bull bars

[johnb44]

im thinking of getting a bull bar and have read a number of posts here
i like the look of the arb sahara bar , tjm only do a steel bar for my model
2004 classic disco and im not sure about ecb i had a arb bar on my land cruiser and was very happy with it as it paid for itself a few times with the amount of animals and 1 car i hit with no damage
do the discos suffer from the extra weight of the steel bar requiring beefed up front suspension ? [ reading jaybees post ] is alloy up to the task which is what id prefer now as i live in hervey bay and salt air is an issue i will be doing a few trips to fraser island and the rare trip south to vic to visit relos/ family etc as i said the sahara bar is my favorite your opinions are what i would welcome thanks :angel:

[grover7488]

hi
AFAIK ARB only make steel bars, with good reason. Unless the design is like that of a "prime mover's" bar alloy is not really up to the task of protection from animal strikes and the like. probably fine for city driving. My money is on the steel. I would think that over time the stock coils would sag but saying that i was suprised just how much the stock bumper weighed. I think i only gained about 15kg with the TJM :D

cheers

[scarry]

Had an ECB bar on the first D2 i had.Didnt like it much,the design made the front recovery point unuseable:(
After it got bent i replaced it with anTJM alloy.
The next D2 i fitted with a steel TJM bar,as they had stopped making the alloy model for the D2.
I find the TJM bar OK
My brother has a ARB on his D1,& i recon it is better than the TJM.If i was gonna get a bar for a D2 i would go ARB.
You wont need to beef up the front suspension,unless you fit a winch.
just reread your post,if the Sahara bar is the one with a solid type bumper & a nudge bar thing on it,i dont like them as i dont recon it protects the vehicle as much as a full bar.

Just my 2 cents worth.

[JayBee75]

im thinking of getting a bull bar and have read a number of posts here
i like the look of the arb sahara bar , tjm only do a steel bar for my model
2004 classic disco and im not sure about ecb i had a arb bar on my land cruiser and was very happy with it as it paid for itself a few times with the amount of animals and 1 car i hit with no damage
do the discos suffer from the extra weight of the steel bar requiring beefed up front suspension ? [ reading jaybees post ] is alloy up to the task which is what id prefer now as i live in hervey bay and salt air is an issue i will be doing a few trips to fraser island and the rare trip south to vic to visit relos/ family etc as i said the sahara bar is my favorite your opinions are what i would welcome thanks :angel:


HI John,

A couple of things to note. My suspension on the front I believe was sagging anyway, particularly on the drivers side, it has that traditional slight LR lean to the front right.
Secondly I have just put on bar and winch so an uneducated guess, double the weight of a bar in itself.

My suggestion would be evaluate yours on it's own merits. If you are just going a bar factor in the possibility of new springs as a worse case senerio. You may find based on the age and what ever K's you have done you will be fine. Also to remember you don't necessarily have to have a lift, you may just put heavier springs in, only if required.

Cheers
JB:)

[Datt]

Arb Sahara bar is my preference. Looks great, good protection (as I found out today when my wife told me she ran into a falcon ute, good damage to the ute, small amount of paint off the bar). If you go for this bar make sure you try to screw them down a bit in price. They have room to move and I would think in this economic climate they would do so more easily. Good luck.

Matt.

[Skellz]

I put on a arb bull bar on my 2002 disco about 9 months ago and have noticed that the front as dropped a bit. I have no winch on yet but know if I fit one I will have to the front spring and shockes.

:):):):)

[John W]

Couple of points. Yes it will drop perhaps as much as 2cm. Replacement springs to allow for this are not expensive.
The standard ARB bar increases your approach angle at the front wheel, the way they are cut, but decreases approach angle significantly in the middle as the bar sticks out a lot further than a standard bumper. So going straight at an obstruction your front will dig in unless you take it on the oblique and get your wheel up onto it.
I have had rust where the rubber bumpers are mounted. Is a bit of a fiddle getting to the nuts that hold the rubbers on but once off it is easy to grind back and paint a black bar. No other rust spots and have done a fair amount of beach work.
I have a white disco and have always felt a black bull bar looks the goods on a white disco.

[StephenF10]

When I bought my D2 it had an ARB steel bar and standard suspension. The front end would bottom out over speed humps! No such problems since getting an OME 2" lift.

Stephen.

[grover7488]

not to get into personal preferences and tastes but i think that the TJM bar has a better approach angle than the ARBs.
I think that the sahara bar looks cool - provided you dont use the stubby lever too often as it offers limited protection (my mate 'touched' a tree the other week as the front wheel came back to earth on a tight tricky section. He was glad he had the extra hoops and not a sahara :eek:)

[Slunnie]

Thats true the TJM does have a better approach angle, but on the flip side the ARB with a better deck doesn't bend through the wings when you hit things like the TJM bar does.

[Hastykiwi]

Ahem... i cannot offer anything like the erudite technical learnings of my aformentioned colleagues, however i would like to offer my condsidered opinion on the asthetics of the ECB brand of frontal protection. :)

They look pants:thumbsdown:! They would have to be the ugliest piece of metalwork ever, surpassing even the 1969 toyota corona, the Edsel, ..even the Leyland P76:eek: could be considered good looking compared to an ECB bar.

just my 2c:glare:
cheers
Nick.

[Rudolf]

They look pants!

I agree with that. Local comment - "A Bull Frog under lip".
They are also better than the standard bumper.
I scraped mine STD one in a ditch.
Was promtly replaced with a local Bull Bar . Half the price of ARB or TJM
but looks half as good. In RSA we also have Ironman available witch I prefer over TJM.
The approach angle on my D2 was improved but I still managed to bottem it in a very deep rutted ditch.
Bull bars are very ugly but they do serve a very usefull purpose.:twisted:

[johnb44]

thanks alot of food for thought :eek:

[Rudolf]

Bullfrog under lip!!!

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2009/05/274.jpg

[BMKal]

Ahem... i cannot offer anything like the erudite technical learnings of my aformentioned colleagues, however i would like to offer my condsidered opinion on the asthetics of the ECB brand of frontal protection. :)

They look pants:thumbsdown:! They would have to be the ugliest piece of metalwork ever, surpassing even the 1969 toyota corona, the Edsel, ..even the Leyland P76:eek: could be considered good looking compared to an ECB bar.

just my 2c:glare:
cheers
Nick.


I dunno - I reckon the ECB Bar suits the Disco. I've seen a lot of worse looking ones out there. And while I wouldn't want to run into anything too solid with it - I've hit more than a couple of roos with this one with no damage so far. And my suspension hasn't sagged either. :p

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/ (http://img30.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dscf1270.jpg)

[Bytemrk]

Personally I would not buy an alloy bar.

I have an ARB steel winch bar on my DIIA.

A few months ago I had some idiot woman (Apologies and no offence intended to those present) hit me from the front right when I was stationary. She glanced off the front right corner of the ARB - causing her Magna - a new bonnet, headlight, left guard and 2 left doors. :eek::eek:

Did I mention I was stationary!....total damage to mine - bar need a re paint.

As Slunnie said.. ARB make them out of steel for a reason.


As far as weight goes - mine had standard springs up until last weekend. ( I also have a winch too though.

I changed coils only because it just felt heavy in the front. the previous owner drove it like that for 4 years - so obviously didnt worry him. Dont let a $200 front coil change scare you away from a decent bar.

Mark

[Hastykiwi]

I dunno - I reckon the ECB Bar suits the Disco. I've seen a lot of worse looking ones out there. And while I wouldn't want to run into anything too solid with it - I've hit more than a couple of roos with this one with no damage so far. And my suspension hasn't sagged either. :p

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/ (http://img30.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dscf1270.jpg)

It could stop a tank for all I know, i am not qualified to offer an opinion its functionality. I am just questioning its asthetic appeal:wasntme:.

Shallow and impractical, i know, but there u go. :)

Nick

[BMKal]

Oh well - I suppose to each his own. ;)

The Disco actually had a fairly thick tube polished alloy nudge bar on it when I bought it and looked quite good.

Unfortunately though - a nudge bar is pretty useless if you live outside of the metro area and are wanting protection against anything other than shopping trollies and car-park bingles - and it couldn't support the driving lights without them flickering up and down annoyingly. So it came off and was sold to another member of this forum in Perth. The original bumper is still hanging in the shed in case I ever need it.

Was recently offered one of those plastic nancy boy nudge bars similar to those fitted to the new G4 Disco's by a bloke in Kal who bought a D2 with one fitted. He hasn't been able to give it away so far. I think they'd be even less use than the alloy nudge bar in the bush, but some people seem to like the look of them. I suppose it's a taste thing. :o

Hey - I reckon that the Leyland P76 wasn't a bad looking car (well at least the V8 version, and especially the Force 7V) - but my tastes have always been a bit different to most ........... :angel:

[Franz]

I have had both ARB and TJM bars and there are some marked differences between the two.

The ARB protrudes more on the front of the vehicle and is very prone to rotating on it's mounts (very annoying):thumbsdown: . It makes your vehicle longer and I actually noticed the extra space in my garage since getting the TJM. If you are mounting a winch, that will mount directly onto the bar. Driving lights are somewhat flimsy tabs welded to the centre cross bar :thumbsdown:. The Sahara bar is essentially the same except for the cross bars over the lights and driving lights mount directly to the bar :BigThumb:. Both bars are exceptionally well made, very strong and look good (Sahara gets my vote on looks.:BigThumb:

TJM has a shorter profile and although I have not weighed it, supsect it is marginally lighter :BigThumb:than the ARB. As the TJM is mounted closer to the vehicle there is potentially more possibility of damage to the vehicle in the event of a heavy animal strike (but this is just my theory) :thumbsdown:. Winch is mounted to the chassis in a seperate cradle :BigThumb: but winch cable is hard to see when spooling in :thumbsdown:. Drivng lights mount to the bar and are protected by the centre hoop :BigThumb:. I like the looks of the TJM and would buy it again given the choice :BigThumb:.

Cost wise I think they are both the same.

Changing your springs is a must as adding 35 odd kg will make the originals sag (even more so if you add a winch as well)

I have no experience with aluminium bars and am unsure of how well they stand up to animal strikes.

Cheers,

Franz

[Hastykiwi]

Oh well - I suppose to each his own. ;)

The Disco actually had a fairly thick tube polished alloy nudge bar on it when I bought it and looked quite good.

Unfortunately though - a nudge bar is pretty useless if you live outside of the metro area and are wanting protection against anything other than shopping trollies and car-park bingles - and it couldn't support the driving lights without them flickering up and down annoyingly. So it came off and was sold to another member of this forum in Perth. The original bumper is still hanging in the shed in case I ever need it.

Was recently offered one of those plastic nancy boy nudge bars similar to those fitted to the new G4 Disco's by a bloke in Kal who bought a D2 with one fitted. He hasn't been able to give it away so far. I think they'd be even less use than the alloy nudge bar in the bush, but some people seem to like the look of them. I suppose it's a taste thing. :o

Hey - I reckon that the Leyland P76 wasn't a bad looking car:eek: (well at least the V8 version, and especially the Force 7V) - but my tastes have always been a bit different to most ........... :angel:


LOL!:Rolling: I've got one of those 'nancy boy' nudge bars! :o Classic. Actually i got it because i cannot afford a full steel bar of any description at the mo, so figured if i was going to hit a Roo I stood a better chance of driving away without radiator damage with one of these on. They are quite spongy and would deaden the impact, so for the minimal outlay it gives that much more opportunity of being mobile, (sure the rest of the front end may not look that flash), if hit.

The defining moment for the P76 for me was a skit on the Aus comedy show 'The Comedy Company' (couple-a-days) where they did a 'candid camera' **** take. They showed various people walking down the street coming across a parked P76, whereby they all promptly fall about laughing hysterically.:Rolling::Rolling:

Out of interest, is the Force 7v the one shown in the museum at whiteman park?

cheers Nick

[ozscott]

I have the TJM and looked into both it and ARB before getting it for my 02 Disco. I love it. Personally I think it looks better, but I also like how it provides a better approach angle. I never replaced my springs and didnt notice a drop. Having said that LR replaced my front springs under warranty in 2005 as they had noticeably sagged, so I might be still benefiting from that.

PS. The light holes on the TJM are too far forward for the standard fitting on Cibie Super Oscars, that then protrude 5-10mm from the hoop part of the bar.

Cheers

[BMKal]

LOL!:Rolling: I've got one of those 'nancy boy' nudge bars! :o Classic. Actually i got it because i cannot afford a full steel bar of any description at the mo, so figured if i was going to hit a Roo I stood a better chance of driving away without radiator damage with one of these on. They are quite spongy and would deaden the impact, so for the minimal outlay it gives that much more opportunity of being mobile, (sure the rest of the front end may not look that flash), if hit.

The defining moment for the P76 for me was a skit on the Aus comedy show 'The Comedy Company' (couple-a-days) where they did a 'candid camera' **** take. They showed various people walking down the street coming across a parked P76, whereby they all promptly fall about laughing hysterically.:Rolling::Rolling:

Out of interest, is the Force 7v the one shown in the museum at whiteman park?

cheers Nick

Never saw the comedy company skit you're talking about, but can just imagine it. People with no taste everywhere ................ :D

Actually, I've got to agree to some extent - the 6 cylinder P76 was bloody ugly. While the V8 looked a bit better, they were a beautiful car to travel in / drive. Their build quality was a little questionable - I distinctly remember the first time I ever heard crappy welding referred to as "elephant snot" was in a discussion about the panel welds on my mate's dad's P76 V8.

They made a "sports" version of the 4 door V8 called the "Targa Florio" (dunno who was the great wise man who dreamed up the name). They were all dark blue, with silver/grey striping along the bottom of the body, and had honeycomb mag wheels (similar to those that later came out on the LE Monaro) - was quite a flash looking bit of gear in its day.

I'm not sure what is at Whiteman Park - never been there. But the Force 7V was a two door hatchback version of the P76 V8 - looked a lot different from the 4 door versions. It was ahead of its time, and many people thought it would have given the competition at the time (Monaro, Ford "Tudor" and Charger) a good run for their money. It would have been the only large hatchback on the market, had it been released. Unfortunately, they released this as a "production ready concept" just around the time Leyland Aust went belly up and shut up shop. There was only ever a very small number built - I think 6 but am not sure about this.

So if you didn't like the P76 - you could always have gone for a Marina 2 door 6 cylinder 3 speed manual floor shift. Now there was an ugly car - but they used to go like the clappers.

[Jedimastermat]

Had an ECB bar on the first D2 i had.Didnt like it much,the design made the front recovery point unuseable:(
After it got bent i replaced it with anTJM alloy.
The next D2 i fitted with a steel TJM bar,as they had stopped making the alloy model for the D2.
I find the TJM bar OK
My brother has a ARB on his D1,& i recon it is better than the TJM.If i was gonna get a bar for a D2 i would go ARB.
You wont need to beef up the front suspension,unless you fit a winch.
just reread your post,if the Sahara bar is the one with a solid type bumper & a nudge bar thing on it,i dont like them as i dont recon it protects the vehicle as much as a full bar.

Just my 2 cents worth.

Yeah I got the TJM steel bar also. We put one on the pathfinder years ago. It was worth its keep with a couple of Roo strikes. :D

When we got the disco I put a steel TJM on it. seem ok for my 2 bob

[Yabba]

i put an AFN front winchbumper on, looks great imho. I think they also have one with a bullbar, but not shure
www.AFN.pt (http://www.AFN.pt)

[Gold_TD5]

I dunno - I reckon the ECB Bar suits the Disco. I've seen a lot of worse looking ones out there. And while I wouldn't want to run into anything too solid with it - I've hit more than a couple of roos with this one with no damage so far. And my suspension hasn't sagged either. :p

http://img30.imageshack.us/img30/8494/dscf1270.jpg (http://img30.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dscf1270.jpg)

I got the ECB on mine as well, came with the car but I think it looks fine.
Would be pretty boring old world if the sole supplier for 4 WD accessories was ARB, some of there stuff looks so cheesy:confused:
Cheers Lionel