If, at a later date ( such as I was doing )anyone is searching & comes across this ( presently) almost decade-old thread in their search and is considering the removal of this “ Overrider Bar” or , as it’s more commonly referred to - the JK/JKU Bash Bar- as seen here...
...it is absolutely as viable a solution for clearance providing and even some front bumper installations which require that it be removed.
There are no negatives from doing so with 1 or 2 exceptions; just be aware that several aftermarket dual rated sway bar or torsion bar setups may require the brackets to which the bashbar is affixed . Removing these ,along with the bashbar ,may eliminate your option for installing such products in the location required. One example I can think of is the TeraFlex Dual Rated Swaybar which has brackets for mounting that affix to the two verticle boxes which this bashbar connects. Cutting them off will leave you no default position to use this solution as it’s install guide instructs. Custom welding of similar ,1/4” steel plates would probably make it a non issue but since no5 everyone is setup to burn their own metal to metal , I just felt it worth updating this thread to mention this.
The benefits from clearance that’s gained from removing this nearly superfluous, front-most frame crossing member on your jk far outweighs the minimal loss of aftermarket part mounting options , so go ahead and cut her off if you’re considering doing so. Just don’t plan on running a TeraFlex variable rate swaybar and/or several of the other bumper options out there which may require the bashbar for their mounting .
:jeep2:
