Bull bar data

BIGdaddy

Expedition Leader
:safari-rig:

Ran across a site containing data about the perceived effectiveness of Bull-bars. It's a fairly comprehensive survey done in Australia in 2011. Interesting read, if nothing else...

http://www.aaaa.com.au/data/BullBarSurvey.pdf


I've always maintained that a bull bar of some sort is somewhat mandatory on my 4x4's having some very near misses with various hooved animals and some assorted smaller animals.

This is aside from the normal day to day urban dangers from other vehicles. I haven't bought a car yet whose cooling system and front-of-engine bits are well protected, thereby removing the need for front end protection.

I was hit 3 times in the back and twice in the front in my Jeep while I owned it. The bull bar very much took the brunt of the force in both frontal cases. Both had to do with un-aware drivers backing in the front of my car. Both times it damaged their car and not mine.

I didn't search, but I wonder if there is a thread chronicling BullBar "saves" when damage was avoided due to one being fitted.

(And for the sake of full disclosure, no, I do not work for ARB...lol. But I do play a ARB bumper owner on TV) :sombrero::sombrero::sombrero:
 

tacr2man

Adventurer
I have a winch bull bar (ARB, no connection either) , its proved its worth several times in UK , India, and Australia. With no damage , apart from a smashed spotlight, to my vehicle . Its protected my 110 from : A ford escort (UK woman driver) , India (motorcycle No driver , he had fallen off) , Australia (several kangaroos, 1 emu, 1 goat, and slight brush with a bullock) . My repairs amounted to 1 new spottie, and a rattle can of low gloss black paint. The escort, was a write off , removed o/s/f fender and pushed the drivers door back 4 inches, the motorcyle, needed headlight wheel and handlebars. The animals all terminal apart from the bullock who probably had a sore butt for a few days! It carries the winch, HF antenna, and driving lights and with a slight mod a snow plough when needed.
 

doug720

Expedition Leader
I have have unfortunately hit 2 deer in my 60 Series LandCrusher. One with the stock bumper and once after I installed and ARB/winch set up.

First time I was lucky, it was a small deer and the speed was around 20 mph, so damage was relatively minor. But the deer fared poorly...

Second time was a full size doe while traveling about 45 mph. The deer jumped out of some trees and it was a solid hit on the front. No damage to the 60, but bad outcome for the deer!

We stay in an area with a good size deer population many times each year, and usually see 10 - 20 a day. I'm pretty cautious when driving, especially during mornings and afternoons, but both times were mid-day, so you never now.

One of the main reasons I installed the ARB was hitting an animal. In high school, a group of us were going skiing in Mammoth and traveling at night. The car in front hit a cow on 395 just North of Bishop. The animal came across the hood and through the front window. It killed the driver and passenger and the guy in the back was lucky to have been asleep and laying down or he would likely be dead also!

I'll keep my big bumper.

Doug
 

BIGdaddy

Expedition Leader
I have have unfortunately hit 2 deer in my 60 Series LandCrusher. One with the stock bumper and once after I installed and ARB/winch set up.

First time I was lucky, it was a small deer and the speed was around 20 mph, so damage was relatively minor. But the deer fared poorly...

Second time was a full size doe while traveling about 45 mph. The deer jumped out of some trees and it was a solid hit on the front. No damage to the 60, but bad outcome for the deer!

We stay in an area with a good size deer population many times each year, and usually see 10 - 20 a day. I'm pretty cautious when driving, especially during mornings and afternoons, but both times were mid-day, so you never now.

One of the main reasons I installed the ARB was hitting an animal. In high school, a group of us were going skiing in Mammoth and traveling at night. The car in front hit a cow on 395 just North of Bishop. The animal came across the hood and through the front window. It killed the driver and passenger and the guy in the back was lucky to have been asleep and laying down or he would likely be dead also!

I'll keep my big bumper.

Doug


Your high school trip story is somewhat terrifying, but having so many near misses, it doesn't surprise me. Thanks for sharing your experiences.
 

overlander

Expedition Leader
I was on a driving tip up the coast of Oz from Sydney to Brisbane. About half way up, roo's popped up everywhere along the highway. We were in a rental Ford something or other sedan. On some gravel backroad they call a highway, one jumped out in front of us, and skidding to a stop we hit it. Moments later, it got up and hopped away. From then on, I got the whole bull bar thing.

Flash forward to Botswana last year. Military exercise and we were in a rental 2011 LR 130 Crew Cab-no bull bar. We had multiple missions to travel from Gabarone in the South up to the training areas near the Kalahari. For hours on end, we would be cruising at 60-70 mph, then come over a hill or around a curve and have to immediately slow to 10 mph due to livestock or wild animals grazing on the side of the road. Mostly cattle and goats, but we did have a few Kudu (size of elk) hop a fence out of the blue and run across the road in front of us. I was wishing we had a bullbar the entire time.
 

overlander

Expedition Leader
Alot of people don't like the ARB's, particularly rock crawlers, because it hurts the approach angle because they stick out. It's a tradeoff. I'll give up approach angle for remote travel security anyday.
 

daddyusmaximus

Explorer
My big Ranch Hand bumper has saved my truck some damage twice. Once from a deer, crushed her pelvis, I had to put her down. Once from a semi truck that pulled out in front of me. I slammed her to a full stop in the road... he kept coming. Struck me with the side of his trailer and pushed me back 3 or 4 feet. The bar on one side is now 1" closer to the fender than the bar on the other side. Put a decent gash in the side of the trailer. Had a big bumper on my truck in Iraq too. Love me some heavy metal.
 

HumphreyBear

Adventurer
This is likely to have been produced a year or two ago when there was a push to ban bullbars in Australia for 'pedestrian safety' concerns. There is a lone guy who operates the "Pedestrian Safety Council" or somesuch similar named organisation over here and whenever the morning TV shows need a comment on why cars are bad thing to allow on roads because someone walked under a bus without looking, he's only too happy to provide a comment and try and ban, well, everything scary about the modern world. ARB amongst other leaders in the industry helped orchestrate a massive outcry and demonstration of how necessary these (literally lifesaving) devices are over here. The response was pretty unanimous, and the government backed down.
 

BIGdaddy

Expedition Leader
This is likely to have been produced a year or two ago when there was a push to ban bullbars in Australia for 'pedestrian safety' concerns. There is a lone guy who operates the "Pedestrian Safety Council" or somesuch similar named organisation over here and whenever the morning TV shows need a comment on why cars are bad thing to allow on roads because someone walked under a bus without looking, he's only too happy to provide a comment and try and ban, well, everything scary about the modern world. ARB amongst other leaders in the industry helped orchestrate a massive outcry and demonstration of how necessary these (literally lifesaving) devices are over here. The response was pretty unanimous, and the government backed down.


That's awesome. Thanks for the education!
 

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