Thread: Bull bar information

Originally Posted by Redback

Phils D4 was the first D4 fitted with an ARB bullbar, according to ARB Southern, the ARB bullbar for the D4 is different to the D3.

And the old man has the last of the D3s sold and his ARB bar has no Tabs...

Originally Posted by Disco4pilot

I was just pricing up ARB and OL. ARB said no tabs for antenna and that they can't be added as when the bonnet is released it comes forward slightly and hits them. OL bar must sit a bit further forward as it has them fitted.

OL (in Sydney at least) has a special at the moment for a free set of driving lights with the bar. Supposedly OL branded but made by Light Force. The prices I have been offered for winch bar are $2500 ARB fitted and colour coded $2400 OL fitted and colour coded with a set of spot lights included.

They are charging HOW much to install?

Both bars are ~$1300 if you haggle.

Colour coding is about $250.00

They want $800-900 for a 3 hour install?

No wonder they can give away a set of Light Farce.

I went into my local Opposite Lock store to see if a bar for the RRS has been listed as yet and if it has what its price would be.

Unfortunately the customer service was absolute crap and I had to approach sales staff to try and get some answers. Unfortunately the little 8 year old girl sales assistant behind the counter didn't have any idea and said the big people were up the road.

It is little wonder businesses go broke - unfortunately they are the only OL shop in the area.

Garry

Originally Posted by garrycol

I went into my local Opposite Lock store to see if a bar for the RRS has been listed as yet and if it has what its price would be.

Unfortunately the customer service was absolute crap and I had to approach sales staff to try and get some answers. Unfortunately the little 8 year old girl sales assistant behind the counter didn't have any idea and said the big people were up the road.

It is little wonder businesses go broke - unfortunately they are the only OL shop in the area.

Garry

Garry,

I recall reading that Gordon was involved with the testing of the bar recently, so might be some time off.

I would love to go back into the 4WD accessory business again, with what I have learnt over the years. It would be easy to do so much better than just about all of the competitors.

Brett.....

I was told by a 4x4 expert with regular TV segments that the OL is made in Thailand, steel unknown. ARB all made in Australia, local steel, hence different steel type.

Anyway, ARB bar ordered, the fun of fitting it begins in 3 weeks.

Regards

Gerald

VK3GJM

Originally Posted by Tombie

Just FYI - the OL bars on the Prado also resonate and vibrate a lot compared to the ARB versions.

The OL bar meets ADRs I never said it didn't.
What I did say is the ARB material is better, and less prone to tearing in impacts.

I can tell you the material is metallurgically different. It sounds different and behaves different.

Anyone who can provide me a piece of OL bar I will happily have analysis done vs ARB steel material.

Originally Posted by Tombie

They are charging HOW much to install?

Both bars are ~$1300 if you haggle.

Colour coding is about $250.00

They want $800-900 for a 3 hour install?

No wonder they can give away a set of Light Farce.

Ordered one today,colour coded,fitted, similar price to Tombie........

before i got onto the guy i know,i was quoted around the $2450 mark,which seems the going rate.......

Thus far I have been lucky. But once again (last night) the local wildlife saw fit to stand in the middle of the road and introduce stress to my journey. I missed the deer, but this morning I'm researching bars.

ARB won't supply a bar because I have surround cameras. My brother, who also has a D4 with surround cameras, has an OL bar. The installation seems good and he is very particular about such things. There is a little loss of view in both front cameras, but the fields of view overlap so that the total view is possible using both cameras. He has hit roo quite hard and suffered no ill effects except the need to hose off the bits and blood.

When I attended a Green Oval seminar, I was influenced by Gordon's sentiment that you can manage without a bar if you take precautions. It looks like even Gordon is putting a toe in the water.

I think I'll go down the OL path. To be confirmed..........

I have been lucky with wildlife as well,had a couple of very near misses lately.

With the ARB bar,they have sorted out the front park sensors,but i don't think the cameras are fully sorted.

It also depends where you have it fitted,some stores are ARB stores, many are franchised.
Some have done very few D4's,if any.There are also a few horror stories as well,but these were almost all caused by a stuff up during fitting.

Mine has neither,so this was not an issue for me,and i had a contact,so thats why i went that way.

It is also interesting that ARB make thousands of bars for D3/4,most are sold overseas.

I think also a lot of their gear will eventually be made overseas,apparently the new overseas plant they have is HUGE.

In todays competitive market,and with high manufacturing costs here in Aus,they probably have no option,which is a shame.

As the guy from Ford said in the media the other day,it costs twice as much to make an identical car here than in Europe and four times more than Thailand.