Animal strikes and brush bars

[sourdoughben]

Aluminess (alum) is hardly more weight than the stock Ram bumper it replaced. Hit mature doe (whitetail) at aprox. 45 MPH(braking hard from 55). Deer went under and 1 ton 4x4 chassis spit it out the back. Truck had zero damage. The drive thru bumper did pay for itself IMO and I recommend going aluminum. Brush guards ?, are for bushes. Get a drive thru bumper for animal strikes.

 

[Kmrtnsn]

We had some Ranch Hand front bumpers on some of our vehicles when I was in the Border Patrol. They have my whole-hearted endorsement for striking animals and other vehicles.

 

[SnowedIn]

Far cheaper and more effective, SLOW DOWN at night, and in the third world don't drive at night.

Sadly, the issues I'm having aren't in the third world. ?

 

[Wilbah]

Sadly, the issues I'm having aren't in the third world. ?

Not to be a smart-a** but many of our cities equal or surpass much of the third world in terms of chaos IMO.

 

[Kmrtnsn]

Not to be a smart-a** but many of our cities equal or surpass much of the third world in terms of chaos IMO.

Amen! The little bastards running around L.A. on motorized scooters are begging to be run over. I almost killed three last month while making a left on green on a one way street when the three ************** almost plowed into the driver's side, going the wrong way (against traffic) at speed, on the one way street.

 

[wagoneer84]

My father in law hit a deer in montana destroying the front of his f150. When they rebuilt the front end he talked the insurance company into installing this bad boy. Its from a local company near Kalispel Mt.

 

[BritKLR]

Amen! The little bastards running around L.A. on motorized scooters are begging to be run over. I almost killed three last month while making a left on green on a one way street when the three ************** almost plowed into the driver's side, going the wrong way (against traffic) at speed, on the one way street.

Even worse in LA is the litter of all this rental scooters, bikes, tricycles, e-bikes....you actually have people walking into the street, while on their phone, to avoid the clutter of rental crap on the sidewalks and the e-rentals downtown in traffic was crazy. They make the city look like an undeveloped country, not a cutting edge social transport system. Don't take me wrong, I love the west coast, it simply has changed in a not positive way.

 

[billiebob]

Does it decrease damage enough to justify the cost ($1500+) of the bars?

Absolutely no way do you come ahead financially. Just the labour removing and replacing the bar is going to add to the cost and oftenthe bar will add to the damage too.

Maybe the brush guard will save the rad or oil cooler from leaking. But it is debatable since there is no control to base such a hypothesis on. Many Brush Guards are pure marketing with zero engineering. ARB is an exception and there may be a few others but most brush guards offer less protection than the factory body.

Last point..... how will you feel when you hit a child, senior, bicyclist with that steel battering ram. Current automotive factory designs specifically minimize pedestrian injuries. Back in the 1960s they mandated spring loaded marquee emblems on cars.



Because these ones were deadly

 

[billiebob]

Hit a roo Kangaroo about 6 foot or do tall at 120 kmh /80miles an hour

Had a cop in Alberta explain this to me about moose and cars.
Hit it at 50mph, the moose land on the ground
65mph, the moose lands on the hood
80mph, he lands in yer lap.

Slow down. At 50mph you might be able to brake and steer around him if yer awake.

love this photo

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Absolutely no way do you come ahead financially. Just the labour removing and replacing the bar is going to add to the cost and oftenthe bar will add to the damage too.

Maybe the brush guard will save the rad or oil cooler from leaking. But it is debatable since there is no control to base such a hypothesis on. Many Brush Guards are pure marketing with zero engineering. ARB is an exception and there may be a few others but most brush guards offer less protection than the factory body.

Last point..... how will you feel when you hit a child, senior, bicyclist with that steel battering ram. Current automotive factory designs specifically minimize pedestrian injuries. Back in the 1960s they mandated spring loaded marquee emblems on cars.

View attachment 547240

Because these ones were deadly

View attachment 547243

To be fair that second one is kind of distracting...

 

[jeep-N-montero]

I personally feel that ARB bumpers and similar frame mounted bumpers make up such a small percentage that the "hitting a pedestrian" argument is a moot point, not to mention that rigs set up as such are seldom driven in densely populated areas in the first place.

 

[robert]

I personally feel that ARB bumpers and similar frame mounted bumpers make up such a small percentage that the "hitting a pedestrian" argument is a moot point, not to mention that rigs set up as such are seldom driven in densely populated areas in the first place.

Agreed, most of the pedestrian accidents I've run have involved cars and often cell phones. If I lose control and plow into a pedestrian then yeah, I'll definitely feel bad about it but if it's not my fault, meh, it's not my fault. I'll keep my ARB thank you. I know some of the government agencies and safety groups in Australia were whinging about roo bars when I was working there, never mind the idiots walking in front of utes while talking on their phones.

 

[jeep-N-montero]

Agreed, most of the pedestrian accidents I've run have involved cars and often cell phones. If I lose control and plow into a pedestrian then yeah, I'll definitely feel bad about it but if it's not my fault, meh, it's not my fault. I'll keep my ARB thank you. I know some of the government agencies and safety groups in Australia were whinging about roo bars when I was working there, never mind the idiots walking in front of utes while talking on their phones.

Yeah, I have zero sympathy for sheeple who aren't smart enough to watch where they are walking, pretty sad if a person can't get from point A to B without staring at their electronic leash.

 

[calicamper]

We’ll my 2019 Expedition with 1000 miles on it took a large 4point buck between the headlights two weeks ago. He came down off a hill at full run opposite side of the road at us at a 45 degree angle basically head on full run. I was doing 35mph hit the brakes and basically stopped just as he hit us at a full run. $13,000 in parts being replaced.
I actually discussed what impact a bull bar would have had with the shop repairing my truck. All three guys unanimously said bent frame instead of bent radiator and smashed soft bits in the front end. I did drive it home radiator wasn’t ruptured and wasn’t pushed far enough to contact the spinning bits on the front of the engine. Fenders were even untouched! The buck basically rolled over the bumper and went under the hood and through the grill. Then took off!! F-cker.... lol

Bull bar would have bent the front ends of my frame.

 

[STREGA]

The old saying we had in Colorado was “It’s not if you hit a deer but when you hit a deer”. I managed to make almost 25 years there and never did hit one had a couple close calls though. Wife had a deer hit her, it jumped from the side onto her hood and smashed the windshield. Did $1800 damage to car, wife was shaken up but not hurt.