers for your truck or Jeep. And the quality shows. It’s the kind of craftsmanship you can only really get here in the States, and who’s surprised it’s coming out of Texas. Everybody knows, you don’t mess with Texas.

If you’re looking for a quality steel bumper, look no further. You’ve found your next front bumper. The Spartan is built to last and will protect your vehicle and your passengers for years to come. Just like the folks over at Road Armor always say, “When the call is made, a Spartan will answer.” We couldn’t agree more.