OK, got my Fab Fours Matrix bumper and my rough country rear bumper installed on my 2500 Laramie Crew Cab. I had a rough country 12K winch installed. I also had the AVS shades put on and the low profile AVS hood protector. In addition, I put two of the "swing out" storage units in the bed. I earlier had the AMP steps put on and I put on the rear OEM (like) drop down step to get in the bed... I'm pretty much done at this point until I need tires as the OEM Firestones start to wear... I'm in for about 9K at this point.
Things I learned.
The Fab Fours Matrix pre runner bumper is very nice but not inexpensive. It is still around 300 to 500 cheaper than the AEV bumpers. A big advantage is that the winch plate is flat AND connected to the truck not just the bumper itself so it is more stable than most other winch plates associated with after market bumpers and the holes in the front of the bumper allow for easy access to the free spool lever and the remote connection on the winch, very easy. One thing he said he does when installing is to NOT trim the fender well plastic like Fab Fours says to do because the front tire throws mud etc. into the back of the spots/flood without that fender protection piece. The cubes as they are open in the back and it can be a problem. What he does is trim the fender plastic low puts a hole in it and folds it under a metal piece on the truck and zip ties it in place. It protects the cube lights from the back and also provides a black background behind the cubes so you are not looking at tires behind them. So, its a hack of sorts to address something he has seen.
The Rough Country back bumper looks really good also and it comes with cubes installed already on the bumper. The guy who owns the place that installs this stuff locally (Auto Concepts/Helena MT) said he has Fab Fours on his Gladiator and a Rough Country on the back. He said the rough country finish will likely need refinishing (bedliner) in about three to four years as that is the case with his and what he has seen. But, he said at 650 bucks the Rough Country is a steal and even if you have to refinish it in three or four years, you are still ahead about a thousand bucks in comparison to other bumpers price and overall quality wise in comparison to other bumpers and well built....generally... He noted that the quality is variable on welds and where the slabs come together. He said some come in looking great and perfect while occasionally he will see one that can look a bit rough weld and finish wise showing grinder marks etc. I got lucky there and mine is perfect. He said you don't notice the lesser quality ones too much unless you are right up on them... But the savings are in the 1500 to 2000 buck range vs other back step bumpers... For example, I got the rough country bumpers for 650. Fab Fours are like 2300 bucks... So are many others...
He said the Fab Fours finish is bullet proof as his front bumper and others he has installed and seen down the road still look good after five years. I also had to refinish my Iron Cross prerunner winch bumper on m 1500 after three years, same kind of rusting issue. They are well thought out engineering wise and made well from a manufacturing standpoint including finish... They run around 300 to 500 less than the AEV bumpers. They are essentially two different looks, both extremely nice, quality roughly equivalent but different.
He urged me to get the AVS FLUSH hood protector as it looks good and actually protects better, in his opinion than the one that stands out from the hood. He said the ones that stand out never get cleaned underneath as it is a hassle to do it for many people and rocks will take them out although they will protect a front window that one time, but then they look like poo after until you replace them... I had on that stands out on my 1500 and it got cracked from a rock but didn't break totally. He said he likes the looks of the ones that stand out better on the 1500's than the 2500 hoods. There are more curves on the 2500's... I think if you blow up my pic you can see how the flush one fits on my hood.
The swing out boxes are to compensate a bit for not having the Ram Boxes like I had on my 2021 1500. I grew dependent upon them. I realize many hate them. But, he noted all the problems people had with the original design of the swing boxes. Just go look at the reviews if you want to see what those problems were. He said they brought out never versions about a year ago and they addressed the problems. They increased the "stiffness" of them so they don't crack and are more sturdy and made them a bit bigger, not by much... He said they also worked on how they are installed to improve some issues with those. I already put all my winch related items (remote) in them and I'd say two of them give you about the equivalent of one rambox worth of space differently proportioned.
The AMP power side steps are fantastic, but IF you can get the power steps OEM on your order or already on a truck in a lot, I"d do that if only for price...like 1500 bucks different at least. But the steps are nice, very nice...
So, that's pretty much my experience in after market items to date. Overall in a year of doing this I'm in for around 9K with someone else installing. Equipment costs of around 6K.
Suggestions: IF you intend to do any aftermarket bumpers etc, don't get the "sport package" as the main thing you get out of that is painted bumpers and you will be getting rid of them. Get the rear OEM bumper step if you can OEM, but if you don't, you can get a good (Can't hardly tell the difference even quality wise) knockoff for about a hundred bucks less than OEM and it will literally take 30 "easy" minutes to install yourself if you have any tools and handiness...
OH I ordered a flip down license plate holder so the license plate will end up being sort of over the fairlead but will flip up for use. That's like 34 bucks on Amazon... I'm not too worried about showing my license plate. In today's world if someone wants to find you for some odd reason, it isn't too hard so I'm not going to be obsessive about it and I don't think I'm making too many people mad here on HDRams... Or I hope not...