You Should Know This About Your car Bull Bars
What Are Bull Bars?
Bull bars are strong
tubular structures that get attached to the front of the vehicle to protect the
front-end of the car body in the event of a collision with an animal. A simple
attachment like a bull bar can aesthetically increase the look of the vehicle
many folds and give it more masculinity. Bull bars come in a variety of shapes
and sizes and also be color coded in any color of your choice.
A bull bar supersedes
the car bumper and makes it largely redundant and offer added protection from
scrubs, logs, banks, etc. especially when fitted onto an off-road vehicle. The
bull bars work as vehicle’s “bar work” in combination with rails and side
steps. Although bull bars are not an important accessory for city drivers, many
off-road drivers prefer this as an important attachment as it is believed to
provide critical strength and protection to the vehicle. A particular bull bar
called “fair-dinkum” is used as a protection against animal collision, if you
are travelling off-road where they have grazing or wild animals. An important
study from Australia stats that there is an increased chance of collision with
animals during sunrise and sunset, when driving on highways. While collision
with a rabbit is trivial, a sheep or kangaroos can cause serious damage. This is
the reason bull bars are attached to the front of the car.
Small bull bars also
called Nudge Bars don’t extend to the full width of the car, but still provides
enough protection to the car. These bars look stupid on large vehicles but are
effective on MUVs and smaller SUVs and also enhance their looks.
Types Of Bull Bars
Although there is no particular
categorization of the types of bull bars. Still they can be differentiated on the basis of the
composition of different bars.
Bull bars with skid plates
Bull bars with skid plates are made up of very
tough and durable steel material. These metal sheets are welded or bolted
together to form a single big part of a bull bar. These steel sheets are
usually removable and can be used to enhance the look of the car other than
practical functionality. These skid plates when added to your bars, protect the
bumper of the vehicle from impacts due to small rocks, debris and pebbles while
driving. They also protect from big rocks, taller parking barriers and curbs
too.
Important Features Of Bull Bars
Bull bars are widely used on trucks,
SUVs, and police vehicles. These bars are installed on the front of the car and
protects the vehicle from collision in case of accidents with other vehicles,
accidents with animals on highways and rural areas and while ramming other
vehicles during pursuits in case of police vehicles. Bull bars can differ in
sizes and forms and are made from welded steel or aluminium sheets, moulded in
polycarbonate and polyethylene materials.
In many countries, there are many
regulations with regards to what kind of bull bar and of what type and
specifications can be installed on a vehicle. This is because, bull bars can be
a major reason for many cases of road-kills. But the question arises whether a
non-living object can be blamed for the reckless driving of the driver.
In modern vehicles, the bull bars
have been incorporated with the safety system of the car. This majorly include
the deployment of cabin airbags on collision with the bull bars. For this, bars
made of polyethylene are built to detect the force of impact on collision. This
not only protects major engine components but also protects the driver and
other passengers.
Bull bars save the drivers from
dangerous injuries or death at the time of impact during collision. Thus, it
also promotes safety of other passengers, pedestrians, and animals on highways.
How Do Bull Bars Works?
Many manufacturers use similar bull
bar part number for various models, if they are based on similar platform. For
example, a Silverado bull bar will look quite similar to Toyota Tundra bull
bar, even though the mounting style is different.
Most of the bull bar manufacturers
are not marketers. This leaves the whole game in the hands of the middleman to
acquire quality bars and sell them to final customers. It is always suggested
to purchase a good quality bull bar from a trusted retailer only.
Purpose Of Bull Bars
Bull bars not only provide added
protection to the vehicle but also provide great styling and look to the car.
It protects the front-end of the vehicle during accidents and collisions. Bull
bars are attached just above the bumper to protect the front of the car and all
the major components hiding behind them, prone to damage. Bull bars also become
an essential accessory for vehicles that run off-road.
Bull bars provide increased padding
to increase the car’s safety. Most of the time it is also called bumper guard
and grille guard. Bull bars protect the grille area of the vehicle and also
give more clearance on the road while driving. This is helpful if you live in
the area where the wildlife is in abundance and might collide with moving cars
on roads and highways.
Great for off-road protection
without limiting your truck’s capacity
Installing the bull bar to the front
of the car can protect the billet grille, skid plates and undercarriage from
severe damages. It also protects the underside of the vehicle when driving on
rocky and difficult terrains and when climbing over creek bed. Bull bars also
shield various important components of engine bay, radiator and headlights on
impact when struck by animals or other cars.
Tools Needed for Bull Bars
Are you thinking of repairing your Bull Bars on your own? Then there is one thing which you must have, that is the right tools needed for repairing your Bull Bars. It is essential to make sure that you are outfitted with the right tools to get the work done properly. Have a look at some tools which you might need to get started with your repair work: -
- Adjustable wrench
- Bull bar package (with all the necessary bolts and brackets)
- Vehicle owner manual
Top Brands For Bull Bars
Most of the people have a nature to avoid risk and seek safety. That is the reason why they would go with a familiar auto parts brand than a new one. It would prove to be safe and they know what to expect. Have a look at our top brands for Bull Bars which would offer safety and at the same time decrease the risk of disappointment.
Related Parts Of Bull Bars
It is very important to arm yourself
with information before you shop any auto part. We are here to help you dive
deep into the names of the Bull Bars related parts.
How To Change Bull Bars?
Depending on your particular vehicle make and
model, and the choice of car body armour and protection, the installation
process of the bull bars either very easy or complicated. Either you’ll be able
to change it in minutes or can take hours to understand the procedure. The installation
can also be complicated by the make and model and the experience of the person installing new bull bars, but mostly depends on the type of bar chosen.
Some of the major manufacturers of quality bull
bars include names like Westin, Aries, Steelcraft, and Dee Zee. All these
brands are known to provide best in class products made from top quality
materials like stainless steel.
Once you have chosen the type of bull bar you want to install on your
vehicle, one must take into consideration a few important points before
starting the installation. Following are the points to keep into consideration
while replacing or installing new bull bars:
- After opening the packaging of the
bull bar, read the instruction manual carefully.
- Read the manual and inspect whether
you have all the necessary parts and tools for installing the new bar.
- Locate the factory drilled holes
from under the bumper rig.
- Match the holes with the holes of
the bar and check for alignment.
- Insert the bull bar brackets onto
the holes and torque them down.
- Next, the bull bar is connected to
the mounting brackets.
- Check for proper levelling and
fixation.
- Finally, double check the bolts and
tighten them properly, if needed.