Would you remove the front frame support for a better WINCH bumper?

[Omelet]

Not necessary for a full steel bumper, but if he made hidden winch cradles like mine it would be

[Sal-XK]

Not necessary for a full steel bumper, but if he made hidden winch cradles like mine it would be

Ahh didn't even think of that good point

[WanderingTs]

I agree with Neil and his points about liability and changing the crumple zones, how that affects your and others safety etc. He can say with much more knowledge and skill those points I had only half formed.

I would still vote no I would not cut mine. That said, here is why I think my opinion (and maybe others in my situation) may not be relevant enough for you to consider -

I have my rig armored pretty well. It is armored better than any other rig I have previously owned, and I know my limits. I mostly wheel with the family, often with my young son, and primarily as a way to support my other loves - hunting, fishing, and camping. My Jeep as it sits now, with factory bumpers, 4X skids, and a Matrix system, fits my needs. I will never be sinking my Jeep into the mud as deep as I can simply to see if I can get it yanked out. Now if there is good hunting grounds past that mud puddle.......... The point being, I am unlikely to buy ANY replacement bumper one way or the other.

Initially my point in the other thread was to try to help Jon look at this from a marketing standpoint. The bigger your market, the more of the bumpers you can sell, the more money you make. I think I was wrong in this initial assessment. After further thought, I think people like me, who would not be interested in cutting the frame, are less likely to purchase ANY bumper replacement with or without the cutting. Therefore it may be smarter to work on the concept of, "Those who are willing to put forth the money to buy a replacement bumper, will most likely be willing to put forth a little more to get the quailty they are looking for." Simply stated, if you have to charge a $100 more per unit (a figure I admittedly am just inventing) to make the same money, since you will sell a few less, may be a better plan than trying to go less expensive to a wider market.

There are already several options for those of us who are not willing to cut our rigs. This is evidenced in this thread as well as just looking at what other have on their rigs currently. Why compete with those already established products? I may have considered a bumper purchase prior to purchasing the Matrix, but now that I have made that investment, I will most likely not. I think you may be much smarter to focus on the underserved hardcore market, charge a little more if you need to, and give them what they want and can't get elsewhere.

So while I still vote NO I would not want to cut mine, I also vote YES make the version that requires the frame cutting.

[WanderingTs]

A nod to those smarter and faster than me -

After getting back further into the "new posts" I see Matt already made some of my points above in the old locked thread. So I echo his points also.

[Sal-XK]

@WanderingTs That was a well thought out and honest response and makes a lot of sense.