Bull Bar

Joe Jeep Owner · **Posted:** Thu Dec 15, 2005 12:02 pm

I think I asked this before but I dont remember and I dont have much luck finding things using search so please bear with me.

Anyway, I was wondering what people thought about the Bull Guard for the front end of the Jeep. If I remember correctly I dont think people advised getting it because it would cause more damage than anything else if I were to be hit but I just wanted to make sure.

Basically I want it for front end protection from accidents or people backing up into me (expensive to replace or do work on the bumper). You would think this wouldnt happen alot but believe it or not, it has happened to me 3 times and I have only owned the Jeep for 8 months. Cant afford an ARB bumper so thats out, just curious if this was good or if there was something else out there to look into. I have a price of $150 new

Thanks

shak · **Posted:** Thu Dec 15, 2005 12:19 pm

I learned my lesson the hard way......
bought one of those fancy brush guards about 300 bux......got into an accident, totalled an Accord and 5 grand worth of damage to KJ. I'd say save up your money for an ARB...Well worth the investment

you have another option....and that is replacing your bumper if it is dented. you can find one on ebay for less than 100 bux
temporary band aid solution

Joe Jeep Owner · **Posted:** Thu Dec 15, 2005 12:40 pm

Shak:

I dont have any damage right now, I fixed it right after it happened. What made me start looking again was the news saying that we will be getting snow and ice tonight/tomorrow. Plus I want to try to avoid future damage so I thought that would be a good fix.

I would love to have to ARB but it's not in the cards for me right now. Plus I'm not lifted or anything and I dont know how the extra weight would affect the Jeep and I dont know how to do advanced mods on my own so I would need to pay someone for that as well (welding, cutting etc).

Thanks for the heads up about the guard though, I guess I can start researching what I would need to do for the ARB and slowly save up for it. I know if would definately be worth it in the long run.

Thanks again!

QuietOutdoorsman · **Posted:** Thu Dec 15, 2005 12:41 pm

I have one of those fancy Jeep bull bars. I like the look. It's not going to do much for you with any kind of hit. Somebody creeping out of a parking space slowly....that kind of bump is all it's going to be good for. If you get hit harder the bar will slide back and hit both your bumper and the top of the grill/edge of the hood/hood latch/top of radiator. The way it bolts together allows for a lot of slip. Maybe if you weld the bar to the mounting brackets after it's assembled it would hold up better, but it's still not going to be as good as a full steel bumper.

Joe Jeep Owner · **Posted:** Thu Dec 15, 2005 1:23 pm

The funny thing is, I havent been hit hard or at a high speed yet. Everytime it was pulling out of a parking spot or someone backing up and not seeing me (not sure how in a jeep) or hearing my horn. That's what pisses me off, I can deal with dings and repairs due to off road use or something like that, but not continually because of someone else in a parking lot or at a light.

That's why I was thinking the bull guard until I could upgrade to an ARB, I wouldnt buy it for $300 but I thought $150 shipped was a good price so I thought I would try it.

How hard or fast do you think it would take to actually cause it to slip? Do you think it's worth it for what I am looking for or???

shak · **Posted:** Thu Dec 15, 2005 2:04 pm

couple of things.....

Quote:

Maybe if you weld the bar to the mounting brackets after it's assembled it would hold up better, but it's still not going to be as good as a full steel bumper.

We are supposed to weld those brackets that come with the brush guards to the frame. My body shop guy told me I should go kick whoever's booty that installed the brush guard because it was not welded to the frame. So if you get it, make sure you get a good brand name like warn

Also I was just looking on ebay before and found a practically new limited version bumper for 50 dollars....what a steal

and also the ARB wont drag the nose of the car down much. I am not lifted currently and i dont have any problems with the arb

Joe Jeep Owner · **Posted:** Thu Dec 15, 2005 2:49 pm

Shak:

Nice, thanks for letting me know. I will look into how much it would cost to weld it on and see if it's worth it.

As for the bumper, that's a heck of a steal the only thing I would be worried about is the cost of matching the paint.

QuietOutdoorsman · **Posted:** Thu Dec 15, 2005 4:23 pm

The bull bar that I was refering to is the one Jeep sells under the Mopar Accessories (p/n 82207777). *due to whatever scripting is used on the Mopar.com page you can't past links to parts, or I would here.

There are 2 brackets that bolt to where the "M" bolt for the tow hooks is. You're supposed to remove your tow hooks, but it's possible to mount both. Those lower brackets could be welded to the frame if you removed all the plastic on the front end. There are 2 upper brackets that bolt to a single hole that is almost directly under the head light. You have to almost blindly slide that bracket & bolt into place, and then reach up through the fog light door to put the nut on it. That part is a ton of fun, especially with the washer bottle being where it is. The upper brackets stick out of the grill in the outer edge of the outer grill slot, basically right inside of your headlights. I don't see any way to weld that to the frame without fully disassembling the front end.

The bull bar itself mounts to these 4 brackets with nothing more that a slip joint......2 flat pieces of metal, hole in one, slot in the other, single bolt through the 2 pieces. It's a rinky-dink design. The 4 slip joints (one at each bracket) is what I would weld to start off with. I would like to weld mine, but haven't done so yet. With it welded, I would say maybe 4-5 mph at the maximum for impact.....with it just bolted, 1-2 mph? Because of the mount design, the Jeep/Mopar bull bar is going to be weak no matter what.

Whatever you go with, if you want to use this for protection you really need to investigate how it mounts to the vehicle frame/unibody. As said before, welding to the frame is the strongest way to go. Bolt on applications can be good as long as the brackets are not wimpy, bent all at crazy angles, or have stupid slip joints in them.

Joe Jeep Owner · **Posted:** Thu Dec 15, 2005 4:39 pm

This isnt one from Mopar, I dont know who makes it and I cant post the pic.

KJ04 · **Posted:** Thu Dec 15, 2005 10:00 pm

You get what you pay for, so start saving for that ARB. Mines paid for it's self many times over in the past 20 months that I've had it.

shak · **Posted:** Thu Dec 15, 2005 10:02 pm

as QuietOutdoorsman said that's basically the case for ANY bull bar. They are made for show and not to be in a battlefield. Even when you weld it, its welded from the bottom and top is still loose. So if you hit something as high as a truck or SUV, you are screwed because the top part moves backwards and damages your grill/hood

ManicMechanicJoe · **Posted:** Tue Dec 20, 2005 12:26 am

Get a snow plow for the front of the Jeep!

1calkid · **Posted:** Tue Dec 20, 2005 12:24 pm

Joe Jeep, I was wondering how you like your Coopers and how well they have done for you off road?
Thanks for the help.

Joe Jeep Owner · **Posted:** Tue Dec 20, 2005 1:18 pm

1calkid:

I like the ATR's a lot and I think they are well worth the money IMO. It wasnt easy finding reviews online for these and I only know of a couple of people that use them here but I asked people who used the old AT's and figured I would try them.

I dont do any hard core off-roading (generally light) but for onroad and snow use they have been great. A little noisy like most AT tires but nothing that drowns out your stereo or makes it hard to hear someone talking to you or anything. Also when its really cold out, the tires are a little stiff until they warm up which doesnt take long. The tred is pretty aggressive looking too and the price is right.

Overall I like them and would buy them (or other Coopers) again.

1calkid · **Posted:** Wed Dec 21, 2005 11:36 am

Thanks for the information.

Se7enLC · **Posted:** Wed Dec 21, 2005 12:52 pm

ManicMechanicJoe wrote:

Get a snow plow for the front of the Jeep!

Forget the bullbar, install a cowcatcher!

Bull Bar

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