Thread: ARB winch bullbar - What winch . . . .HELP!!!!!

Originally Posted by Cracka

Well I don't know what I was doing but I missed your reply Sam, sorry, wow time gets away.

But I have to agree with Vlad. If I can get a tube bumper that weighs around 35kgs, then add a winch both of them might add up to the weight of the ARB bar alone!!!!!!!!!!!! (I'm not saying I want a tube bumper, I'm just using that as an example.)

Or not............because I don't know what one weighs, I have been told figures of about 65kgs but I'll never know unless I go out and BLINDLY buy one. That would be like buying the defender without doing your research on the vehicle first. I'm not going to shell out close to $1500 unless I know what I'm buying.

This is why we need to know specific weights, yes we remove items, but the weight of a defender standard bar isn't that much. I have kept track of EVERYTHING I have been taking off and extras added to my 90 just to know how FAT its getting. I can then decide what items I actually NEED, or just think I need

And like Vlad, I too like the look of the bar, but I don't want a ships anchor at the front of the 90 either.

Mick

My previous style ARB was less than 60kg (can't find my notes right now but 55kg rings a bell).

My current tubular winch bar is ~ 20kg lighter. Not quite an offset to the winch, but a good saving and, IMO, a much better looking option on a Defender.

Every now and then I get a little paranoid about skippies, but the tubular will still protect all the vitals and, given that the truck is now lifted on bigger tyres, the wings will probably be fine for all but the biggest skippies, which will probably fold the wing off any bar (except for maybe a Tuffbar?).

I appreciate that there is litte interest from ARB in testing with winches that they don't sell. Fair enough. I do however agree Vlad & Cracka - that kind of corporate marketing-speak response (FUD) is rather unhelpful, and I have diminshed respect for companies that choose to respond in that manner.

You may get a more useful response from the winch manufacturer by asking them if their winches fit in an ARB bar - and if so what modifications (if any) are required.

I have the new style ARB bull bar on my Puma. I weighed it before installing it and it was 58Kg. I think that was without the fitment kit but I can't fully recall. Either way, the fitment kit is only a couple of Kg. As with any bullbar installation you have to remove the factory bumper bar so there is a small weight saving there.

Having installed about 4 different bullbars on my various 110s (including the aforementioned ARB bar), I would note that if you are planning to install it yourself, then you may find that the ARB bar is more complex to install than many of its competitors - and that the quote for fitment from ARB (or stockist) is actually quite reasonable. The other factor to consider is that to install the ARB bar you need to drill additional holes in your chassis rails. I was OK with this, but it is a factor worth considering.

FWIW, I have a new style (ie Black) 12,000lb Ironman winch mounted in my ARB bar. On my previous car I had the previous (grey) model of Ironman winch (I upgraded because the new model is sealed and has a breather tube). No modification was required to the ARB bar for either model of winch, however I did have to cut part of the radiator grille away. In both cases I was very happy with the result and as some forum members will tell you, my winches do get a bit of use.