share your pics of deer damage

[troutbum]

I am about ready to pull the trigger on a new bumper to replace the stock one. Not looking to rock crawl, just looking for a clean bumper with protection from deer. There are lots around my area and two have ran into me in the past 2 years. I know that the best bumper for protection from deer would arguably be the ARB. I love the full hoop protection. But it's so big. This is why the Slee is attractive. A lot cleaner and I hear that it is probably overall the most functional bumper for an 80 out there.

I'm wondering if anyone with a Slee bumper that has hit a deer could share their damage. Since the bumper height of the cruiser is somewhat high, I feel that it would be less vulnerable to hood and radiator damage if/when I come in contact with another deer.

 

[SUMMIT CRUISERS Jr]

I was in the same situation. I really wanted a Slee but didn't think it would do anything to protect against deer. I chose my bumper when I was routinely driving on deer infested roads a lot. I went with the ironman 4x4 deluxe bumper because everyone and their dog had an ARB and you can run larger lights in the Ironman. I'm definitely a fan of the barwork. They've saved my fenders from lots of trees and branches.

 

[80t0ylc]

ARB bull bars continue to take flak from unbelievers and owners that want their own individual looks. I've taken flak myself for trying to defend them. Reasons like approach angle, clunky looks & everyone's got one. I live in an area where deer are considered a nuisance and the peace of mind I have driving with my 80's ARB is hard to explain. So, I've got no deer damage to show for one reason - 3 letters - ARB. However, an idiot in a full sized Dodge dually pkup pulled in front of me on ice and I removed his passenger side rear fender extension for him. No damage to my rig or bumper save for the piece of his fender jammed into the corner ridge of my ARB. One thing's for sure though, if you hit something solid outside the frame rails, you're going to bend even an ARB. That goes for a large muley deer or an elk. Oh, mine's been modified to hook up a tow bar. And when I'm working under the hood, especially up by the firewall, I run 2" x 6" boards from the ARB to the cowl between the firewall and windshield to lay on or support myself and not have to burn myself or break engine parts. So, sometimes it comes in handy for other uses.

 

[ewillis]

I tend to think the ARB looks "classic" on an 80...like that's the way it should look from the factory.

 

[Blade 80LC]

"Everybody's got one" is only a disadvantage if you want to stand out. In general it means that everyone (at least the people who bought them) thinks they are worth the money. ARB and Ironman with their big hoop will protect from a deer strike better than most. I've seen pictures of those hoops driven into the body by animal strikes, so even those bumpers won't make your vehicle invulnerable. I like the looks of the Bump It Offroad tube front bumper, but ARB offers better deer protection.

 

[decoco]

how do those semi awkward 81 bumpers fare out ?

 

[Cruzerman]

I think ARBs have more problems than "everyone's got one". They just ain't that strong compared to other choices out there and aren't the ideal bumper for wheeling (the recovery points are a joke). That being said, they seem an excellent choice for your criteria. They are "roo bars" and they do a damn good job at pushing the wildlife out of the way.

You may also want to check into the Dobinsons bull bars. They too look like they would be good for your application.

 

[decoco]

(the recovery points are a joke).

In what way?

 

[LINUS]

In what way?

Because they aren’t even recovery points according to ARB.

They take an adapter to be your “hi-lift jack points”

Leave the OE hoops on your frame, or buy Tundra ones (bolt-on & real obvious).

That said, I’ve never hit a deer with my ARB, had a Camry “thump” that totalled the car but smudged my powdercoat. Amazingly, it was even a hit on the wing where it’s weak.
I can take a pic once I am back down home with my LC.

But my motivation for an ARB was a deer strike leaving the refinery from night shift at 6AM - wiped out my core support, grill, bumperskin, & 1 headlight & fender.
At least I remembered to “speed up” so it went under my Jetta instead of on the hood & in the windshield.
My car smelled horrid at intersections for a few days, burning fur & rancid venison.

 

[decoco]

Because they aren’t even recovery points according to ARB.

They take an adapter to be your “hi-lift jack points”

Leave the OE hoops on your frame, or buy Tundra ones (bolt-on & real obvious).

^ that was my point!

tell me about the speeding up trick I haren't heard that before

 

[LINUS]

^ that was my point!

tell me about the speeding up trick I haren't heard that before

Instead of braking the whole way, at the very last second you get off the brakes & if you have presense of mind - floor it!

That way the animal is hit higher on your car rather than in full brake/‘nosedive’.

I learned / heard it from a welder who did the Alaskan pipeline - if you land a moose on the hood of your rig, it more than likely is coming in the windshield - so you want to hit it as high as possible & just destroy your front end, but live.

Sure enough, I was down to ~40 from 60 when I slammed that deer (was pinned in my lane, everything was wrong) - but flooring it ripped off a early 90’s VW Jetta bumperskin & tore up a ton of cosmetic crap, but my radiator was even still good.
So I even drove home with a bunch of crap parts ripped off but in the trunk.

Even the officer on scene (people behind me collided, 3 cars made contact) - had a good chuckle when I told him my actions & why I wasn’t rear-ended or part of the traffic accident involving the other cars. The cars behind me saw the dead/dying torso in the lane & all panic-braked into each other while I just pulled to the shoulder ~100yds down the road to assess damage, etc.

It happened on a section of state highway where it’s a 55mph zone & 2 lanes each way, grass ~20ft divider between directions & thick woods on both sides of highway.

I just had a toasted front end and various parts of deer in my suspension.

 

[Cruzerman]

I recently bought a rig that will be our overlanding vehicle. It came with an ARB. I was going to replace it with something that was more of a wheeling bumper. But then sanity kicked in. This wasn't going to be a rock crawler, hitting a deer is way more likely in this rig than hitting a boulder, and I already had the thing!

I used to commute in my 60 to work. I hit deer way to often. I hit two in one week! That was a bad week. The 60 is currently non-op (future project), but let's just say it needs some fenders and such. Wish I had a cow catcher on that one back in the day.

 

[jtcolumbia]

Hi. I just hit a 10 point buck 3 hours ago! I have an ARB on my 80 series. Always have had ARB’s on my Toyota’s. This is why. Easy 180-200lb buck. Deer went “under” front of bumper. Do believe the top of bumper kept him from going into hood. Bang was so loud the people in the houses 150 feet in the woods came out. I figured there would be more damage. Will get another pic tomorrow in daylight. Full bumper view. Didn’t break any led lights either.

 

[LouisianaRubicon]

ARB bull bars continue to take flak from unbelievers and owners that want their own individual looks. I've taken flak myself for trying to defend them. Reasons like approach angle, clunky looks & everyone's got one. I live in an area where deer are considered a nuisance and the peace of mind I have driving with my 80's ARB is hard to explain. So, I've got no deer damage to show for one reason - 3 letters - ARB. However, an idiot in a full sized Dodge dually pkup pulled in front of me on ice and I removed his passenger side rear fender extension for him. No damage to my rig or bumper save for the piece of his fender jammed into the corner ridge of my ARB. One thing's for sure though, if you hit something solid outside the frame rails, you're going to bend even an ARB. That goes for a large muley deer or an elk. Oh, mine's been modified to hook up a tow bar. And when I'm working under the hood, especially up by the firewall, I run 2" x 6" boards from the ARB to the cowl between the firewall and windshield to lay on or support myself and not have to burn myself or break engine parts. So, sometimes it comes in handy for other uses.

View attachment 1724433

Can you share what led's you're running in the "turn signal" location the arb bumper?

 

[80t0ylc]

Can you share what led's you're running in the "turn signal" location the arb bumper?

I got them at a Les Schwab tire store. The brand is CSI. I measured them at the store and knew that's what I wanted to fit there. I previously had Wallyworld el cheapo halogens, but the bulbs kept burning out. If you google CSI lighting and go to their website, this page is as close as I can get. Not sure if it's exact, but looks like it. They used to be in the off road group of aux led lights. I like their weather proof connectors, too.

 

[LouisianaRubicon]

I got them at a Les Schwab tire store. The brand is CSI. I measured them at the store and knew that's what I wanted to fit there. I previously had Wallyworld el cheapo halogens, but the bulbs kept burning out. If you google CSI lighting and go to their website, this page is as close as I can get. Not sure if it's exact, but looks like it. They used to be in the off road group of aux led lights. I like their weather proof connectors, too.

Thanks! Did you make a bracket or did they bolt in there?

 

[80t0ylc]

Thanks! Did you make a bracket or did they bolt in there?

The single mounting point bracket that is included works perfectly. Measure and drill a hole, aprox centered in ARB surface under headlights and they hang just right. You'll need to bend the ARB light mount tabs out of the way for the led housing to fit up snug inside the opening.

 

[80t0ylc]

Oh and BTW, the leds in those ARB turn signal enclosures are aimed perfect for me. I use them in addition to my headlights on the rural roads around here and I can usually see wildlife well before it gets to the road or in front of me. Makes all the difference in the world, IMHO.