Land Rover Joe
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- Joined
- Apr 10, 2011
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This is a response to an old thread which cannot be reposted to; therefore, I am starting a new thread.
Ndrenfro: Land Rover Joe again-
I am reviving this stream and would like to share some new information I have uncovered. I hope you or someone will find it useful. I have been seeking a real Bull Guard / Brush Guard for my LR4 for some time as I work in Africa and all the animals (whether bulls, camels, goats, people, or even other ignorant drivers) out there make some real front-end protection worthwhile. For most folks, however, such protection is probably expensive and unnecessary (it is certainly not going to help your fuel economy!)
Several LR4 owners have apparently modified ARB Bull Guards manufactured for LR3’s to fit to their LR4’s. See picture at http://www.roverracks.com/images/LRWestPalm.jpg . I even found a link for instructions explaining the process on a different site from someone who went to their body-shop and wanted to do the modifications. You have to admit that the LR4 with the custom-made ARB brush guard looks tough…. but I would not put such a heavy component on my front end without all the engineering involved to ensure it won’t overstress the frame while driving, sheer off accidently, or bend the frame in the event of an animal strike or winching job. Those would end up being catastrophic events for the sake of tough looks.
I have recently corresponded with Mike from ARB and this is what he has to say about ARB LR4 “Heavy Bull Bars”:
”We are working on a bar specifically for the North American LR4. We currently have a prototype that will be fitted within the next month. Once we determine that the install works as it should, the tooling and building process will begin in Australia. Hang in there, we will have a proper bar for that truck.”
Thus, great news for all ARB fans with LR4s!
Also, I have spoken with Andy from RoverRacks and he told me that they are also assembling a prototype heavy bumper/Bull Bar/Brush Guard. So I am really looking forward to seeing what the different companies will be putting on the market in the next 6-12 months.
Here I must admit that I am rather unhappy with the Land Rover “Protection Bar” (Part Number VPLAP0022). This is the Land Rover solution to front end protection, but is it certainly not worth the price if you are looking for protection. For example, last October, I had a Toyota HiLux with raised suspension and heavy bumpers side-swipe me and nicked the “Protection Bar” by around a ½ inch with the tip of his rear bumper…and completely tore the whole front assembly of the “Protection Bar” off my truck. Perhaps the “Protection Bar” did in fact protect me from something (even though I don’t think so), but when you see the pieces of it you quickly realize there isn’t much "protection" in the "bar." It is 100% injection molded plastic, and the lower assembly is hollow. Total charge (here in Africa) to do the procurement and replacement for the plastic protection bar: $1800. Huah? Folks in the states won’t have to pay near that much, but the performance cannot justify the price. Therefore: I cannot recommend the "Protection Bar" to anyone other than folks wanting some more (fake) beef added to their front end. It can add an element of “off-road styling” to the truck, but adds nothing to off-road capability or vehicle protection.
A word of caution: Some of the off-road experts out there highly recommend AGAINST adding heavy bumpers as they change the weight distribution of the truck, hurt vehicle power and performance, strain the suspension because of the weight, decrease off-road traffic ability because they weigh the truck down, and in general provide very little to no increased capability to the vehicle. In fact, the Land Rover Publication “Working in the Wild; Land Rover's Manual for Africa” (which focuses on exclusively on series rovers and Defenders) does not even mention heavy bumpers or brush guards. Chris Scott, in his authoritative book “Sahara Overland, A Route and Planning Guide,” advocates against anything on the front end. Naturally, for desert driving in deep sand, one doesn’t need all the extra weight on a front end where one is not going to run into anything but hot air and sand. But-they definitely look (and are) tough. So….as always, it is worth educating oneself before making the big purchase and serious vehicle modification.
Hope this helps and I am curious if anyone else has heard about some real protection for LR4 front ends.
Cheers,
Land Rover Joe
Ndrenfro: Land Rover Joe again-
I am reviving this stream and would like to share some new information I have uncovered. I hope you or someone will find it useful. I have been seeking a real Bull Guard / Brush Guard for my LR4 for some time as I work in Africa and all the animals (whether bulls, camels, goats, people, or even other ignorant drivers) out there make some real front-end protection worthwhile. For most folks, however, such protection is probably expensive and unnecessary (it is certainly not going to help your fuel economy!)
Several LR4 owners have apparently modified ARB Bull Guards manufactured for LR3’s to fit to their LR4’s. See picture at http://www.roverracks.com/images/LRWestPalm.jpg . I even found a link for instructions explaining the process on a different site from someone who went to their body-shop and wanted to do the modifications. You have to admit that the LR4 with the custom-made ARB brush guard looks tough…. but I would not put such a heavy component on my front end without all the engineering involved to ensure it won’t overstress the frame while driving, sheer off accidently, or bend the frame in the event of an animal strike or winching job. Those would end up being catastrophic events for the sake of tough looks.
I have recently corresponded with Mike from ARB and this is what he has to say about ARB LR4 “Heavy Bull Bars”:
”We are working on a bar specifically for the North American LR4. We currently have a prototype that will be fitted within the next month. Once we determine that the install works as it should, the tooling and building process will begin in Australia. Hang in there, we will have a proper bar for that truck.”
Thus, great news for all ARB fans with LR4s!
Also, I have spoken with Andy from RoverRacks and he told me that they are also assembling a prototype heavy bumper/Bull Bar/Brush Guard. So I am really looking forward to seeing what the different companies will be putting on the market in the next 6-12 months.
Here I must admit that I am rather unhappy with the Land Rover “Protection Bar” (Part Number VPLAP0022). This is the Land Rover solution to front end protection, but is it certainly not worth the price if you are looking for protection. For example, last October, I had a Toyota HiLux with raised suspension and heavy bumpers side-swipe me and nicked the “Protection Bar” by around a ½ inch with the tip of his rear bumper…and completely tore the whole front assembly of the “Protection Bar” off my truck. Perhaps the “Protection Bar” did in fact protect me from something (even though I don’t think so), but when you see the pieces of it you quickly realize there isn’t much "protection" in the "bar." It is 100% injection molded plastic, and the lower assembly is hollow. Total charge (here in Africa) to do the procurement and replacement for the plastic protection bar: $1800. Huah? Folks in the states won’t have to pay near that much, but the performance cannot justify the price. Therefore: I cannot recommend the "Protection Bar" to anyone other than folks wanting some more (fake) beef added to their front end. It can add an element of “off-road styling” to the truck, but adds nothing to off-road capability or vehicle protection.
A word of caution: Some of the off-road experts out there highly recommend AGAINST adding heavy bumpers as they change the weight distribution of the truck, hurt vehicle power and performance, strain the suspension because of the weight, decrease off-road traffic ability because they weigh the truck down, and in general provide very little to no increased capability to the vehicle. In fact, the Land Rover Publication “Working in the Wild; Land Rover's Manual for Africa” (which focuses on exclusively on series rovers and Defenders) does not even mention heavy bumpers or brush guards. Chris Scott, in his authoritative book “Sahara Overland, A Route and Planning Guide,” advocates against anything on the front end. Naturally, for desert driving in deep sand, one doesn’t need all the extra weight on a front end where one is not going to run into anything but hot air and sand. But-they definitely look (and are) tough. So….as always, it is worth educating oneself before making the big purchase and serious vehicle modification.
Hope this helps and I am curious if anyone else has heard about some real protection for LR4 front ends.
Cheers,
Land Rover Joe
