Bull bar indecision.... (1 Viewer)

[MrCWineMan]

So I’m about a year late in getting going on building up the final details of my 2016 200 series. I have beefy bud built sliders, some nice ARB drawers, and that’s where round one stoped.

Now I’m going in for round 2. Top priority is BP51’s because after riding in a converted truck, there’s nothing like remote reservoir coil overs on a big truck. Upgraded skids, probably budbuilt as well. But after that is where I get stuck. On every off road vehicle I’ve had I’ve always thrown on a bull bar right away, but with the 200 should I do the same?

Pros:

1. Front end protection
2. Place to put a winch
3. Decent place for a VHF antenna
4. Something to tie trash bags, hammocks, etc.
5. Marginally increases approach angle

Cons:

1. Decreases fuel economy
2. Decreases the 200 series natural beauty (TMJ less so than ARB?)
3. Makes the rig longer
4. Makes the rig heavier over the front axle on an already heavy rig

What did I miss? What would you do? What did you do? Why?

 

[Markuson]

So I’m about a year late in getting going on building up the final details of my 2016 200 series. I have beefy bud built sliders, some nice ARB drawers, and that’s where round one stoped.

Now I’m going in for round 2. Top priority is BP51’s because after riding in a converted truck, there’s nothing like remote reservoir coil overs on a big truck. Upgraded skids, probably budbuilt as well. But after that is where I get stuck. On every off road vehicle I’ve had I’ve always thrown on a bull bar right away, but with the 200 should I do the same?

Pros:

1. Front end protection
2. Place to put a winch
3. Decent place for a VHF antenna
4. Something to tie trash bags, hammocks, etc.
5. Marginally increases approach angle

Cons:

1. Decreases fuel economy
2. Decreases the 200 series natural beauty (TMJ less so than ARB?)
3. Makes the rig longer
4. Makes the rig heavier over the front axle on an already heave rig

What did I miss? What would you do? What did you do? Why?

My reasons:
-Winch
-Critter strike passenger safety/truck protection
(One deer strike paid for my front bull bar in damage protection...plus, it could save your life too)
-Lighting upgrade platform for driving in boonies st night (not necessary for most, but I use them a lot as I do a lot of after-dark boonies driving without oncoming traffic).
-Damage easily repaired with a bit of rattle can.

-Fuel economy definitely impacted.
-Weight seems to matter less than drag for fuel economy...
-TJM is a great bumper and a comparative bargain if you can find one.

 

[ckkone]

You sound like the perfect candidate for a Rhino 4x4 or dissent bumper:

Rhino 4x4 Front Bumper

Does anyone here have experience with Rhino 4x4 front bumpers here in the US? I was a bad influence on my buddy and convinced him to buy a 200, and now he's being a bad influence right back sending me links to stuff I want to buy for mine :hillbilly: The Rhino 3D Evolution bumper is my...

forum.ih8mud.com

Dissent offroad 200 series front/rear steel and aluminum bumper interest.

Hey guys, like the title says, I'm waiting to gauge interest is front and rear bumper in steel and aluminum. I may have the opportunity to get a 2016 into the shop for a bit and if the interest is there I will take advantage of that to get some production models going. These would be a low...

forum.ih8mud.com

Personally I like the TJM.

 

[MrCWineMan]

You sound like the perfect candidate for a Rhino 4x4 or dissent bumper:

Rhino 4x4 Front Bumper

Does anyone here have experience with Rhino 4x4 front bumpers here in the US? I was a bad influence on my buddy and convinced him to buy a 200, and now he's being a bad influence right back sending me links to stuff I want to buy for mine :hillbilly: The Rhino 3D Evolution bumper is my...

forum.ih8mud.com

Dissent offroad 200 series front/rear steel and aluminum bumper interest.

Hey guys, like the title says, I'm waiting to gauge interest is front and rear bumper in steel and aluminum. I may have the opportunity to get a 2016 into the shop for a bit and if the interest is there I will take advantage of that to get some production models going. These would be a low...

forum.ih8mud.com

Personally I like the TJM.

I figure if I’m gonna do it, I’m gonna get a hoop to keep the deer out of the radiator as much as I can. That being said, I haven’t see these yet - super cool.

 

[chilibit]

I ran an ARB on the 80. Never saw anything larger than a bug hit it.

I have never personally seen a deer in the radiator. And we have two herds of deer (does and bucks) on the property.

Lots of deer through windscreens though. Actually that is exaggerated too. A hand full at most and I have lived in 40 different states.

A winch is nice.

If you have a ton of kangaroos---maybe.

 

[Markuson]

I ran an ARB on the 80. Never saw anything larger than a bug hit it.

I have never personally seen a deer in the radiator. And we have two herds of deer (does and bucks) on the property.

Lots of deer through windscreens though. Actually that is exaggerated too. A hand full at most and I have lived in 40 different states.

A winch is nice.

If you have a ton of kangaroos---maybe.

I do get that rational thought. But...

Press PLAY button:
“1 month in...whacked a deer on highway...saved trip, hood, maybe radiator, lights...bumper & vehicle unscathed.”

OTOH, I’ve NEVER heard a post from ANYONE who was killed by a critter strike.
Oh wait... hehe

Interesting stats:
According to State Farm, 1 in every 164 drivers, nationwide, will hit a dear in the period of one year (in this case, July 2015 - June 2016). That in just one year, including city dwellers. Utah was 1 in 150...per year.

So for those of us who drive a lot at dusk...and after dark...and in the long stretches of highway we frequent where deer hang out and fences are scarce...those odds are higher than I thought.

Reference if curious. I was...

Utah drivers almost 30% more likely to collide with deer in 2016, State Farm says

New claims data from State Farm shows Utah drivers are almost 30 percent more likely to collide with a deer than they were in 2015, according to State Farm.

www.ksl.com

 

[chilibit]

I understand. The apogee of my deer threats was actually in the fog of the central California coast in an MG. On paved roads but visibility was always under ten feet on most nights. For most, the bar is an emotional need--no less valid I suppose and all the rationalizations you hear win the day. I would prioritize a Slee rear over a front bar though. As a mathematician, the State Farm "statistic" is an abomination. Just awful. No harm no foul. I enjoy reading your posts and I usually agree with your logic.

 

[Markuson]

I understand. The apogee of my deer threats was actually in the fog of the central California coast in an MG. On paved roads but visibility was always under ten feet on most nights. For most, the bar is an emotional need--no less valid I suppose and all the rationalizations you hear win the day. I would prioritize a Slee rear over a front bar though. As a mathematician, the State Farm "statistic" is an abomination. Just awful. No harm no foul. I enjoy reading your posts and I usually agree with your logic.

Edit: For the record, I am an expert in...NOTHING. Just thinkin and etc.

Ya, I get the other side completely, and not saying it’s likely...but I’d wager it’s far more common than many believe...maybe even you.

Not sure what you mean by “abomination” (haha, that’s pretty strong!) But I assume you mean it’s bunk. Maybe it is.

Before you decide tho...have a look at other references carefully cited by Wikipedia here:

Deer–vehicle collisions - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

In a report to Congress, the info in the link below was produced. They note that roughly 300,000 strikes are reported as accidents each year, but that the vast majority go un-reported. I didn’t report mine...except to find a local who harvested the very healthy meat. But they estimated around 1 million:

Executive Summary - Wildlife-Vehicle Collision Reduction Study: Report To Congress, August 2008 - FHWA-HRT-08-034

www.fhwa.dot.gov

None of this its smart to buy a bull bar & we all get to decide...but it’s interesting. Way more common than I thought...& unless someone discounts all cited sources, it’s maybe worth considering g again.

If you have other numbers you trust more, I’m curious. Anyway... No big thang...but glad I had protection when I needed it. cya.

 

[chilibit]

Oh, I see. An over reaction on my part. I was too narrowly focused. My bad.

 

[GordJ]

Interesting stats:
According to State Farm, 1 in every 164 drivers, nationwide, will hit a dear in the period of one year (in this case, July 2015 - June 2016). That in just one year, including city dwellers. Utah was 1 in 150...per year.

Wow, you must have a lot of deer in those United States. Here in Beautiful British Columbia we have a ratio of 340 to 1 for all animal collisions per year. I couldn’t find any deer specific stats but that’s about half of your deer collisions.

 

[tampacruiser95]

TJM. Awesome bumper functionally and makes the 200 look even awesomer

 

[HRTROB]

Another option would be a plastic bull bar like the Smartbar, has most of the pros and less of the cons (less weight, less impact on fuel economy). Obviously not as strong as a steel bull bar but it should provide more protection than the stock bumper

SmartBar Bull Bars - Toyota LandCruiser 200 Series (10/15+)

SmartBar leads the way in pedestrian and vehicle safety for Australian bull bars. Find out more about our lightweight, durable bull bars for your LandCruiser 200 Series.

www.smartbar.com.au

SmartBar

www.arb.com.au

 

[Markuson]

Wow, you must have a lot of deer in those United States. Here in Beautiful British Columbia we have a ratio of 340 to 1 for all animal collisions per year. I couldn’t find any deer specific stats but that’s about half of your deer collisions.

Yes...we do.
Over 30 million deer in the USA.
The hunted/harvested number is around 6-7 million per year. So ya. That’s a lot.

Could your ratio be per capita?
I was talking per driver.

In the US we have +/- 212 million *drivers.*
1.2 million estimated animal strikes a year would be 176:1 including all non-rural drivers.

But Meh....
I already hit mine, so maybe 175 of you were off the hook that year... hehe

 

[Markuson]

Another option would be a plastic bull bar like the Smartbar, has most of the pros and less of the cons (less weight, less impact on fuel economy). Obviously not as strong as a steel bull bar but it should provide more protection than the stock bumper

SmartBar Bull Bars - Toyota LandCruiser 200 Series (10/15+)

SmartBar leads the way in pedestrian and vehicle safety for Australian bull bars. Find out more about our lightweight, durable bull bars for your LandCruiser 200 Series.

www.smartbar.com.au

SmartBar

www.arb.com.au

View attachment 2004222

Never seen that one...

 

[Reckless]

Too bad its only for face lifted 200s.

Smart bar testimonials

 

[Dan Higgins]

I’ve been wrestling with the very same bumper decision. The analysis has caused paralysis. I’ve done nothing. I prefer the look of the TJM but getting your hands on one for the 2016 is a big challenge. I was out talking to Slee a few weeks ago about this. It seemed that even the supply of the ARB Summits for the 2016+ were in low supply for a couple of months.

As for deer, we have had a half dozen near misses over the past 10 years or so. (Had to hit the brakes hard while driving ~55.). Utah, Colorado, Idaho and Oregon. Heck, there is a herd of deer that hangs out in my father’s backyard in Eugene, OR! We do a number of long road trips each year which always leads to plenty of driving at twilight and often on back roads. But I agree that a bumper may simply take the legs out and launch the main build of the beast over the hood and into the windshield. But that could happen anyway, with or without a bumper.

I’ll be watching to see what you decide.

 

[eatSleepWoof]

IMO if you're getting a front bumper , you have to be 100% for it from the get go. If you're not, that tells me you don't really need one, and will be better off without it.

I had steel bumpers on my previous vehicle, but will not be getting any for the LX. Perhaps a hidden winch mount, but no more than that.

 

[Fisher23]

I am going with a bull bar brush guard for several reasons.

None of them are antennas, I like to put antennas on the roof with fold down 90 degree clamps. That way the have the roof plane for signal.
Just this weekend, pre-bull bar, I had to driver over a bunch of bushes turning around. So the bar protects paint and hood lights and rad from that.
I did clock a deer the other year and it was winter, minus 26 middle of nowhere at 2am .. and if I didn't have one it would have took out the light and the rad.
I does stick out a bit, but that also give that added protection.

If I was to just do a steel bumper the rhino is the best I've seen. Looks like it has a better approach for rocks also.

 

[linuxgod]

When I lived in Virginia I hit 2 deer. Actually I hit one and one hit me. The first one was a fawn who jumped out from the woods and despite standing on the brakes I nailed him at 20-25MPH nose down. The 4Runner took surprisingly little damage. The second did the same thing and went head-first into the driver's door of my wife's Xterra. Also surprisingly little damage.

There are 2 types of people who live in the country - those who have hit a deer, and those who will...

 

[MrCWineMan]

IMO if you're getting a front bumper , you have to be 100% for it from the get go. If you're not, that tells me you don't really need one, and will be better off without it.

I had steel bumpers on my previous vehicle, but will not be getting any for the LX. Perhaps a hidden winch mount, but no more than that.

See, I don’t agree 100% - there are certainly needs both directions. I “need” to keep good fuel economy (as much as a 200 can do) and I also “need” to keep deer from causing problems (I drive a lot in deer zones at bad deer times). The more I think about deer the more I’m thinking I’m going to do it. I also do SAR work, and while we mostly use team vehicles, I’ve used the 200 a few times, and a winch would be nice..... so hard to decided.