To bullbar or not to bullbar

[NAGG]

Hi All

Interested to hear peoples thoughts on the subject of fitting a bullbar to a vehicle

After a recent Kangaroo strike I've started to think about the topic again.

I've previously had bullbars on other vehicles I've owned but have resisted on the last 3 (Grand Cherokee , Navara x 2) - My current vehicle was also due to GVM (now have a lighter canopy base)

My resistance has come from my concerns that a bullbar may not be a wise choice if you are involved in a serious collision - particularly on newer vehicles .
Cars are designed with safety built in - crumple zones , airbags & seatbelt pretensioners - all which work together during a serious collision. A bullbar would no doubt interfere with these .

John Cadogan (Auto expert) has done a couple of videos on this subject. ..... he is certainly anti bullbar .

In the end this is about weighing up the risk . I do a lot of Ks in rural areas & I've had 2 kangaroo strikes in 13 years (a few close calls) - one a bullbar would not have helped - it ran into the side of the car - stupid animals.

Anyhow - curious to hear how you guys see it.

Chris

[Dignity]

Hi All

Interested to hear peoples thoughts on the subject of fitting a bullbar to a vehicle

After a recent Kangaroo strike I've started to think about the topic again.

I've previously had bullbars on other vehicles I've owned but have resisted on the last 3 (Grand Cherokee , Navara x 2) - My current vehicle was also due to GVM (now have a lighter canopy base)

My resistance has come from my concerns that a bullbar may not be a wise choice if you are involved in a serious collision - particularly on newer vehicles .
Cars are designed with safety built in - crumple zones , airbags & seatbelt pretensioners - all which work together during a serious collision. A bullbar would no doubt interfere with these .

John Cadogan (Auto expert) has done a couple of videos on this subject. ..... he is certainly anti bullbar .

In the end this is about weighing up the risk . I do a lot of Ks in rural areas & I've had 2 kangaroo strikes in 13 years (a few close calls) - one a bullbar would not have helped - it ran into the side of the car - stupid animals.

Anyhow - curious to hear how you guys see it.

Chris

Have you tried the Shoo Roo things you put on your vehicles which emits a high pitched noise. The problem with roos is that especially at night they feed on the nice green grass at the edge of the road, mostly due to run off of water when is does rain/shower etc. Now you come along and shine your nice bright lights at them and they are blinded so if they look to the bush where there is safety they can't see a thing but wait, they can see where your lights have lit up the road so they will in most cases take that path. Stupid, yes but then they don't get training on how to avoid being run over when blinded. We got hit with one right on the cnr of the bullbar and mudguard of an old cruiser 800 series and it's surprising the amount of damage they can inflict on the bull bar even, took a bit to get us back on the road as it's hard to bend those bars back enough, full front on, not an issue generally. Benn in vehicles where no bullbar mounted and apart from some body damage it was easy to get back on the road, unless it's full head on. You do need an alert passenger to avoid those head on collisions.

I'll have to have a look at what Cadogan says but his voice grates on me after a while and there have been times when I've checked on what he says and found some of them to be totally untrue but we're in a society that will believe most things we see on the net as gospel.

Did I put a bullbar on my Colorado, No, GCVM was one thing and experience with and without another, at the end of the day apart from places to mount lot's of equipment I found it it to be of limited benefit as rural driving these days is limited to only a couple of thousand k's a year and now don't drive at night time if it can be helped.

[gunna]

I had bullbars on cars from 1982 to 2014. But I also go west shooting a fair bit. In all those years I hit 3 Roos. All jumped into the side of the car and missed the bar. In 2019 I got one front on with very minimal damage. I had almost braked to a stop when I hit him. I still get out to St George a fair bit and avoid early mornings and late afternoons. If I have to drive during those hours I keep the speed well down. I would like to at least have a nudge bar for a bit more confidence. I feel I just do too much city driving these days to justify it. Maybe soon. Dunno. Definitely a must if you are doing a fair bit of country driving.

[tunaticer]

I have hit about 15 to 20 roos....mostly on one road west of Stanthorpe, well into the night.
For me a bullbar was a no brainer but I probably would not bother on any new car because they do not have a full chassis.

My cousin fitted a allow bar to his new 4wd, the damn thing danced his spot lights everywhere with the crumple zones in the front sub chassis. He removed it soon afterwards, plus after that he heard that it was not an approved brand for his insurer to accept.

Most cars and 4wd's are plastic front ends now, more sacrificial parts than anything.

If anything I might consider a light mounting nudge bar and fit a pair of shooroos on it.

[chris69]

My mates misses did 3 bonnets in 3 weeks going to work early morning old Toyota lux with bull bar so I suppose a bonnet is better than a radiator and intercooler .

[NAGG]

Have you tried the Shoo Roo things you put on your vehicles which emits a high pitched noise. The problem with roos is that especially at night they feed on the nice green grass at the edge of the road, mostly due to run off of water when is does rain/shower etc. Now you come along and shine your nice bright lights at them and they are blinded so if they look to the bush where there is safety they can't see a thing but wait, they can see where your lights have lit up the road so they will in most cases take that path. Stupid, yes but then they don't get training on how to avoid being run over when blinded. We got hit with one right on the cnr of the bullbar and mudguard of an old cruiser 800 series and it's surprising the amount of damage they can inflict on the bull bar even, took a bit to get us back on the road as it's hard to bend those bars back enough, full front on, not an issue generally. Benn in vehicles where no bullbar mounted and apart from some body damage it was easy to get back on the road, unless it's full head on. You do need an alert passenger to avoid those head on collisions.

I'll have to have a look at what Cadogan says but his voice grates on me after a while and there have been times when I've checked on what he says and found some of them to be totally untrue but we're in a society that will believe most things we see on the net as gospel.

Did I put a bullbar on my Colorado, No, GCVM was one thing and experience with and without another, at the end of the day apart from places to mount lot's of equipment I found it it to be of limited benefit as rural driving these days is limited to only a couple of thousand k's a year and now don't drive at night time if it can be helped.

I'm pretty alert when it comes to roos - This last one I saw coming out of the long grass & had some time to point the car to the right which avoided the head on ....... A bit of 100mph tape & the trip continued . The other roo ( a big male) I also saw - no chance at all of avoiding it & it ran into my front passenger door (stupid thing)

These days I try to avoid driving at night as well - but their favorite feeding periods are dawn & dusk - the last one was 7am

What Cadogan said sounded spot on ....... well worth a look . I've also read the same on road authority websites .

Chris

[NAGG]

My mates misses did 3 bonnets in 3 weeks going to work early morning old Toyota lux with bull bar so I suppose a bonnet is better than a radiator and intercooler .

The reality is that if you hit a big roo or one on the fly ...... it's probably coming onto the bonnet if not through the windscreen. A few months back old mate hit a big one at speed in his ancient 70 series - It took out his spot lights & even slightly bent he steel bull bar ....... I'd hate to imagine what it would have done to my car.

Chris

[Dignity]

I'm pretty alert when it comes to roos - This last one I saw coming out of the long grass & had some time to point the car to the right which avoided the head on ....... A bit of 100mph tape & the trip continued . The other roo ( a big male) I also saw - no chance at all of avoiding it & it ran into my front passenger door (stupid thing)

These days I try to avoid driving at night as well - but their favorite feeding periods are dawn & dusk - the last one was 7am

What Cadogan said sounded spot on ....... well worth a look . I've also read the same on road authority websites .

Chris

Coming back from the airport the other day I saw a huge dead roo on the side of the road on the Bruce Highway just north of the Steve Irwan turnoff. This is a busy road from Brisbane to the Sunshine Coast. It often amazes me that I still see them here. Development of rural land around here is forcing them into narrower bands of pasture.

[chris69]

The reality is that if you hit a big roo or one on the fly ...... it's probably coming onto the bonnet if not through the windscreen. A few months back old mate hit a big one at speed in his ancient 70 series - It took out his spot lights & even slightly bent he steel bull bar ....... I'd hate to imagine what it would have done to my car.

Chris

When I was younger I was told about a roo going through a ford Bedford van windscreen into to back we’re 2 people were sleeping it went berserk and kicked and scratch them until the driver pulled over to open the back door to get it out ,there no way around it when your traveling and Roos are around,but a Big Mac truck and a bull bar works wonders.

[Dignity]

Roos are not a problem further up north, on the Tablelands Highway north of the Barkly Homestead it's big cattle. Every km or so there'd be a dead beast hit by the trucks, and I mean big. A bullbar on a 4wd won't come off at all hitting one of these.

[gunna]

Just to add to my earlier comments. Mate and I hit quite a number when we away shooting and moving between properties at 2 or 3 in the morning. They are so thick they are impossible to avoid at 100 kph. Often hit a couple per trip. I expect that’s the norm for people living out there. Just have to make sure you get them in the centre of the bullbar. Learnt that the hard way.

[NAGG]

Coming back from the airport the other day I saw a huge dead roo on the side of the road on the Bruce Highway just north of the Steve Irwan turnoff. This is a busy road from Brisbane to the Sunshine Coast. It often amazes me that I still see them here. Development of rural land around here is forcing them into narrower bands of pasture.

Mate - Penrith we get them too bowled over in suburbia . On the fringes we also get the odd deer & plenty of wombats .
Penrith is surrounded by old & existing military land & they are full of roos - I've even seen Emus patrolling the perimeter.

Chris

[Dignity]

Mate - Penrith we get them too bowled over in suburbia . On the fringes we also get the odd deer & plenty of wombats .
Penrith is surrounded by old & existing military land & they are full of roos - I've even seen Emus patrolling the perimeter.

Chris

Emus are the oddest of creatures, whenever I've had an encounter with one it's always been daytime and usually they hit the rear end of the vehicle and not sustain any damage. Glad I don't have to avoid wombats. When we travelled, mostly before dawn we'd try to keep our speed down to 80 kph, 70kph was pretty well ideal but hard to maintain that pace when doing long haul to the fishing camps upto the Daly, The Robinson, Jeannie River etc.

[tunaticer]

Coming back from the airport the other day I saw a huge dead roo on the side of the road on the Bruce Highway just north of the Steve Irwan turnoff. This is a busy road from Brisbane to the Sunshine Coast. It often amazes me that I still see them here. Development of rural land around here is forcing them into narrower bands of pasture.

Plenty of large grey roos through the pine forests there, a bit less common within 500m of the freeway though.
There are several dozen feral horses through the forest to the east of the highway that would be more than a match for any modern bullbar on a 4wd.
The feral pigs would all but be caught out through the area by now with the number of guys running their dogs through the area.

Search Qld Globe ( qld government high resolution satellite images) and have a look at the proposed housing estates for the area between Bribie Island Road and Caloundra....there will be zero forest left before long.

[Dignity]

Plenty of large grey roos through the pine forests there, a bit less common within 500m of the freeway though.
There are several dozen feral horses through the forest to the east of the highway that would be more than a match for any modern bullbar on a 4wd.
The feral pigs would all but be caught out through the area by now with the number of guys running their dogs through the area.

Search Qld Globe ( qld government high resolution satellite images) and have a look at the proposed housing estates for the area between Bribie Island Road and Caloundra....there will be zero forest left before long.

Most of that land was pine forest for paper pulp. Stocklands bought a lot of it up. There was also a sugar cane research plot there, not sure what happened to it. I believe the Govt would prefer that the next development be at Beerwah and the govt has put a stop on further development in the Aura estate. Have to laugh that it was called Aura - the city of colour when the covenants on houses is 5 shades of white, the big cube structures at the roundabout being about the only colour there.