Bumpers for Expedition Travel:
http://www.expeditionswest.com/equipment/tacoma/arb_bumper.html
Why fit this heavy bumper?
1. Animal Strike:
The number one reason to buy a bull-bar is to protect the radiator and engine vitals from an animal strike. There is a much greater likelihood of hitting a donkey or deer while on an expedition, than to hit another vehicle. An animal impact can rupture the radiator, damage the fan and break intake components leaving you stranded.
The ARB bullbar is designed to catch and deflect the animals torso, sending the mass of the strike off to the sides or under the chassis.
2. Vehicle Recovery and road repair:
Purchased as a winch bull-bar, the ARB can allow fitment of an electric or hydraulic powered winch. Most often, winches are purchased for the rare event when you will need to recover your vehicle from being stuck. In reality (considering expedition travel and "rock crawling" are quite different), the winch will be used ten times more often for road repair. Clearing felled trees, moving rocks in the road, pulling down washed-out embankments with a land anchor, etc.
Complete album of tree extraction
3. Trail Protection:
Rock impacts, crossing gullies, trees and deep ruts all present the chance of damage to the vehicles front end. A heavy duty, full length bumper is designed to take light trail impacts and also help ramp the front end over obstacles, etc.
In technical 4wd competition, I have found the ARB bumper to also provide "endo" protection.
5. Accident protection:
Driving in crowded cities, remote mountain roads and tight traffic can all be prime situations for an accident. Having a stout bumper will help prevent accidents to start with, as locals will give you a slightly wider berth. If a light impact does occur, the chances of any damage is nil.
This advantage does require some responsibility though. Drive slow and watch for pedestrians.
4. Light and antennae Mounting:
The ARB bumper makes for a great light mount, with integrated holes and tabs. Most models mount the lights inside the main bars, protecting them from damage. It is also common to mount CB or VHF/UHF radio antennae to the upper tab, though the ground plane not ideal.
