Hunter Grill Guard Installed - 98 XLT

[obie]

Just got my new Hunter grill guard installed

Installation was slightly under two hours, including prep time and chasing after an escaped golden retriever. Had to cut off a corner tab on the drivers side frame mount to get it to fit, but that only took about a minute.

The large box that came with it worked great as a driveway creeper.

I'm pretty sure these are American made , but I'm not 100% certain. I'll shoot Hunter an e-mail and ask them.

Extremely well made, though I wish that they used higher grade plated bolts for the frame mounts, mounting brackets, and center section. The paint seems very sturdy too, as I whacked the bar with my nice Armstrong Maxx 3/8" drive ratchet about sixty times and it didn't chip.

Tools Used:

18mm 1/2" Drive 6 Point Impact Socket
1/2" Drive 6" Impact Extension
1/2" Drive Impact Universal
1/2" Drive Impact (Air or Cordless)

1/2" Drive Ratchet
2 Feet of 1/2" Drive Extensions
1/2" Universal
1/2" 17mm 6 Point Socket
1/2" 19mm 6 Point Socket

3/8" Drive Ratchet
2 Feet of 3/8" Drive Extensions
3/8" Drive Universal
3/8" 8mm 6 Point Socket (To disconnect battery. Do this before banging around the front end)
3/8" 13mm 6 Point Socket
3/8" 14mm 6 Point Socket
3/8" 17mm 6 Point Socket
3/8" 19mm 6 Point Socket

13mm Wrench
14mm Wrench
17mm Wrench
19mm Wrench

SawzAll
Jab Saw
Penetrant (I use AeroKroil, nothing works better. Nothing.)

Vise
4 1/2" Angle Grinder
Cutoff Wheel

And maybe a few others I forgot.

 

[Midwest Dually]

Very nice! I have been interested in getting a brush guard for mine.. I may know what kind now! LOL! What is the going price on them now days?

 

[obie]

I paid $209.99 for the grill guard itself, plus $50 for the shipping. Shipping was very fast too, I ordered it June 11th, shipped the next day, and I got it from Houston in two days. Packaged very nicely too, everything was wrapped and supported, very solid.

 

[Sams01XplrSprt]

lookin good

 

[98sport4.0L]

where did you get it from?

 

[FIND]

they are on e-bay for that price, just search "98 explorer brush guard"

 

[c.mike]

obie, you have one very nice looking explorer. I love the way your truck sits. I am curious how you like those tires. they look awesome but i haven't read good reviews on them

 

[obie]

I really like them. They're not the absolute best off road tires, and they get bogged down in deep mud, but they've handled pretty much all the trails I've run, and never got stuck. They also do great on the highway. I commute a hundred miles a day, about 80/20 highway/city. They don't hum very loud, very stable, great traction. They're bigger, so my acceleration is slower, but over the last 1300 miles I'm still averaging 18mpg. I actually am thinking about getting another set for the F150 I'm getting tomorrow.

 

[patrick112390]

i have the same one on my mounty since 2007, and it still looks good today, even despite hitting a deer at 45 mph. my only tip would be to take care of the bolts, which like to rust.... saved my whole front end im sure of it, you can even see where his antler hit the top of the right headlight guard...small dent lol...everyone likes pictures

 

[2TimingTom]

I bought a Hunter "super bull bar" for my Saturn VUE from truckgeardirect.com. It makes the VUE look a little less like a chick car.....

I'll echo that the Hunter stuff appears to be well made. The instructions weren't the greatest, but I don't even think I really needed to refer to them.

The bull bar I got is strictly for appearance only.

 

[obie]

Patrick, I saw quite a few pictures of your mounty while I was searching around for which grill guard I wanted. Your truck is nasty, man.

 

[Jason c]

i have the same one on my mounty since 2007, and it still looks good today, even despite hitting a deer at 45 mph. my only tip would be to take care of the bolts, which like to rust.... saved my whole front end im sure of it, you can even see where his antler hit the top of the right headlight guard...small dent lol...everyone likes pictures

You have to do anything special to mount the grill guard with your body lift?
Looks good by the way.

 

[b_phelps8]

mounting

nice post obie, I have a similar model explorer and also got the hunter brush guard from turck gear direct and i'm having trouble getting the brackets to fit. Do you mind posting a picture of what you had to cut/grind to make them fit right?

Thanks

 

[obie]

nice post obie, I have a similar model explorer and also got the hunter brush guard from turck gear direct and i'm having trouble getting the brackets to fit. Do you mind posting a picture of what you had to cut/grind to make them fit right?

Thanks

Are you talking about the main brackets that bolt directly to the frame/bumper mounts? I can take a picture Sunday when I head out to my storage unit. But the only one I had to cut was the driver's side. I had to cut it where it mounts to the inside of the bumper mounts that are welded to the front of the frame. The top left corner didn't fit inside by a hair, so I just chopped the corner by about a quarter inch.

Yours might be different depending on where your hang up is, but an angle grinder and a cut off wheel can make anything fit

 

[Jstcruz]

That looks good on there. Nice lookin truck

 

[obie]

I know this is an old thread, but I finally got around to e-mailing Hunter asking about where they're made because I wanted to get one for my F150. Unfortunatly, they're made in china. Honestly though, for the price and quality, it's hard to justify spending another three to four hundred or more to find one that's American made.

 

[Alexdeluca]

Hey man where did you get your grill guard? I saw a bunch of hunter grill guards on ebay but none in black.

 

[obie]

I got mine from eBay. Hunter has them on sale still, with two different prices it seems.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/96-01-Ford-Explorer-Navajo-Mountaineer-Grill-Guard-/121032832566?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&fits=Year%3A1998%7CModel%3AExplorer&hash=item1c2e1e7636&vxp=mtr - $195.99 (Seems to be on sale until about 12 December)

http://www.ebay.com/itm/96-01-Ford-Explorer-Navajo-Mountaineer-Grill-Guard-/120988499394?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&fits=Year%3A1998%7CModel%3AExplorer&hash=item1c2b79fdc2&vxp=mtr - $209.00

Shipping is $47.00 for either.

Hope that helps ya.