Hi Steve,

Welcome to the new forum.

Could you please provide some photos or details on how your bumper attaches to the frame rails. As I'm sure you're aware the rear of the Xterra frame is cut into a c-section which isn't very strong. I'm curious if you are reinforcing the area, or extending the bumper beams into the boxed section of the frame.

Thanks!

Mr. Schludwiller, our unit mounts to the vetical face of the frame rail which by itself, is not enough. To properly handle the forces that would twist the bumper down under load, we attach the receiver hitch to the horizontal face of the crossmember where the now removed spare tire once sat. This triangulation of the mounts is extremely rigid, and has worked well in testing. Regarding the use of more of the frame rails surface area, we have found that there is a backing plate bracket on the model that comes equipped with the factory receiver hitch option. The plate doesn't allow the mounting bracket to slide inside the frame rail without some cutting/grinding. On this bumper, we are completely confident of our mounting system's integrity. I'll try to post some photos of it here ASAP. For more specific questions, you can also call me direct at 800-345-3305 -Steve.

Any plans for a rear bumper only option?
(without tire mount)

Thanks Steve. I'll look forward to the pictures, but you're going to have to drop the Mr. Schludwiller. My nickname is bad enough without formalizing it. Most people just say Schlud.

Schlud, here's the link for the rear bumper mount photo. (www.purenissan.com/bumper_tech.htm) The receiver hitch ties into the crossmember that held the tire winch. The mount when under load pulls against the mount and is very solid. Remember that our original concern about load rating on this bumper was what the factory recommended for it's given transmission. Not the actual bumper mounting points. HTH. -Steve.