Thread: Unsafe bull bars

Originally Posted by p38arover

If you are talking about those holes at the bottom of the bull bar on the fore-aft strakes of metal (see pic), they are not recovery points.

I'd have thought they'd be fine as long as you use a spreader bar or sling between the two holes.
I'd never ever tow or snatch from one side only though.

OK. Here are some pic's and observations....

The bar is bolted to the bracket with 3 vertical bolts. The bar is 4mm thick (at most) there and is unsupported on the outside edge as it is a angle bracket welded to the unsupported 3mm vertical sheet withing the bar. Now there, is a major flex point!!! Plus the bolts are so close together that a small amount of flex will result in a large travel at the top of the bar. That's another design fault.
It also has a spacer plate between the bracket and the bar that is not under the vertical section of the roo bar. This will only increase the flex problems.

It is actually bolted through the chassis sideways, in 2 places. It's marvelous what you can see when there is no mud in the way....
At the top bolt, there is a gap between the bracket and the chassis. This provides an insecure mounting to the chassis. That top bolt also doesn't pass through the chassis. This will really increase the amount of movement available. as the plates can move with no restrictions.

The 2 vertical bolts are through a reasonably strong point. But the foolishly designed bracket has slots on the underside. Gee.... That is going to stop a lot of travel of the bottom of the bracket.... NOT.

The bottom bolt goes through the chassis, which is good. My only question is, how close to the diameter of the hole is the bolt??? If they are not a close fit (less than 0.5mm difference in diameter) then there is more slop built in......


Well..... Now I can see why it flexed.....

What's with the shackles? The bar has NO recovery points.

Not recovery points mate
And a hard snatch from the bottom of the bar is most definitely going to rotate the top edge back towards the bonnet, basic lever type movement/action.
I've been flat towed by my recovery points that mount to the same bolts as my bullbar to crush cans, and observed considerable rotation when slack was taken up at speed.
I then replace the bolts with upsized HT bolts and added the vertical bolt. No more rotation.
And Slunnie, the angle is corrected by adding the vertical bolts and I loosened the main bolts, aligned the bar correctly with the highlift under the lower horizontal tube and then tightened the bolts.
And discussions of winching off eyelets vs snatching has been done to death .

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The problem with your mounts causing rotation lies in the fact that your bar is not a Defender specific bar!! It has been bodgied to fit from another vehicle. I await ARBs reaction when you take it in for inspection.!!

That not a defender bar.......

It might have an ARB sticker but I doubt ARB fitted it.......

Originally Posted by schuy1

The problem with your mounts causing rotation lies in the fact that your bar is not a Defender specific bar!! It has been bodgied to fit from another vehicle. I await ARBs reaction when you take it in for inspection.!!

Originally Posted by weeds

That not a defender bar.......

It might have an ARB sticker but I doubt ARB fitted it.......

I'm not sure if you two are serious, but that is a Defender ARB Deluxe bar.

Originally Posted by weeds

That not a defender bar.......

It might have an ARB sticker but I doubt ARB fitted it.......

It looks like the bar on page 1 of this thread.