10 4WD BULL BAR Factors Most People Don't Consider

[@kisbushcraftdownunder]

For older four wheel drives no problem with a bull bar but modern cars with crumple zones and a myriad of safety features all can be upset by a bull bar reducing the chances of occupancy survival in a hard impact with a tree 🌳, You never see crash test videos of four wheel fitted with aftermarket bull bars. I think it was BHP tested some and the bull bar caused the footwell to fail and injuries to your leg and that were your femoral artery is so far worse than a Broken leg.

[@Wdeane1957]

Yes, airbags and seat belt pretensioners are timed to the millisecond to deploy as certain sensors reach their activation point. Bullbars can alter impact timing of airbag and seat belt deployment by a few milliseconds whilst your body is still heading towards the windscreen or steering wheel instead of the safety systems activating at the split second they should to assist in minimising injuries.

[@kisbushcraftdownunder]

@@Wdeane1957 Modern cars are complex machines when you see people walk away from accidents that would of been a certain fatality a couple of decades ago. A big SUV has more mass than a small car 🚗so usually comes out better in a car vs car hit. But when a tree or concrete wall is involved you want your safety features working regards Mike

[@devo3243]

​@@kisbushcraftdownunder bars are supposed to be designed so the vehicle they are fitted to still complies with ADRs. Which includes not preventing airbags from deploying in an accident. This is why you should only buy bars from reputable manufacturers that can prove their products have been tested and not cheap eBay or homemade products. While there is still a chance they may interfere, it's minimal.

[@kisbushcraftdownunder]

@@devo3243 have a read of the bhp results they actually crash tested the vehicles 🚗 not a computer simulation as far as I can find ARB hasn’t crashed tested anything more than a 60 kilogram mock roo

[@hunterwilliams8129]

No airbag here, no abs, no electronic. Here we die like men with a bullbar

[@Liam-ly8rv]

The plastic bar isn't as bad as you say. We have Smartbars on all the SES vehicles and they have survived animal strikes especially during emergencies like the fires and floods when scared animals are everywhere. I have one the Ranger and the farm is surrounded with pigs, goats, roos, wombats etc. Hit a few around the 70km mark (you learn not to drive fast on the country roads) and the vehicle has survived. Yes, driving 110kms and hitting a roo maybe different. But common sense has to play some part in driving and not just relying on a bullbar. Steel bull bars on our regional force surveillance vehicles in central Australia in the Army didn;t stop damage against big reds whilst out on patrols and many were towed back to base.

[@jacks86australia]

4wd action years ago did a comparison of all the bars available for a Hilux, the two strongest bars when impacted by a dolly rig around 70-100kg of cement in a barrel were the Polly bar and the tuff 5 poster, the Polly bar had better protection than all the other commercial bars including the higher priced TJM and ARB etc, I think Ronny is talking opinion here more than fact.

[@audoinxr6372]

Some good points here. But a few missed or wrong points. 1. Those rediculous plastic bars are stronger than alloy and steel. Because they absorb impacts rather then the force going back into mounts/front of chassis and hitting bodywork anyway. Hence mining use them now. 2. Many hoop bars block lighting. Not so much the proper engineered ones but shit like Gitshams from Adelaide who have old style on new vehicles. 3. JC did a video recently showing the independent crash tests from BHP mining Hiluxs. All the bullbars did was cause more damage and alter the way the vehicle crumples. Whilst hitting animals and people might not do that damage. A proper crash, many bars including ARB/TJM can total the car bad enough to cause major injuries.

[@thang55]

Ronny, you shouldn't let personal opinion be the guide for your content when trying to inform your audience and help them make correct choices. I refer you to comments about aluminium bars. When it comes to boat building there's a general rule that aluminium is half the stength of steel and 1/3 the weight. So if you double the thickness of aluminium it has the same strength as steel but still only 2/3 the weight. An aluminium bar can be designed with a higher strength than steel and still be less weight. As examples, up to a certain size boat (very large non-recreational) you wont find any steel, it's all aluminium. Truck bullbars - you wont find any truck with a steel bullbar, they are all aluminium. Trucks are on the road more than cars and on country and remote roads and they are all using aluminium. You have dismissed alloy based on your personal experince but you only had one alloy bar which quite likely was an OEM bar. Other advantage of aluminium is it wont corode and the plasticity of aluminium is lower than steel, so they have a higher yied strength than steel (which means steel will bend before aluminium). Again you have to design the bar using thicker material if it's aluminium but you have capacity due to the weight saving. Also every vehicle out there with a bullbar is insured. So if you do have an animal strike and the bar is damaged, it's not going to be repaired, it will be replaced. As Luke pointed out, you can't not modify an ADR compliant bar and this includes a repair as you can no longer guarantee the bar is ADR compliant.

[@reubs91]

Agree with your points 100%. A pro for steel bars is the cost and ease to manufacture, they are cheaper to manufacture, welding is easier, and so is sourcing material.

[@ggbogo935]

"So if you double the thickness of aluminium it has the same strength as steel" Most uneducated, most untrue comment ever. think about what you're spewing on the internet before opening your mouth

[@thang55]

​@@ggbogo935you made a claim what's your evidence?

[@reubs91]

@@ggbogo935 geeze, that’s a bit rough.

[@tlw8886]

Good call on the recovery point ratings on steel bumpers/bull-bars. Found out the hard way about that. USA manufacturer of my steel front bumper included 2 attach points for recovery.(Attachments were to the frame) Knowing that I was headed out to run some dunes, I made a call to the company and specifically asked them if the recovery points were fully rated for the weight of the truck. "Yes, they are" is what I got from the OEM... A week later I am out in the dunes and get stuck and need to be extracted.. One of the club members attaches a kinetic rope to ONE of the recovery points and we begin to initiate the recovery... Sure enough I pop right out of the bog. When we disconnect the recovery rope I notice that my front bumper is not straight and that I've got a wrinkle in my front fender. A few days later I chat with the OEM of the bumper and we have some serious talks over "rated recovery point" (Bumper is "Guarantied" from damage). After explaining and sending photos of the damage the OEM was quite magnanimous and backed up their warranty to fix my truck and replace the bumper... This time they quantified that the recovery points were "Rated" when used with a bridle configuration for recovery, not necessarily on a single attachment line. Lesson learned for both the OEM and me!

[@louiekabu4960]

Who was this OEM?

[@tlw8886]

@@louiekabu4960 Fab Fours.

[@peterwest5661]

Maybe a dumb question. The bars maybe ADR compliant but have any of the big 3 Ronny mentioned crash tested them to make sure they don't slow down the airbags or mess with the crumple zone that will save your life? Me, car is immobile but I am still alive wins every time. Understand when you hit Skippy and you can keep on driving but what about a non animal accident?

[@stephenbrown937]

In the states we have different terminology. After market bumper is just a aftermarket bumper, after market bumper with center hoop we call a bull bar, 4 hoop bar we call a push bar, 4 hoop containing diamond screen or smaller bar insert over grill and headlights we call a brush guard.

[@clintk4691]

Canadian here, good video. I run a steel bumper with a low tube in the middle that really just covers the bottom half of my grill. The biggest thing I have to worry about here is deer and their body is only about hip height on the average man. The bumper and bar are sufficient height to protect my truck. Main reason was for mounting a winch and pushing trees which it does great!

[@useryggfdcc]

My Tacoma struck a moose high up in Ontario, it safe the radiator cooler lines. Even the police officer was commenting the bull bar saved the vital parts of my truck.

[@davidweber4984]

Protecting the occupants of the vehicle in a crash with the crumple zones is way more important than protecting your radiator in an animal strike so it doesn't spoil your trip. Bull bars may comply with ADRs with regards to airbag deployment but none are crash tested on the vehicles to gauge the impact on crash safety. Drive to the conditions.

[@evocati6523]

Depending on where you are and the weather a dead vehicle could be deadly for you too. I've hit a big buck going 80MPH and was lucky to only have cosmetic damage and could keep driving. I would have saved about a thousand dollars if I had a guard though...

[@tim9241]

⁠@@evocati6523then bring a satellite phone. Cheaper than those unsafe bull bars and it won’t get you killed. You should have one anyway if you’re going far enough off the grid that a break down could end you.

[@NebraskaGonvilleJones]

@@evocati6523driving at 80mph in “big buck” country speaks to your mindset around safety. Not sure if your advice is a safe bet

[@unwoke1652]

Been driving since 1980, covered 2 million-odd km, never needed a bull bar, rock sliders or such. I'd settle for portal axles to gain ground clearance. Lift kits don't raise diffs, after all. I live in Africa and I used to visit truly wild locations.

[@Vagitarian01]

That depends entirely on the purpose/use of your vehicle. My Audi needs none of that either because it never sees a dirt road. Your Land Cruiser doesn't need a bull bar or sliders because it never sees rock gardens.

[@corpsetime]

no fucken kangaroos over there lol. but i suppose what good is a bull bar against a fucken elephant?

[@vi683a]

Ahhh man... you are the first mechanic to use stubby ratchets.... i love them myself!

[@georgelittle483]

Another thing to keep in mind is airflow, especially if you use your vehicle for work and have a trailer or tow a camper

[@kensmith5694]

Yes and 1) Every pound you add to your curb weight is a pound you have to subtract from payload. 2) Your engine is having to make the energy to take that thing along with you.

[@cookaride2307]

I had a different experience with nudge bar. Not saying they are as good as proper steel bars, but they might not be as useless as cardboard for protection either if you buy a good quality one. Maybe I was lucky that time, but I hit a big roo the size of an adult man or maybe even bigger on Great Ocean Road near Loch Ard Gorge at speed over 70 km/h on one morning Sep 2019. The car I was driving was a KIA Carnival diesel 2017 built (I still drive the same car now). I fitted a KIA factory nudge bar which was stainless steel from new, and it was mounted to the steel crash bumper bar behind the plastic panel with steel brackets and 4 x M12 bolts, not the easy DIY ones that only screw on to the plastic panel. The KIA nudge bar requires plastic bumper off, cut holes to fit mounting brackets through, and front parking sensor deletes. That nudge bar saved my radiator, and to be honest, there wasn't too much damage at all, just a dented Bonet, left light holding tab cracked, cracked grill and that was all. I was able to drive the car as normal, finished the job I was there for and went on for another 2 weeks until it was sent to repair shop. The car came back with new Bonet, left light and grill + a new KIA factory nudge bar. I say I was lucky because it hit the right spot - dead in the centre where the nudge bar was fitted, also the roo wasn't jumping up so the nudge bar pushed it away rather than scooped it up, last the KIA Carnival is a big wagon with relatively small engines (the diesel ones, petrol ones have a big V6) so the radiator was a fair way back in the engine bay.

[@douglasvamateurradioandmore]

I had a grille guard, one of the names here in the states, on an 03 f250. It was totalled out in 07. I didn't think about having one until the middle of 2022 when a deer ran out in front of me in the mountains in Northern az. I slowed down a bit, but I was in no danger of hitting the deer. Now I want one. Thankd for having this video out there.

[@tyroneferguson436]

Ronny, the two circular holes on either side of the winch are high lift jacking points on the Onca bar. You just need to circular attachment for your hi lift jack.

[@tareskisloki8579]

I went with an X-rox on my Hilux, chose it purely for weight, clearance and price. It's not a great bar (and cops keep telling me it's illegal), but it does the job. With the X-Rox, a winch, and even dual batteries, my V6 still weighs less than a stock diesel. I am a fan of hoopless bars, I had to do a special order via the factory to get one on my old Prado, they weren't a thing in Australia back then, I was heavily influenced by US rigs.

[@seanchristie7150]

Well done Ronny, I can attest that steel works, have a 'Nissan' bar on our Navara have Hit a cow at 80km n only concaved the indicator panel and moved the bar back on it's mounting, hit 3 roo's n not a mark

[@philipbriggs2719]

Pretty much every modern truck with a bull bar on the road in Australia these days have aluminium bull bars. Not sure why aluminium bars are strong enough for trucks but not for cars.

[@thomasdowns777]

I live in Arizona, so I'm looking at a hoop bar, I don't have quite the need for a larger bar. Living in Australia however, absolutely want a steeley like what you have

[@Devilpeakmotorsports]

Here's something I think you might have overlooked. My dad has a big GMC pickup truck with a chrome plated builbar that has thin, horizontal rods to protect the headlights. They also reflect light back and block the headlights enough that driving that truck at night on an unlit road is something I wish I could forget!

[@pumbajayden]

Black paint on the inside bro

[@Devilpeakmotorsports]

@@pumbajayden I was going to just cut them out the next time I borrowed the truck. He got rid of it a month ago so not an issue for me anymore!

[@undahdaskin]

07:15 hoopless bar also tends to throw the wildlife up and into the front window, witnessed it many times on other people vehicles

[@phalanx3803]

the "pedestrian safe" bars also have a habit of doing that. getting sick of the pedestrian safe BS its a 2.5+ tonne 4x4 its gonna do the same damage even with the stock bumper.

[@jonasstahl9826]

​@@phalanx3803 Nope the plastic front of a car, give in and flexes. Do a bellyflop from about 50cm on a matress is funny, 50cm bellyflop on concrete puts you in need for a dentist, 50cm bellyflop with hitting you neck on the corner of a table puts you much likly in a wheelchair or the "forever box"

[@rich7447]

@@phalanx3803 We don't have that pedestrian safe BS here in the US. If pedestrians want to be safe they need to get a vehicle. The best way to ensure that wild life doesn't end up in your lap is to lift the vehicle until the hood is 5'6" to 6' off the ground.

[@richardwalsh5570]

Another question, do you need massive aftermarket lights that block cooling airflow these days? My new Fortuner has awesome bi led lights. Offroad Animal bullbar has 22" light bar in the bar. Its all you need. Most of us don't drive much of a night. When I do I just just go a bit slower. Better than wasting $1000 on driving lights wouldn't use and block cooling flow. I think good cooling more important.

[@dawggonevidz9140]

yeah some people think big lights that light up 1k down the road are the only way to show people you're a proper 4x4 guy.

[@dustyfarmer]

Hey Ronny, Are you old enough to remember those 1970-80's AUNGER "bullbars" made out of clear perpsex cross tubes & alloy tube posts for Holden's & Fords? I used to be in spare parts back in those days & we used to sell a few.

[@Bananas1973]

Lol that takes me back. I google searched try to find a photo of them, not one result. Too old for the internet 🤣

[@madmick3794]

Oh I remember first thinking how did they make metal clear, ha ha!

[@dustyfarmer]

@@madmick3794 I remember thinking what were they designed to protect from impact from. A feral shopping trolley in the supermarket carpark maybe.

[@DailyGrindAus]

You also need to consider the interior space for mounting the winch and potentially the control box within the bar. I bought a PIAK for my Triton and had it professionally fitted and I supplied a Runva 12,000 winch. The installer had difficulty mounting the control box inside the bumper. They mounted it, but the jack where the manual controller cable goes in was completely blanked by a strut running over the top of the box, so all I had was the wireless controller and no manual option if that failed. Turns out the control box also blanked the intercooler for the turbo...They also did not tighten the bolts and did not use the supplied washers for all bolts, the the bar shook like a terrier with a rat and the plastic wheel guards popped out and contacted the tyres as I drove. Ended up going to a mechanic I trusted who found four of the bolts had snapped plus the rest were loose. He bought high tensile bolts and tightened them properly. Plus he relocated the control box to the outside of the bar...it does not look as good, but I can access it! Thanks for the rundown Ronnie and just remember the internal dimensions of bars are quite different. I wouldn't go a PIAK again, although it does look good...

[@reddog4x4Matt]

We've fitted plenty of PIAK bars at work, with Runva winches and hidden the control box. For 60 bucks Runva supplies a remote extension for it. Part number is #REMOTEEXT which means it can be safely fitted. Piak for washer bottles on the other hand are rubbish. 😅

[@DailyGrindAus]

@@reddog4x4Matt I'm sure a competent installer could have, but where they mounted it on the drivers side had the receiver/jack under a strut that runs across the front and it wasn't accessible to plug the manual controller in. I just wanted it as a safety backup in case the remote battery failed.

[@Falcon_Overland]

Interesting in New Zealand we never have to worry about animal strikes, occasionally you get a cow that’s left a paddock and is on the main road but a car is just as likely to hit that as a truck is. Cows also don’t run onto the road out of the bush line so if your going to see one you’ll see it from a mile away with good lighting

[@rich7447]

North America is the opposite. We have animals crossing the road all the time and some of them come out of nowhere. In the last 20 years I have hit 4 deer and a pronghorn. I used to live in moose country and you don't want to hit one of those things. Big advantage of a lifted heavy duty pickup is that the body of the moose hits the bumper and grill instead of coming across the hood.

[@Shagsteri]

For all my driving needs; alloy works. Not going up against buffallos etc. Roos and emus are the main risk (and people or other cars). To be fair; the alloy had no problems against other cars during an incident. More importantly - the bullbar was installed by the car manufacturer when the car was purchased. So covered by car warranty lifetime and the integrated electronics. The positioning of devices and license plates means there is no excuse of the manufacturer with airflow/over-heating issues.

[@loganlawlyes1980]

I've fabricated my own bull bar for a landroaver discovery 2, I hit a deer going 70 and said that was it, it's 1/4 inch diamond plate steel with 3 inch steel pipe for roll up protection. It's beefy, heavy, and should plow through most stuff

[@rude_people_die_young]

Not legal on road hey?

[@Stefan-mg5gl]

ARB says to have airbag-competable bull bars, yet - like all the other bull bar manufacturers - never ever dared to prove it in a crash test.

[@G-force_Motorsport]

Great vid on a subject not discussed all that much. Steel for me, easily modded and repaired as well as strength. Looks too🤣 We call the 4 and 5-posters 'bulldozer bars' we see a good few of them in southeast NSW. The old Defenders really benefit from an extra bolt per side, and bigger recovery points

[@harrywalker968]

beg to differ,,i had a 10mm alloy bar,,hit a car that pulled out in front of me, i didnt brake, no time, 60,ks. wrote his car off,,no damage..plus, its light..i had an arb bs bar on my f250, weighed 100kg.. binned it.. 1 sheet of alloy for 400 bucks, will make 2 bars..cant go wrong.. it had a slight twist when bought 2nd hand, a 300 ton press had trouble..

[@West4ea]

Someone got a new editing suite for Christmas. Vids looking very fancy and impressive there’s a reason you are number 1 👍🏻

[@gpzjeffrey7974]

Interesting. What you are calling a 'nudge bar' is what we call a bull bar in the states. Personally, I call those 'damage multipliers', because that's exactly what they do. In an impact they'll act like a lever and cause even more damage to the body, fenders and hood (bonnet?).

[@ashzole]

Where’s your evidence? There’s countless videos that debunk what you claim. Really a 25 mph impact will cause 350 mph damage??? lol

[@Dies1r4e]

Southern Style Offroad fall into the "way too light" catagory for me. A friend bought theirs for their Tacoma, loved the look, third trail we went down there was a sort of stealth rock off a drop, I read it wrong BONK right off the front bumper like a git, didn't even leave a scratch on my cheapo steel bumper, buddy follows does the same thing I did, bonk off his bumper and it puts a basket ball sized dent into the bar. He contacted the company as the hit wasn't THAT bad again didn't even chip the paint on mine (same truck same weight same path), and his was crushed like a pop can. Company shrugged him off and said "tough shit our products are pefect" yeah perfect for parking in car lots and taking Instagram pictures.

[@patrickl6185]

Think theres lots of city and coastal folk who need to go west of the range, wildlife is common even during the day. I've hit and missed enough animals to like a bullbar as walking the 5 to 100kms after a strike doesn't appeal. Hitting a wallaby is different to a grey to a big grey/red with lots of variables mid bounce, cornering, single or group, speed etc. Sometimes a bar is what gets you home when your by yourself.

[@anthphoto]

Nice video, the only thing you should have added is that some bull bars need to come off if you decide to add recovery points later.

[@ageekandhistacoma]

When I was looking at a new front bumper for my 99 Tacoma, I knew I wanted the ARB. Growing up, I loved the classic look of the ARB bumpers, and I knew that when I started building my current rig, it was going to have an ARB bumper. It's been a great bumper, does a really good job of protecting the front of my truck from tree limbs and rock outcroppings when on really tight trails. I carry around a can of spray paint to touch up the scratches on the bumper.

[@jarrod1687]

Your video making skills have gotten better

[@noahbyrne2402]

I’m in Montana so…. Deer are an everyday hazard, hopefully not Elk, Moose, or Bears…. But it’s all possible any given day here Went with an ARB Summit on first my 4Runner and now my newer Tacoma. It’s dark in the mountains and I spend a lot of time hunting and thus driving in the dark when the animals are out. Nice having the piece of mind that if I hit something I’ll still be able to get home

[@8U5HM8]

Good video. A bit disappointing that you didn’t go into passenger safety at all. In my opinion, The harder the bullbar, the more it modifies the cars engineered crumple zone and crash management systems. There is more to it than “airbag compliance”. If you look at the plastic bars, that is their selling point.

[@EduardoMusasa]

exactly

[@tnargs57]

Yes

[@alklapaxida850]

a degree from "cone smoker uni" was obtained before making the video

[@hi9580]

The high end arb bars have crumple zones built in, no idea if or how much they help passenger safety in a crash.

[@8U5HM8]

@@hi9580 I didn’t know that.

[@cwp1alpha]

Steel is better, but is not safe to the elements here in the USA with the corrosive ag-spray they use to melt ice on the roads here in winter. Best bet for those bumpers front or rear, is to apply a bedliner coating like Line-X, before winch and vehicle installation.

[@noelaird3273]

Would be nice to see you do some real testing on poly bars please.

[@jamesmazurstudios]

Production quality is going up. Great work.

[@user-nk4gm7bi2v]

Great no bullshit video, one thing on top mounting points, cut them off, if you hit even a mid sized roo etc the mounting points can be pushed back onto the bonnet causing more expensive damage, usually with no damage to the bar.

[@CelticKnight2004]

On a ford ranger.. I've hit a solid pine fence post. at 110. (oh god don't ask) Roo bar took the hit, and NOTHING moved, or changed... Fence post instantly became kindling.

[@davemangle6448]

A full sized bar is overkill in Tasmania, as all the wildlife is knee high. You needed to touch on how your vehicle performs in a crash with crumple zones etc with a bull bar and without.

[@CelticKnight2004]

Best animal hit I've seen, was my uncle had just bought a new Outlander. (well.. new to him, it was a few years old) Driving the 200km to home, 15KM from home he hit a roo.. Dead center. at 1PM. IT WROTE THE VEHICLE OFF. yeah. What's worse? the roo bar for the vehicle, was in the back! Scheduled to be installed the very next day!!!

[@jdcoverland365]

Ronny: Deer are pain. They will run in the ditch beside you then decide to climb the embankment and turn into your rig. My ex-sister in law was almost killed when she hit a moose. This animal came through the windshield leaving her seriously injured.

[@robertwilson1827]

😮😮😮

[@Shakshuka69]

I saw one pacing me in the ditch once and knew what it was doing so I accelerated and it ran into the side of my truck instead 🤦‍♂️

[@dustinpollard6237]

I'm in the US but for my Chevy Avalanche I left the factory bumper and added a Curt 2" front receiver hitch. I can use it as a recovery point to rescue someone else, put a hitch basket on for equipment, or use my winch on the front or rear hitch. It cost a little more in wiring and a receiver winch cradle, but it gets plenty of compliments, questions, and weird looks lol. I'd like to have protection for my radiator and lights, so I may add a lightweight hoop bar but a front hitch receiver is an option if you can't legally add a bull bar.

[@PoorBoyRider1]

In the States, most of our problems are Deer and Hogs in my area , run a decent guard as I push bump gates. not sure it would help at 85mph or about 137 kmh (top speed limit near Austin, Tx known for Hogs on the highway)

[@davidgenthnerjr4995]

I live here in the state of Maine here in the US. I have a Ranch Hand Legacy bumper with bar work on the front of my 97 F-350 Crew Cab. Short of the occasional deer or Black Bear strike, Its not gonna help when a 900+ pound Bull or even a smaller adult Cow Moose gets hit. Our Maximum posted highway speed here is 70 mph or 113 km/h.

[@rich7447]

Hogs are a real problem for any bumper setup. If you knock them down and roll over them they will tear up anything that isn't protected by a skid plate. I hit two deer at the same spot on I-83 two weeks apart doing about 75 mph both times. I was driving a Ram 2500 with a 7" lift on 37s and had a Fab Fours full guard installed. No damage to the truck, but the first deer caught my rear diff and got thrown up onto a Hyundai Veloster that was a little too close. It tore half the front of the car off.

[@nicholasthomas4382]

Im a proud American and truck aficianado, but ive been saying for a long time time that the coolest trucks in the world are Australian. Their trucks are WORKING trucks, 4wd with purpose. In America, lifted trucks tend toward hillbilly-deluxe gratuity, and they never leave the pavement.

[@useryggfdcc]

So true.

[@SydneyBuilder]

Great video mate. Your delivery has become super smooth 👌

[@jimnyjolly278]

Sure would be good to see another multi-part series come out again Ronaldo. I miss them.

[@johnfitzgerald5158]

Holly crap, I didn't even know plastic bull bars were a thing. I've never seen that in the US.

[@borisjohnson1944]

The ambulances here in Western Australia, same state as Ronnie, use plastic bars. Smart Bar is one maker. I guess for the ambos it is just suburban accidents.

[@harrywalker968]

yeehh,,, were pretty slow her in aus i think what was the question ??, the laws here are crap.. same as for a car..if they had the same regs as u.s. there would be a multi billion dollar industry here,, but were slow ? i have 4 u.s rigs.. 62 f100 4x4, 75 highboy 82 broco sas, 2002 s/duty 4.2tdi, brazilian..

[@garysheppard4028]

It's interesting to compare this video on bulbars to the recent one John Cadogan (Auto Expert channel on KZbin) did. His was all about the safety aspect vis 'a vis crashing into something solid like a big ol' gumtree and how a bullbar would probably compromise your survivability. This video is about safety but more from the perspective of hitting something "soft-ish" (like a 'roo). I ended up going with a Hamer bar for my Triton and it hasn't been tested in "anger" (thankfully). Although I did manage to take out an electrical junction box at a caravan park the other day. Serves them right for making it a foot high and grass coloured ;-)

[@astrixistheman]

Yeah you smash them junction boxes, show em whos boss 😂. Just got a bar for my MN as well, probly about time

[@lukehutchinson6754]

Awesome info Ronnie, definitely appreciate these info style episodes. It happened to be what I know but still good as a refresher as things can change. Cheers 🍺

[@rgc9090]

the steak on the windshield had me laughing way to hard hahaha

[@jessjohnson5074]

Ultimate lighting make behind grill light bar kits. Stedi are also bringing out behind grill brackets.

[@simshogun2240]

Nudge bars are a sales gimic manufacturers sell for profit. I lost it with commercial bars and decided to make my own and used my engineering skills to design and build my own and its mounting points and it fits directly to the chassis and has winch recovery points, lighting brackets, and full protection for the front end and acts as the forward mounting for the front underbody protection and it doesn't impede the approach angle and it is a jacking point for a hi lift and it has inbuilt LED lights pointing down so the spotter has light around and under the vehicle.

[@BumblebeeWasTaken]

Very good points but one thing I gotta know about is for example I buy a brand new HiLux from Toyota should I get the official one from the Toyota accessories or one from like ARB?

[@I_ammm_mojojojo]

Hailing for the Caribbean.. In my country where roos, emus and other taller game aren't the concern, plain & Sahara bars work well for our levels of off-roading. Our terrain is more Jungle than forest, with hills, river trails and mud, so saplings in the under Tree canopy aren't as much of a common issue, so head light protection, though a positive, is just more unnecessary weight for us. Plastic here is basically used by the guys that want the look but have no real need for it (we call .em highway warriors.. lol) We consider nudge bars more for city traffic, to intimidate taxis (horrific bully drivers) to behave.. but make sure you get one with upper bracing, or else it would fold over into your rad. Winch compatible all the way.. even if you don't use it for a winch, it's additional reinforcement, where it counts.

[@78a67h]

Of course this video is mostly directed to Australian users. I am not familiar with many crashes involving animals for example in Europe. One point missed is that a chassis- mounted steel bull-bar will act as a lever magnifying the forces met by the chassis at the mounting points. In the event of a crash you may save your cooling system as mentioned but you may get a bent chassis which amounts to a much more serious damage to your vehicle.

[@SteveBurns80]

Ronnie, the main problem is most people don't know or consider the fact that steel bars will compromise you and your passengers in the event of high speed front end impact, like with another vehicle or a tree, something you failed to mention? It's a serious thing to consider when you're looking to fit a bull bar to your brand new 4wd, especially when a lot of people install them for cosmetic reasons and don't really need them.

[@streetlube]

John Cadogan @AutoExpertJC did a interesting report on safety and bull bars. Would be great for @Ronny_Dahl to do a commentary against that as part of this advice. It seems like the safety with bull bars is very much situational and without consensus.

[@SpectreOZ]

​​@@streetlube John's always right just ask him LOL 🤣

[@streetlube]

@SpectreOz yeah I get that which is why it would be good to hear from @Ronny_Dahl about JC's position as there appears to be some fundamental differences from these guys on if these bull bars are crash tested or not and I have this discussion with my mates as I'm in the market for a bar.

[@hughh106]

100%, bullbars increase risk greatly in high impact crashes. Bull bars change how crumple zones act in the event of a crash. No way about it

[@alancadieux2984]

A bit more steel between me and the problem is usually a good thing.(common sense)Go without if you like. Don't come whining to the rest of us after you learn the hard way from experience.

[@Raver_S_Thompson]

I have lived in the rockeys for 30 years. I have love tapped one antelope once. I just wanted more open recovery shackles. also remember that while steel is nice, alloy doesn't rust as bad, if you want to not paint every chip over the next ten years.

[@nate4036]

You ever used the ARB d-ring adapter or the american JeepsNeeds DLA? They make it nice to use a jack on your recovery points, locks the jack to the bar.

[@yusufsayed1583]

Education time , protection for your rig Greetings and cheers Mate from south africa 👍 🍻 🇿🇦

[@ChillWargamingBrian]

I actually think a hitch mounted winch is the best solution over a permanant front mounted winch. If you can get a hitch mount for the front then all you need is a winch cradle and some wiring for the winch. Then it doesn't matter how you get stuck, you can always winch out. And for recovery of another vehicle you have options to put your vehicle in the best position possible, like keeping the heavy front end away from a cliff edge...

[@jarradblair1793]

I used to like this idea also, it didn't take many boggings to convice me other wise. My 12000lbs winch weighs approximately 24kg (synthetic rope not heavy cable), the receiver another 25kg (all steel for obvious reasons) that's 49 kg I needed to lug back and forth, not a problem at home on my shed floor, but not so much fun road side, in knee deep mud. Also I had issues with wiring, you need a power feed to both ends of your vehicle of aprox 600amps, and your control box needs to be wired to both ends also, it was a nightmare😢. You lug the big heavy bastard from the rear hitch to the front, run the rope out to a tree, plug it in only to realies somewhere in your 6 meter long harness there is a short, aaannnd you just wasted 20 minutes moving a boat anchor.

[@JoyousNightjar]

I live in Qatar. We been to desert last week and a friend driving a pathfinder hit something & lower arm got bent. I am writing this as i relate this to what u said about weight. When he changed the damaged thing at Nissan he found that original was way too heavy. As he had got a second hand vehicle he was not aware by the way.

[@oldmanhare]

I wish we had as much quality bush in the US as you Aussies have!

[@rich7447]

There is quite a bit between the Mississippi and the Left Coast.

[@oby-1607]

We have deer or moose bumpers here. My Kenworth has taken out 6 deer and two of my pickups have taken out 3 deer each for a total of 12 deer have went to deer heaven. All the trucks went home with no problems except for the deer hair stuck here and there. Highly recommended to have one on your truck.

[@Kay-zee]

Great video. Just got my first 4x4. What's that bullbar on the FJ?

[@mammutMK2]

I miss the time where a bumper was made out of solid steel. Funny that you now need to install a bull bar just to reach a state the cars had 20 years ago. My suv now has a bumper pure of thin plastic hold by a couple of screws, you're just going to take the whole front of...pro is that you can to it with the standard oem tools. My old sport coupe had a massive steel bumper supported by shocks that would dampen 5 mph impacts, and we did tested those...but hitting a modern car with those will create a real mess

[@SkylinersYeti]

Another great video. Here in the US not a lot of rues or camels but we do have deer, elk, cattle, bears, and some places moose. Not sure if any bull bar would protect from an elk or moose because they are so much legs. I do see lots of dead deer along our highways. And yes never swerve at high speeds to miss an animal. I had a friend die because she swerved to miss a deer.

[@garyrogers5344]

Hit a roo at 100kph took out front bumper, head light quarter panel and drivers door, and it was only a 4 foot young roo ,if I had been 1 split second later it would have went through the grill and radiator . Yep steel bullbar all the way.

[@kitecrazzzy]

Most 4x4ing requires a bull bar for the reason that they have much improved ground clearance and approach angle over stock bumpers.

[@willmcc05]

Had a 5 poster with rocksliders and all the barwork on my 79 when I loved up in north qld. Now I have a comp bar on my patrol and not looking back 😆

[@paulboon1100]

I've had a two poster conventional alloy bull bar made by 'Bar Products' on my Cruiser for 24 years. Regrettably I've hit all sorts of animals big and small in nearly 500.000 km of driving all over Australia, the thing has not bent at all. I even had a certified engineer check the thing for fitting a winch, his answer: no cradle needed! So It's got one bolted to the bar and I pulled out all sorts with it including trees, trucks and 4x4s, etc no problem. It's definitely a heavy duty alloy bar. I guess it's the quality and thickness of the material of the bar that makes the difference, I can definitely say, I stand behind that product and don't need a steel one. I'm not talking about other makes of bars some of them are no more than bumpers. No I am not or have ever been sponsored by them.

[@tpharo34]

Well this is the best explanation of front bumpers I ve seen👍

[@bullzye101]

Awesome stuff Ronny luv your Video Editing ... big thumbs up

[@danielcarroll8885]

Think you need abit more experience to be honest we have a nudge bar that come on our MUX. We hit a large wombat at about 70km/hr and it actually saved the car as it deflected the wombat sideways toward the wheel completely saving the cooling system

[@RoadkingNZ1]

I live in central SA, 98% of my driving over the last 5 years has been outback roads. seen plenty of roos, emu, sheep and cattle on the road. haven't hit any yet. just slow down when you see an animal

[@Jack20585]

Another factor most people dont consider is that in a serious crash having a bullbar will likely increase you risk of serious injury or death.

[@roblynch9219]

really need to talk about winch access for all bull bars - most do not have good access - and especially hidden winches. Good topic for a Vid.

[@007Knightjp]

What happens to the chassis when you hit something with the steel bar? Animals may be fine, but something other than that? In terms of physics, what absorbs the shock? I saw a video with a car hitting a cow with one of those smartbars fitted. The vehicle was fine as so was the cow. Maybe there is a way to use Plastic and still have all the same protection as steel, and still not look awful. I saw one guy on the 4WD 247 videos use a smartbar and it looked pretty good to me. To be fair, I don't like the look of some of the steel ones. Makes the vehicle look like its got a massive chin. Take a look of the Ronny's Hilux side profile after the ARB bumper was installed. Of course it is function over form and beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

[@joshobrien7708]

Good informative video...I've always said those hoopless bullbars are useless, why spend $3k+ on a bullbar that only protects half your front end. 🤦‍♂️ Headlights & grill would be destroyed in a large animal impact.

[@slowboat6021]

been driving for nearly 50 years without a bar, in that time managed to hit one small roo (and NO little kids on bicycles). the roo did no damage to the car. I'll take my chances thanks. I couldn't live with myself if my bull bar hit a little kid and killed him.

[@leonkane8240]

You can mig weld aluminium & get pretty strong welds. It was my understanding that many aluminium bars are mig welded & I heard that mig was prefered & more ideal for making an aluminium bar

[@R.Sole88109]

True and just like steel, different aluminium has different properties so pick the right one for the job.

[@phalanx3803]

with pulsed mig welding aloy is easy.

[@leonkane8240]

@@phalanx3803 I did not know that. I will have to check if my machine does pulse. About to start an aluminum welding project.

[@harrywalker968]

@@leonkane8240 if you make an alloy bar,,it needs to be 10mm..decent alloy..stronger lighter than steel..i know..

[@harrywalker968]

it needs to be 10mm, & decent alloy.. i hit a car that pulled in front of me, wrote car off, no damage to mine..

[@moto157droid]

What about trucks equipped with crash detection and adaptive cruise? Will the sensors get blocked ? Are they designed with that in mind? Thank you

[@stuartferguson7947]

Who makes Toyota branded Bull/Roo Bars? One has to assume they are 100% legal carrying the vehicle manufactures brand and available as a factory option.

[@steinar.offroad]

That 79 with the plastic orange bar looks ridiculous, I want one

[@daveb1635]

Hi Ronny. Keep them vids coming top job. Q would you do an article on canopy trays. Aluminium vs steel. Pros and cons with weights. I have a DMax.

[@richardcrowell284]

Running along wallgrove a parallel to the M7 during the middle of the day a roo came out of the side of the road narrowly missing the oncoming truck and just avoided being hit but ended up glancing of my bar, many years ago I had a wallaby jump off a rock ledge and hit the side of my bar on my 4runner and avoided hitting the windscreen.

[@the88thdarcstar]

Should have started by explaining your terms. Took me wait too long to figure out which bar was which

[@towarzyszbeagle6866]

Things people don't consider about bullbars; - They compromise the collision characteristics and airbag deployment timing of your car. - They increase your stopping distance, decrease your agility and worsen your general handling. - They block and disrupt airflow into your intercooler. Which impacts your engine cooling performance. - They increase tyre wear and suspension wear on the front end. That's a hell of a lot to compromise on to protect from an animal strike. In fact, considering how much they detract from the safety of the vehicles occupants, it could be said you are choosing the well-being of the car over its occupants. Not a very good decision for mine.

[@tommypaintingplastering2854]

can you make content about: side step for 4wd . ?

[@rpmmcmaster]

This is a reason I love overlanding h my 98 Cummins I have a steel front bumper with mandrel bent steel tube for a bull brush guard/bar on the truck with a 20k hydraulic winch and a 20k rear on my steel pumper powered by my transfer case mounted hydraulic PTO pump no suspension issues at all

[@tersy9862]

One thing to mention is that adding more weight to your vechile is going to increase fuel economy, decrease performance (acceleration, braking, more likely to get bogged) and decrease your payload capacity. Everything is a trade off

[@harrywalker968]

10mm alloy bar, stronger than steel. if your worried about weight,,stay home..no 4x4 these days is weight friendly.. i drive an f250 cab chassis, 12.5 lt 100. pulls 4.5 t. 4.2tdi brazilian, german diesel..ausie..s.a. turns better than a 79 series, cheaper, better economy, more comfort, more room,, toyotas suck..

[@tersy9862]

@@harrywalker968 ??? Weight doesn't matter for towing as much as beach driving or rock crawling

[@rich7447]

@@harrywalker968 Where did you get an F250 with a 4.2L diesel? The only diesel that we can get in a Super Duty is the 6.7L. Your F250 should be rated to pull a lot more than 4.5t. My Ram 2500 diesel was tow rated for 8t. Going Ford this time if they ever manage to build my F450 (ordered a '22 last year and converted it to a '23 at the end of October).

[@zoltanv7289]

can someone give me the name or a link where i can find the 75 dollar prop license plate and light holder contraptioN? 17:50

[@useryggfdcc]

I'm looking for one too.

[@dangdang8106]

I have an mq triton I love it. I've been looking at bullbar for months now and I am leaning towards an alloy bullbar because the weight. My biggest issues was loops or no loops I kinda want to keep the standard look but want to protect myself in case of emu strikes

[@SpectreOZ]

Then you have answered your own question... alloy with hoops, don't neglect a substantial skid plate because animal strikes can go over and under 👍

[@trevorharper5151]

Dont bother with alloy they will flex when hit and still smack the front of the car

[@joshuabuss4840]

Informative as always. It’s nice to live in the US and doge all those legal hang ups. Fabrication is huge and welcome. I run an alloy bar with a steel winch cradle. Best of both worlds. Proper welds with proper attachment points to the frame regardless of who makes it should be good enough. Name brand just adds extra money and the more companies competing for sales only help the consumers. Support your local fabricator they are probably more likely to work with what style your looking for.

[@Sabumnim666]

I worked in the mines in south Australia and I can tell you the steel bars bend a lot well the hoops especially and if you hit a mid size to a big roo at 110 kph well generally you are in trouble. The damage to the vehicle is less than without a bar but in most cases you are stuck. These should not be called bull bars as they could only protect you if you gave a bull a push at 3 Kph.