Any regret with ARB bumper? (1 Viewer)

[Bigsky80]

I bought my bumper from Cruisin Off Road. IMO it is built to a higher standard than the ARB with true recovery point. I purchased it specifically for deer protection and thankfully haven't needed it yet. The wife's brand new 4runner on the other hand...View media item 50509View media item 50508

 

[Douglas S]

I've got a Cruisin bumper as well. Purchased for deer protection as well as the ability to mount an 8274.

I do occasionally debate removing the hoops when it comes time to re-powdercoat, but there's no doubt they add a lot of protection to the radiator in case of an animal strike.

 

[BltByKrmn]

People still buy ARB bumpers for the 80? I figured the ones you still see are just holdovers from days past when there weren't many options.

In my opinion the ARB is hideous, it weighs too much, I've never seen one in the NE that isn't rusted and the tow points are a problem.

I went with a Costa Fabrication from @RDC76 and couldn't be happier. He also offers full 3 hoop protection but I didn't need it.

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[RDC76]

People still buy ARB bumpers for the 80? I figured the ones you still see are just holdovers from days past when there weren't many options.

In my opinion the ARB is hideous, it weighs too much, I've never seen one in the NE that isn't rusted and the tow points are a problem.

I went with a Costa Fabrication from @RDC76 and couldn't be happier. He also offers full 3 hoop protection but I didn't need it.

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Thanks man! and your truck looks great!

 

[RDC76]

No I believe its for crash ratings. Bumpers should have a certain amount of give or else ALL of the impact just gets transferred to the rest of the truck AND the occupants.

I have first hand experience with this. I was in a bad accident 5 years ago. I was traveling down a main road when an elderly man blew a stop sign coming out of a side street and I T-boned him directly in his a pillar and drivers door. I was traveling around 35 at time of impact. I was driving a built up 3rd gen 4runner with an ARB front bumper. The bumper didn't save me from s***. I had ruptured discs and spinal cord surgery, Right shoulder surgery, among other things and physical therapy for 14 months. I was out of work for 17 months. The bumper bent and twisted. the magic "crumple zones" built into the bumper gave MAYBE a half inch. the driver side frame horn bent 4 inches and insurance totaled the truck. I bought it back salvaged what I could the bumper was junk and scraped the rest but still lost out. Had it been stronger I probably would have been able to keep it or sell it.
The bumper has to be tin like what comes factory to actually absorb impact and help you just like the rest of the disposable car that's behind it their building these days. so if your buying a bumper for abuse, off-road and protection than buy one MADE for that. you wanna cruise around with mild use than buy a mass produced bumper, but don't buy it cause you think its gonna save you....

Another story... I built a rear bumper for a friend of mines plow truck. He was coming down a hill and another plow truck backed out of a driveway in front of him. reactively he hit his brakes and turned causing his truck to spin and go down the hill backwards into a telephone pole and took the pole down. the police said he was lucky he had that "strong" back bumper on. if not the pole could have came into the back of the cab. he only had a wooden flatbed. the bumper bent about 2''s as it struck outside the frame rail behind the tire. I was able to straighten it for him and he had the truck to plow with the rest of the winter. Had that been a Safer bumper designed to give it would have bent 90 degrees and then the pole would have relocated his rear tire to the back of the cab for him. Full size heavy truck.

Ill stick with my strong American made bumpers....And support local small business. And NLXTACY this was not geared towards you, keep up the great work.

 

[69LC]

Four years ago I started building my front bumper. My daughter seized the engine and now after a lot of work I drive it every day that I'm at home.

This is the only pic I currently have, but I went for approach angle and simplicity. I haven't figured out how I want to finish the side plates between the tubes, but it will come. My goal was super stout recovery points (5/8" plate welded to the frame mounts) with a 3/16" bent plate that will house a winch between the frame rails. The wings will be boxed and I will likely relocate the AC condenser up into the engine bay. Pocket lights would be nice too.

This pic was a few months back when I needed to weld on new top tubes. The tubing is 1.5"x .120 wall. Yes, I do drive around like this... as my wife says if my projects-80%...

 

[69LC]

Found some old FB pics. This is more of how I intended it to be built. The final wing profile will be tighter and much less pronounced than the first pic in this post.

 

[TexasJack]

I'm going to have the money finally for a front bumper and wonder if anyone has thoughts on ARB regret or think its overkill.
They are huge and weigh alot but seem to be the standard for the 80.
I don't like the looks of some others, but wonder if it may be better to have a lighter one.
Putting on stock height heavy/mediums first if that helps.

I have had mine since 2010 and I have never had a single regret. It is extremely well made and holds up to a beating. I hunt in the Texas hill country which has the highest deer density anywhere in lower 48 (if not anywhere). The probability of eventually hitting a deer is high. One of the other guys in the Lonestar LandCruiser group hit a doe with his ARB bumper and the only way you could tell was that it left little lines in the paint from the deer hair. I don't want to hit a deer but if I do, I want to protect my rig. My family lives down there and they have all hit deer multiple times. The damage to an unprotected vehicle is high. You won't get that same protection from a light weight tube bumper because it simply doesn't cover the entire front of the vehicle the way an ARB bumper will!

In regard to the extra weight, I put the heavy Slee 4 inch lift on with a double swing out rear Slee bumper, sliders, armor plating and a very heavy tool box filled to the brim and the truck drives like it did new. The Slee lift allows you to get everything back into alignment and the heavy springs handle the extra weight fine.

 

[ETXLX450F]

Only regret buying the third one .... cause it folded just as easy as the first two

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Its a good bumper. The standard for the 80 as you say. Will pay for itself with the first animal strike likely.

My only complaint is on the trail or in the rocks the wings deform much easier than others. Easy to bend and a pain to straighten.

I can attest to this too.

I folded an ARB bumper into my fender and tire with a pretty graceful thunk in a mud pit. It was easily bent back but it caused some damage and lost my confidence so I sold it.

The ARB on my 100 also had a weird winch frame that twisted and broke a brand new winch in half.

Would not recommend to anyone who might wheel their rig on something other than fire roads.

 

[AlaskanLX450]

I took a moose at around 60 mph a week ago with the ARB on the front of my Lexus. We figured it was about a 2 year old calf, so not a very big Alaskan moose, but still around 600-700 pounds. Ribcage to the driver side headlamp, bounced it about 30 yards into the ditch. The ARB flexed in and bent up the very bottom edge of the fender and the blinker surround panel.....and thats it. The drivers side of the bumper is twisted back at the top, and it looks like it shifted the mounts a little. Otherwise almost no appreciable damage to the truck at all.
Am I happy I bought an ARB for my LX450? ABSOLUTELY.