Thread: Old Man Emu.

I'd love a bar for my RRS, but somehow I can't see that ever happening unless I get one off a D3 modified. It'll not look right, but at least I'll have the extra protection.

Out cast also offer a lot of underbody protection and rear bars aswel. As with S and J Horsepower in Victoria.

Originally Posted by isuzutoo-eh

Yes, but why is it more expensive for an Aussie shop to buy direct from ARB with dealer discount than to buy from a US shop without discount, if they are made locally?

Hi guys, been out of the office for the last few days and have just read through the recent posts. More than happy to try and answer a couple of the queries that have been raised.

Re pricing, in an ideal world, our pricing would be comparable in all markets around the world. Due to numerous global factors however, this is simply not possible.

The majority of pricing for the US market was set when the Australian dollar was back at $0.65 cents. Since then, the value of our dollar has sky rocketed. Unfortunately, due to the poor state of the US economy, it hasn't been possible to raise the pricing in the US to reflect this change in exchange rate.

Another side effect of a struggling US economy is that irrespective of the industry, retailers in the US have a tendency to discount heavily from recommended retail prices, which mean very little in America. In essence, products in the US are always 'on special'.

Another influence is the high percentage of online only retailers in the US, who have very limited overheads (no shop front, few staff, no fitting, limited after sales backup etc) and can therefore afford to sell at very small margins. This reduces overall pricing as others try to compete.

Loss leading is also common. This means that retailers entice customers with low priced (sometimes even at a loss) brand name products, in the hope that they will also be able to sell their other products at a higher margin.

Tax implications like GST in Australia also play a part.

We think it's important to consider that our products are competitively priced against other comparable products from reputable 4x4 after market companies in Australia.

Cheers, Sam.

I'll also try to address a couple of Josh's queries re the range available for the Discos and Defenders.

We actually have quite a lot available for these models. For example, the Disco range (depending on specific model) includes bull bars, Sahara bars, Warn winches, IPF lights, side rails, protection steps, Hayman Reese tow bars, Kaymar rear bars, ARB and Thule roof racks, Air Lockers, Old Man Emu suspension, Outback Solutions drawer systems, Milford cargo barriers, dual batteries, Safari snorkels and Long Ranger tanks.

In relation to Under Vehicle Protection, this is a relatively new product range and, as such is only available for a limited number of vehicles. The vast majority of Under Vehicle Protection equipment we have developed is for independent front suspension vehicles, as they are desperately in need of it, hence there is strong demand for the product.

Likewise, the diff covers are only available for vehicles with an OE removable diff cover and therefore aren't available for the majority of vehicles on the market in Australia (not even Toyotas or Nissans get these).

We do try and develop a range of accessories for all new 4x4 vehicles but, inevitably, priority is given to vehicles which represent a high demand for our products. 4x4 utes for example, which have an extremely high fleet and trade customer base are amongst this category.

Unfortunately, it's not quite as simple as designing accessories and manufacturing them sporadically as required. R&D and tooling costs for a bull bar alone can run to between $60,000.00 and $100,000.00 depending on the complexity, so it wouldn't be financially viable to just manufacture one or two here and there when required.

Cheers, Sam.

Originally Posted by ARB 4X4 Accessories

...

Likewise, the diff covers are only available for vehicles with an OE removable diff cover and therefore aren't available for the majority of vehicles on the market in Australia (not even Toyotas or Nissans get these).

...

Land rovers (series 3 / 110 / defender / FC101) made between 1971 and 2002/3 had a removable rear diff cover, as they were basically a metric Dana60.

So any of the Dana 60 covers fit, e.g.


Some on here have bought the ARB cover, and had to throw away the supplied (imperial) bolts and replace them with M10 bolts.

It would be good if there was a Land Rover version with metric bolts...

Originally Posted by isuzurover

Land rovers (series 3 / 110 / defender / FC101) made between 1971 and 2002/3 had a removable rear diff cover, as they were basically a metric Dana60.

So any of the Dana 60 covers fit, e.g.


Some on here have bought the ARB cover, and had to throw away the supplied (imperial) bolts and replace them with M10 bolts.

It would be good if there was a Land Rover version with metric bolts...

I had to do that when I replaced the cover on the 130.

I also had to explain to the bloke in ARB that the Dana 60 would fit the salisbury. He went searching for it and it was the last one in the shop and it was covered in dust!!! Obviously sitting there for a long time due to its exorbitant price.

Dave