Thread: Bull Bars/Nudge Bars for D4s

Ron,
That's good news as I'm also waiting on ARB to come up with a winch bar. As far whether or not it's a necessary expense I prefer not to give Murphy's law the chance of testing it out on our D4. We do a considerable amount of rural driving in fact I've backed off on a couple of tricky crossings during the time we've had our D4 simple because w/o the presence of the winch I wanted to avoid the risk of becoming hung-up especially as it's usual somewhere on the back blocks of our property and I'm usually on my own. The other reason is a bar will reduce the damage of scratches from trees and shrubs.

I have a bar on order because I don't want to run the risk of having the vehicle off the road whilst it gets repaired from a roo strike. Sometimes there are roos on my property. I've hit a couple of roos over the years and the damage without a bar was quite extensive on one occasion. Its a once-only $2K insurance policy.

Watpub,

I do not have a bull bar or nudge bar on my D3 as I do not do a lot of country driving do not currently see the need for one. If and when I get the opportunity to do a big trip then I would seriously consider one, as being stranded somewhere remote waiting for LR part due to a roo strike or the like would seriously stuff a holiday.

I might also consider it if I was to do a lot more off road work but to date I have not seen any damage to the front end and I am not sure if a bar would have any great impact on entry angles etc so seems a lot of weight to carry around for little to no reason, but they do look good.

With regard to the requirement for extra lighting, the D3 Bi Xenon lights are very very good compared to anything else I have had. High beams throw an excellent beam width and distance.

The one long road trip I have done was from Sydney to Adelaide and then back via the great ocean road. We were late arriving to one our stops in SA, and did about 2 - 3 hrs at night and I felt very confident driving with the high beams and did not really want for more light.

Again if I was a regular country traveler with plenty of night driving then again probably something I would consider as it is hard to have too much light on some of those country road.

But the standard lights are very good IMHO.

Hope this helps a little but sure other will be better informed, enjoy the D4 when it arrives.

George

Originally Posted by Watpub

I do a fair bit of country driving and a lot of it at dusk and in the dark. I've fitted all my previous Toyotas with bull bars and driving lights (usually spotties). The bars have also been used for the CB antenna. I also had a winch on the previous one but I don't think I'll be going down this path this time. I must admit I've only hit a roo once in 15 years (more of a side swipe than a front on). But the bull bars have provided peace of mind just in case something jumped out of the dark. I also found that bull bars commanded more respect from other drivers in city traffic - like those idoits who insist on cutting in at the last moment as you're cruising up to a red light!

So what do people think? Is a bull bar a worthy accessory for a D4 or simply overkill? Are driving lights necessary or do the standard headlights and highbeam suffice? (I haven't taken delivery of my D4 yet so I haven't had a chance to drive one at night).

All opinions most welcome. Thanks, Ron

Ron

I've done thousands of hours of country driving and up until 6 years ago never had a Roo strike.

Since then, 6 years ago, I hit 3 kangaroos in the space of 3 hours...

Recently, I've cleaned up around 14 or so, and the last one hit hard enough to help the radiator break its mount, cracking the tank and killing the engine.

Would I consider it a necessity - absolutely - based on your usage... (And mine)
Are headlights alone up to scratch for high speed night driving outside suburbia.. No Way

Yes, its a significant investment, but the protection, piece of mind, convenience of the extra up front is more than worth the cost.

Simon, a friend of mine, hit a Roo or 2 in his D3, replacement lights, bumper, bonnet etc.. cost well over the $5k mark if I remember rightly.
Then after it was fixed he copped a hit in the front and had to repair again!
Needless to say, he has an ARB on it now

Hey Graeme, what bar did you go for?

ARB. It looks OK on the D3 so hope their D4 one is also OK.

The ARB D4 bar is on the way. No date yet though.

There are some things in the 4WD world you need to experience just the once.

One is watching a wire winch rope break under load, another is sending a Skippy on his way at high speed.

Product choices and mindsets tend to be set after such experiences.

Definately worth the investment I reckon, especially with your usage. I also reckon the D3 looks great with an ARB bar, and the D4 would be even better.

I had one fitted to my D3 late last year, at the same time had a pair of spots fitted. The D3 highbeams give a really good spread, and the spots just give that bit of extra distance.

All up in December last year the ARB bar, with IPF spots came to $2700, at ARB in Artarmon.