Review of Keystone-Fab Rear Bumper
Thought it was time for me to write-up a review of the bumper that I purchased from Keystone-Fabrication in early June 2012. First off, it took 50 days for me to receive my bumper since the time I originally paid for it; seems like a long time to build one bumper. Once Keystone-Fab received my payment, the owner never returned a single voicemail or email I made regarding the status of my order.
Secondly, once I received the bumper, I inspected the bumper and determined that the bumper was not completely finished. Keystone-Fab did not tap threads onto the two pre-drilled holes that hold the grease fittings; the supplied grease fittings did not correctly fit into these holes (too tight to screw or hammer into place). Next, the bumper had an extremely ruff finish, meaning I spent several hours sanding the ruff areas that had been coarsely-grinded and not smoothed off (no filing or sanding). Also I had to remove considerable welding residue and burs. Next, the bumper had no bracket for a license plate, so I had to purchase materials and fabricate one myself. Next, the bumper did not have enough bolts (nor any nuts) to mount the spare tire. Next, the bumper did not come with any bolts to mount it to the truck frame. Next, the bumper did not have an adequate number of pre-drilled holes to securely mount it to the truck frame, so I had to drill extra holes. Maybe all these missing parts and issues explain why Keystone can sell this bumper cheaper than its competitors.
Bottom line: because of the poor to nonexistent quality control, total lack of communication, lack of necessary parts to complete the install, and marginal quality of the finished product, I cannot recommend purchasing a bumper from Keystone-Fabrication. However, if you do not mind fixing all the above-mentioned issues and supplying the necessary parts to complete the install, then maybe this manufacture is OK. Only you can make that call… Finally, I must mention that, once painted and installed, the bumper looks great and hopefully it will bring me many years of use and satisfaction.
