Often it seems, these forums are a sounding board for frustrations with vendors/converters/whoever, so I figured I'd help balance things out a little, with a positive post...
A little backstory: ~10 years ago when I gave my van it's extreme makeover (it was originally Enterprise white), I put on a Buckstop front bumper, and Reunel rear bumper.
I went with the Reunel over alluminess because I needed a heavier hitch receiver (it's rated for 6k tongue weight and 20k towing weight), and with it being integrated, it didn't detract any ground clearance.
Overall, the bumper & hitch parts worked very well, but the carriers not so much. The latching system was garbage, so not only was it hard to use, it also didn't keep thing tight enough to not rattle. So, I just used cam straps. Then, on California's wonderful Central Valley Hwy 99, the pax side carrier hinge fatigued and broke. Lastly, the paint on it was not durable at all.
So... fast forward to this year.... Buckstop re-released the Reunel rear carrier option. Reunel long went out of business, but Buckstop what was left, and made some substantial improvements. I asked if they could retrofit my old Reunel to their new carrier design, and powdercoat it the process. The original paint was nearly non existent at this point. They gave me a fair price for this work, so I stripped the bumper down and dropped it off.
After they sandblasted my bumper, they decided they didn't like the old weld quality and stopped work. Of course, I assumed I'd have to buy a new one, but they covered a NEW BUMPER ON THEIR DIME. Pretty phenomenal customer service to effectively warranty a bumper made 10 years ago by a company that doesn't exist.
As for the bumper itself, the carrier system is a 1000% improvement. The latches are regular automotive latches, and the pivots are some monstrous bearing assemblies. Also, on my new bumper, they build it with the over-size step option, which pushes the receiver out another 2". This will be just enough to keep the tongue jack from from kissing the spare tire.
Here's some preliminary pics, I still need to add the bumper lights. My old carrier had a cargo box with a jerry can carrier. This new rack has a double jerry-can carrier instead. I'll be mounting a new aluminum cargo box directly to the door on that side, over the jerry cans. I'll post the final pics in a couple weeks.
(I did forget to ask about a shovel holder, so it's just strapped on. Which is how it was before and works fine so I'll probably leave that as-is).
Anyways, I couldn't be happier with the work, and I'm glad they've brought back out the full Reunel lineup. They do have a little catchup to do on their websites, but apparently that's all being worked on now. So if you want something you don't see details, I'd give them a call.
AWOL
2008 GMC 3500 SMB
Linear Mode
