You recently purchased a brand-new four-wheel drive, are preparing for your first off-road excursion, and the tough-looking bullbar is your first choice for vehicle modification. How do you know which bullbar is best for you when they all make your car appear strong and can guard against stray animals and other hazards? Are there any legal concerns to be aware of? Can you attach your extremely powerful LED light strips to it?
A bullbar’s main purpose is to shield the front of the car from collisions and offer extra mounting points for lighting and accessories. In order for bullbars to fit properly, the front bumper bar and front guards may need to be trimmed. Bullbars are typically fastened to the chassis itself.
In This Article...
Types of Bullbars
The first consideration is whether a bullbar is appropriate for your car. Genuine and aftermarket bullbars are readily accessible for many four-wheel-drive vehicles, but before these manufacturers can supply a proper bullbar, they must perform the necessary tests to ensure that the frontal airbag sensors, radar cruise control, and parking sensors are all functional. There might be a reason why the vehicle you’re thinking about has fewer options than others.
You should also take legal obligations into account. It’s advisable to comprehend these before investing in that enormous bullbar with the CB radio aerial and winch because they vary from state to state. You want to confirm if installing it will be permitted in your state.
Now is the moment to select a bullbar. Nudge bars, commercial bars, and deluxe alternatives with additional accessories are just a few of the many variations and designs that are offered. The nudge bar often comes first for the smallest size. Smaller bars that extend to the front grille are installed underneath the car. Some of them contain facilities for parking sensors to ensure that, if installed, they do not obstruct the factory sensors. They are made to serve as mounts for lights and other minor accessories. To assist prevent rust and scratches, they are often chrome-plated or polished alloy, although they can also have a powder coating.
A “tradesman” or “commercial” bull bar is the next level up from the nudge bar. This is more suited to being used on a jobsite than in the wilderness and is more suitable for a work truck or commercial vehicle. These bull bars lack the fancy frills found on more expensive bull bars but are still composed of sturdy steel. To avoid rust and scratches, they are frequently hardwearing black powder coated. If necessary, they do have driving lights and aerials available, as well as some recovery sites in case you end yourself trapped on that muddy construction site.
Bullbars with all the bells and whistles are the most sought-after types and are referred to as “Deluxe” or “Outback” bullbars. These bullbars are composed of steel, are customized for each vehicle, and have the required mounting points for any safety-related standard equipment. They can be ordered with a winch, driving lights, fog lights, radio antennas, and protective underbody panels. You can even get them with a black powder coating or in the body color of your car.
Reasons for installing a Bullbar
The major benefit of installing a bullbar is quite obvious: it will assist shield the vehicle’s critical engine parts from animal strikes and other frontal impacts when you are out in the bush. Additionally, they offer the ideal location for mounting front-end accessories and equipment, and they let the installation of underbody protection to shield the transmission, engine sump, and other delicate parts from harm when traveling off-road.
Who can install Bullbars?
While installing a bullbar yourself could be possible, getting everything lined up and cutting the bumper bar and body panels can be very challenging. All of this will be taken care of during a professional installation, along with any additional driving lights or the winch that are required to be wired. If something should go wrong, returning it back to the installer will have it fixed in no time because this work will be covered by a warranty. The DIY alternative cannot be considered to be the same.
The majority of installers operate out of specialized shops created for mounting bullbars and other four-wheel-drive parts. However, some workshops offer a mobile service to have the work done at your place of business or residence.
Things to consider when installing bullbars
The primary question to ask yourself is whether you actually need that fully loaded bullbar with driving lights and winch if all your car does is drop kids off at the neighborhood school. If the bullbar clogs the factory air intakes, adding weight to the front of your car can mean changing the suspension and the cooling system.
Your fuel usage will also rise as you gain weight. The legal repercussions of installing the bullbar and accessories are another item to think about. To make sure that your car may be driven legally in the state you’ve picked, there are a few regulations that must be observed.
Not after a Bullbar Install?
Not to worry. You can get almost anything your car needs at AutoGuru! We can get you extremely fast, set price quotes from amazing, high-quality neighborhood mechanics for everything from minor servicing to significant repairs. The best part is that everything can be done online, including searching and booking. It’s simple!
Let us assist you in finding your next and forever mechanic since we want to make car maintenance less stressful and time-consuming.
Is installing bull bar challenging?
Bull bar installation can range from a super-easy, Saturday afternoon love fest to a driveway-hosted bloodmatch between you, the bull bar, and every tool in your garage, depending on your car and the kind of body armor and protection you require. The bull bar itself is the main factor that determines performance, along with the vehicle and your level of experience. So, consider this: “What is it composed of? and “Who created it?
The most well-known companies in the bull bar industry include Westin, Aries, Steelcraft, and Dee Zee. Each brand makes products with premium materials like stainless steel, and they are all rather comparable. They are not, however, interchangeable, despite this. You may be guaranteed to purchase a top-notch bull bar as long as you do your research.
The installation process
Here are some general installation instructions for the bull bar of your choosing that you now possess. If we knew what vehicle you drive or which bar you’re buying, we could provide you step-by-step instructions.
- Read the installation instructions after removing your bull bar from its packing.
- Verify that you have all the required tools and that no components are missing.
- Find the factory-drilled holes by crawling underneath the front of your vehicle.
- The bull bar brackets should be fastened and torqued into place.
- Make sure everything is level and even before attaching the bull bar to the mounting brackets.
- Verify again that each bolt is securely fastened.
How bull bars work
Manufacturers frequently use the same bull bar item number for many cars that use the same platform. Even though the mounting method will be very different, a bull bar for a Toyota Tundra will appear pretty similar to one for a Silverado. What’s important to remember is that a bull bar is a bull bar, and a quality bull bar is always better.
The majority of bull bar producers are not marketers. They undoubtedly know their Honda CRV bull bar from their Ford Escape skid plate and their MIG welder from their hydrogen rod, but they typically lack the time to advertise their products. That leaves a middleman, and whether it’s the local off-road shop or one of those online super-retailers, if you believe the salesperson, you can trust the bull bars he’s selling you.
A tip from the mechanic
To sum up Bull bars are hefty, cumbersome pieces of steel that might be difficult to install on your own since they are so big. Call on a friend for assistance rather than tackling it alone. The key is to avoid being overconfident. The companion is likely to cow out if they feel intimidated or like you’re giving them bull. Therefore, if you take the other approach and blow them away with promises of ice-cold drinks and piping-hot pizza, you can be sure that you will have a helpful hand or two on hand on installation day.
What does it cost to install a bull bar?
A good bull bar will cost you between $1,500 and $2,500, mostly depending on the engineering and quality of the materials utilized (more on those below).
In recent years, the market has been overrun with cheaper, lower-quality foreign bull bars. Whatever path you take, keep in mind that the materials used, the engineering, and even airbag compatibility may suffer as a result of the cost savings. If your decision is solely aesthetic, you can get away with it; however, if your purchasing decision is more pragmatic, then shopping on a budget may not be the best use of your money.
Any automobile can fit a bull bar, right?
A bull bar must adhere to the “Technical Specification: Requirements for vehicle frontal protective systems attached to light vehicles” if it is to be installed on a new or used automobile that is registered in NSW.
Do all Westin bull bars fit?
- The 1997 Chevy 2500 can install the Westin Sportsman Grille Guard part numbers 40-0085 or 45-0080 using the Replacement Mounting Kit for Westin Sportsman Grille Guard part number 40-008PK.
Grille Guards are vehicle-specific, and neither the guard nor the mounting kits are universal in and of themselves. The mounting kit item # 40-008PK will work well for you if you have the 40-0085 or 45-0080 Grille Guard because these are the only two Westin grille guards that are currently available for your car.