Thread: Steel or alloy

What are you planning to hit with it? Materiel is immaterial if you thump a 2000lb bullock at speed. This will seriously stuff your holiday and your D2.

As Brian said, depends on what you intend using the vehicle for, and what you need the bar for most.

My choices would be either the ARB Deluxe steel bar, or the ECB Big Tube alloy bar - depending on application.

If I was looking to mount a winch and was into serious off roading where it is likely that you would hit the bar on trees / rocks etc I would choose the ARB.

For occasional country touring where it is possible that you might hit the odd roo, the ECB is a good choice.

Remember, if you hit a "bull" or even a big roo at speed, neither bar is really going to offer that much protection - that's not what they're designed for.

The ECB alloy bar is the lighter of the two choices that I've mentioned, but the ARB would be the stronger, and is available winch compatible without the need to modify and add a winch cradle (which the ECB would require).

Personally, I've got the ECB. I don't need a winch, and the bar is strong enough for what I use it for. It has clobbered a few roos to date with no damage other than cosmetic (buffs out easily ).

Regardless of what you choose, the amount of damage that you might do in the event of animal strike depends more on your speed than anything else. A good set of lights and driving at a sensible speed when there are animals around is always the best insurance.