Bull bar

I realise this will be a touchy subject for some but here goes.....

I've got a '96 disco that looks like it's had a bull bar on at some point and I'm thinking of putting an original looking one back on with recovery points and it'll be a good spot to wrap the strops to when I go green laning.

Your thoughts please.

Mike

Personally I don't like 'em.

My Disco started like this ... fairly standard 'cept larger tyres.


Then to this, similar to what you're thinkiing of ...


Now back to this, which I think, looks better, works just as well and isn't so aggressive ..

Are there a lot of bulls round your way?

I played devils advocate on this one about ten years ago; & no-one could give me a 'genuine' reason for fitting one in the UK...... still cant!
IF a bull-bar is rigid enough to take an impact and not bend itself, then its going to pass those forces to whatever its bolted to.
If its bolted to the bumper mounts, well, IF it's bolted securely enough then wot will bend, instead of your bonnet, will be your chassis.......
If its NOT bolted that secure....... well it will just fold into the bonnet and spread the damage!
In the outback, where your life could depend on being able to limp a vehicle back to civilisation, and a banana'd chassis is less of a risk to that than a smashed radiator, possibly a different story.... but here in the UK?
About he only 'use' is to have some-where to hang your strop.
But, then depending on type, makes cleaning the lamps or changing a bulb, or getting the pressure washer in to get the mud out the rad more of a hassle.
Added weight also dont help fuel consumption much, and wind around them increases noise.
As for recovery, steering guard with recovery eyes £80, or a pair of Jates £15. Bridle between them, on shackles, 'slip' shackle on the bridle, and cable or rope off that, and wrap the end round the wing mirror......
And take it OFF when you leave the P&P, and stick it in a bin-liner in the boot.

Teflon said:

I played devils advocate on this one about ten years ago; & no-one could give me a 'genuine' reason for fitting one in the UK...... still cant!
IF a bull-bar is rigid enough to take an impact and not bend itself, then its going to pass those forces to whatever its bolted to.
If its bolted to the bumper mounts, well, IF it's bolted securely enough then wot will bend, instead of your bonnet, will be your chassis.......
If its NOT bolted that secure....... well it will just fold into the bonnet and spread the damage!
In the outback, where your life could depend on being able to limp a vehicle back to civilisation, and a banana'd chassis is less of a risk to that than a smashed radiator, possibly a different story.... but here in the UK?
About he only 'use' is to have some-where to hang your strop.
But, then depending on type, makes cleaning the lamps or changing a bulb, or getting the pressure washer in to get the mud out the rad more of a hassle.
Added weight also dont help fuel consumption much, and wind around them increases noise.
As for recovery, steering guard with recovery eyes £80, or a pair of Jates £15. Bridle between them, on shackles, 'slip' shackle on the bridle, and cable or rope off that, and wrap the end round the wing mirror......
And take it OFF when you leave the P&P, and stick it in a bin-liner in the boot.

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yeh what he says

Just thought.... why would you fit a strop when you go green-laning....
Playing Devils again, but IF the lane is so 'challenging' you EXPECT to need a strop.... then you shouldn't really be there....... should you?

Teflon said:

Just thought.... why would you fit a strop when you go green-laning....
Playing Devils again, but IF the lane is so 'challenging' you EXPECT to need a strop.... then you shouldn't really be there....... should you?

Click to expand...

That would be incorrect. You never were a boy scout then. Only on Saturday I ended up been pulled out of a pot hole. Thinking should be nothing to bad I hadn't fixed my new tow bar so had no rear recovery points.

You should always be prepared. It could be you knee deep in cold water & mud trying to find the recovery points to fix a strop to, because the person who is stuck didn't fit the strop before going out.

One last note getting stuck is not an indication that you shouldn't choose to drive it. Getting stuck can be yes driver error. Could be beached, got cross axled and other dry reasons needing recovery doesn't mean stuck in mud.

As for the original thread. A full bull bar not an A-Bar is usefull to protect from branches causing front end damage from branches while driving over grown roads.

We don't all accept that body work scratches and small dents are just par for the course. On the Friday night outing we had a standard defender bumper tagged by something the other 4 cars missed.

While it is fine to say well don't drive them. They are over grown for that reason they don't get driven enough.

Just my 2pence worth.

I thought I'd get good and interesting replies. I do see most of the points made being right in their own way but the idea behind having a strop fastened to the front and rear when you go green laning to me is just common sence because you never know what you might meet on the way. The reason I thought of having the wrap around bull bar is to protect the car as it is the only one I have and not just a play thing although I do use it for pleasure.

Mike

OK, so what does a Bull-Bar 'protect'?
Branches?
OK, so you strike a branch, shouldn't, on a GL, be going fast enough for that branch to break glass, so you are looking at 'skuff-damage'... on theglass head-lamps and plastic bumper & grill....
what happens when that branch has been deflected by the bull-bar.....?
Its either going to scrape down the side, or over the top.....
You STILL get skuff damage, so that argument dont wash, I'm afraid.

Again, the car as an 'every-day' vehicle, and not wanting to get it skuffed up, more argument against taking on trails where you are likely to aquire such damage, especially as a bull-bar wont do much to help avoid it!

And you dont drive down the motorway with a a towing rod attached 'just in case' do you?

If you head down the trails you HAVE to accept that conditions can be unpredictable.

Being prepared.... yes, agree, you might not PLAN to get stuck.... but if you were a boy-scout, you'd apply the 'other' motto 'look before you leap' before the motto 'be prepared' and pre-walk the section.

Might be 'prudent', but converse argument is, sticking a strop on the front makes your vehicle look like you are prepared for, and hence going looking for trouble....

Nice tidy front end, looking like a standard car, you are less likely to get 'noticed' by the anti's.... I think of it as 'stealth-mode', especially as there are almost as many Anti's in the 4x4 fraternity these days as there are in the RA!

But, as I said, playing Devils Advocate. Arguments go both ways, on the strop suggestion, but there aren't that work for a bull-bar, I'm afraid, unless you are planning a trip out in to the desert boonies, and we dont have many ofthem in this country!

I have an ARB bumper which has protected my D90 from a Moroccan dog which i hit at ~30mph.

Its also been used as an ice breaker across strata florida on NYE 08. The 13 or so fords along with many puddles were 3ft deep with a 4" thick iced top.

The ARB broke through were a standard defender following behind would not have made it as the ice would have snaped the plastic grill and pierced the rad. I got away with a smashed number plate and indicator lenses

I wouldnt own another 4x4 without fitting one from now on.

+they look the dogs.

G

LOL, fair play GD, but that's a 'proper' bumper/bullbar not a bolt-on ... and it's pretty rare for UK green-laners to have to break through 3' deep water with 4" ice on it!!




... or to hit Moroccan Dogs ....

I don't like bullbars cos if you hit summit with them they often fold down and crush the entire front of your landy. The damage would often be less without them. I am a fan of A frames however. They help protect your radiator in the event of an impact.

As for strops on while driving. I never used to attatch a strop until such time as it was needed. After my ditch diving experience last year I keep at least one strop on at all times.

Again, fair points made for both sides (ok 1 is extreme but hey!). Still undecided, maybe go on some more trips and see how things go for now.

Mike

The real problem with Bull bars was that every Chelsea Tractor had to have one fitted. Add to that half the vans as well.

I can see no valid reason for a Bull bar for a vehicle that is only every used in town or on well maintained highways.

In the same way as rock/tree sliders are there to prevent damage to your sills and side panels a Bull bar does the same for your lights and quarter panels.

Here is the little dump on of the Defenders found on Friday night, just lucky it was bumper height.

Also the little recovery of mine on Saturday. Accidents will happen when your not prepared.

I was mearly justifying my ARB on my 90 got a vid of the ice breaking on facestalk.

Its not great. but you can see the ice sheet bowing as i push it. Had to reverse a few times and hit it hard! hopefully the link will work... edit: no it didnt wont let you share vids like pics on FB.

nevermind, you will have to take my word for it.

G

Vinnie110 said:

You should always be prepared. It could be you knee deep in cold water & mud trying to find the recovery points to fix a strop to, because the person who is stuck didn't fit the strop before going out.

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not stepping into the row one way or the other. BUT, when I'm out, the rule is: your vehicle, your responsibility to attach the strop. fair do's if I've made a mistake and need pulling out, I'll deal with mine. But if you need pulling out, all I'm interested in is securing one end of the strop to mine. The rest is up to you.

(this excludes genuinely disabled drivers who would struggle to do this)

I love my bullbars.....I find them very handy in supermarket car parks for moving those trolleys that block spaces and deflecting OAPs on zebra crossings........

Optimus Prime said:

not stepping into the row one way or the other. BUT, when I'm out, the rule is: your vehicle, your responsibility to attach the strop. fair do's if I've made a mistake and need pulling out, I'll deal with mine. But if you need pulling out, all I'm interested in is securing one end of the strop to mine. The rest is up to you.

(this excludes genuinely disabled drivers who would struggle to do this)

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Ditto ...