Fab Fours Black Steel Bumpers for Dodge Ram 1500

The Front Bumper Splits at 2013

Two front bumpers cover this truck. One fits the 2009-2012 Ram. The other fits the 2013-2018 Ram. They do not trade places, because the newer grille sits taller and reaches down into the space the bumper used to fill.

Both years come in the same three shapes, and only the top of the bumper changes between them. No Guard sits low and leaves your grille exposed. Pre-Runner Guard raises a steel hoop over the center of the bumper, and your grille and both headlights stay uncovered. Full Guard runs a screened frame up the grille and out across both headlights.

Working under the hood a lot, or parking somewhere tight? No Guard is the one that keeps the reach and the sight lines you have now. Full Guard puts steel between your grille and whatever the road throws at it. Pre-Runner Guard sits between the two, with the center covered and the corners open.

Every one of them is gloss black powder coat, and the tow hooks come in the box. A winch and fairlead can go in while the bumper is off the truck, on a mount kit sold separately.

Three Ram Trims This Front Bumper Skips

Black Steel is cut for the standard Ram 1500 front end. Three trims left the factory with a different one.

The Sport and the Express wear their own front fascia, a separate part from the one on a Tradesman or a Big Horn. That shape is why the standard front bumper will not bolt up to them. The Rebel has its own off-road front end as well. The Rebel arrived for 2015, so it only touches the 2013-2018 bumpers here.

Front parking sensors are the other stop. No Black Steel front bumper on this page makes room for them, on either body, and they do not come back afterward. If your front sensors have to keep working, this is not your front bumper.

The Older Truck Is the Easier Install

Both fronts bolt to the frame on brackets that come with them, and neither one asks you to drill the truck. What separates them is how much of the front end comes off first.

On the 2009-2012 Ram it is a short job. Two small bolts at each fender well and one more up top let the plastic fascia pop off. The nuts behind the frame flange come out after that, and the factory bumper is free.

On the 2013-2018 Ram, clear your morning. Fab Fours walks you through the radiator cover, the grille, the fender flares, the wheel well liners, both headlights, then the valence panel off its backing support before the bumper itself moves.

Neither one goes on alone. The newer truck's manual wants a floor jack under the center and two more people on the bumper; the older one asks for a hoist or a few helpers. Your factory fog lights carry over on both trucks, out of the old bumper and into brackets in the new one. On the 2009-2012 truck you reuse the original adjuster screw and spring, so you can re-aim the beam once it is mounted.

The Rear Bumper Does Not Care Which Ram You Have

One rear bumper covers the 2009-2018 Ram 1500, both front eras at once. No trim is left out, and there is no shape to pick.

It comes ready for the factory backup sensors, with four grommets and a set of plugs. If your Ram has the sensors, they push in from behind. If it does not, the plugs fill the holes. One part number either way.

It also comes wired. An LED license plate light, two reverse lights with their grommets and pigtails, and the plate mounting inserts are all in the box. Your factory receiver hitch and trailer wiring stay where Ram put them, so nothing about towing changes. The trailer plug moves across into the new bumper.

Plan for one bit of drilling on the rear. It lands on the plastic trailer hitch plug, so it lines up with the new steel. The truck and the bumper stay untouched.

Fab Fours cuts and coats these in Lancaster, South Carolina. They travel by freight and we cover that inside the US, with fit guaranteed on every one. Every brand that fits this truck sits on the Dodge Ram 1500 page. Fortify the front end first.

Frequently Asked Questions