Man-A-Fre's Toyota Land Cruiser 4+Plus Bull Bar and Light Force Lights Review
After many years of service, it was time to replace the funky 80’s tubular chrome bumper on the Toyota Land Cruiser. Since the front bumper really sets the look of the rig, it was important that it be solid, strong and off-road worthy. After doing some research, we came across 4+Plus products from Man-A-Fre. Just the fact that the bumper was made by Man-A-Fre, one of the oldest and most trusted Toyota Land Cruiser parts businesses had our attention. To our surprise, Man-A-Fre had just developed a new bumper design for the 40 Series Land Cruiser. It definitely has an aggressive look that screams “off-road”. We called Man-A-Fre about their 4+Plus 40 Series Winch Mount Bull Bar (Part# 52100-4008). The sales people confirmed its fitment for our 1970 Toyota Land Cruiser and also had it in stock--making it really easy to buy.
We decided to drive up to Simi Valley, CA to Man-A-Fre headquarters to pick up our new bumper. We wanted to meet the folks at Man-A-Fre and see first hand what other things they had in the works. Steve Hayes, Marketing/Sales Manager at Man-A-Fre, met with us and gave us a tour of the facility. As soon as you walk in you can tell these guys are serious about Toyota Land Cruisers. No glitz and glam, just good solid heavy-duty off-road parts. We like that. Man-A-Fre specializes in all Land Cruiser series (FJ40, FJ60, FJ80, FJ100). They have even adopted the new Toyota FJ Cruiser since it’s a tribute of sort to the early 40 Series Land Cruiser.
When we walked through their shop, we caught owner Al Colebank wrenching away on a FJ60 diesel engine conversion—which apparently are gaining popularity in the Land Cruiser community. BUMPER TIME Now that we had the new 4+Plus bumper, it was time to start working. The bumper came nicely packaged with all the necessary hardware for the installation.
The installation was pretty straightforward. In our case, there was some prep work needed since the previous owner had welded a ½-inch steel plate on the frame for a winch mount. It just took some grinding and beating the heck out of it with an 8 lb. sledge.
Once that was out of the way, we cleaned up the frame a bit and sprayed on a coat of black Krylon semi-gloss with rust protection (This inexpensive treatment goes a long way, especially in these old rigs). When we test fitted the bumper, it was evident that the mounting brackets on the Land Cruiser frame needed some adjustment. The sledge hammer once again came in handy that day.
LIGHTS The bumper looked naked without any accessories, so we got some off-road lights to fill the void. We chose the Light Force 170 Stikers because of its unique features. All Light Force performance lights can be adjusted to spread or focus the light beam by turning the housing—very similar to a Maglite®. Since not all vehicles and drivers are the same, having this function really makes it easy to customize your beam.
Another thing that makes Light Force performance lights great is their hi-tec polycarbonate composite construction. The material is much more durable and lighter than conventional metal housings. The complete 170 Striker assembly we used only weighs 1.23 lb. per light.
The ultra tough polycarbonate lens is light and won’t break like glass. With the added protection from the clear clip-on filter, this off-road light is virtually shatter resistant.
The Light Force 170 Strikers installed nicely and really made our new 4+Plus bumper from Man-A-Fre come alive. We really like the total package look. Now all we need is a winch. FINAL THOUGHTS Overall, we are really happy with the final result. Our Toyota Land Cruiser now has a bumper that actually mounts to the frame and bumper brackets. Its burly build will add protection to the front of the vehicles during unexpected trail crunches. The Light Force off-road lights have the power to light up the road when we go on night runs or dusty trails. They also look great. Having these upgrades really make the Toyota Land Cruiser look better and ultimately add to the 4x4s safety features. 4+Plus bumper from Man-A-Fre Light Force 170 Striker SOURCES
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