4wd accessories – Bullbars explained

One of the best parts of owning a truck is all of the 4WD accessories that are available. There’s nothing quite like the satisfaction of finding the perfect 4DW drawers or 4WD water tanks for your truck, unless it’s finding the perfect bullbar!

There are two aspects to a bullbar that need to be considered: first is its functionality, and second is how it looks. After all, while your bullbar needs to look awesome, it also needs to do its job of protecting your vehicle and its occupants.

So let’s take a look at four different types of bullbars on the market, so you can hit the road in safety.

Steel bullbars

These bullbars are built to incorporate a winch with super strong mounting points to handle the strain of pulling your vehicle out of the mud without ripping the bar off the front of your truck. Steel is heavy, so you might need to ramp up your suspension to take the added weight of this bullbar. There are some steel bullbars that do not have anchor points for a winch, so you could attach a winch to your chassis by mounting it in a winch cradle, but most 4WD enthusiasts prefer a steel bar and winch combo.

Alloy bullbars

Aluminium bullbars are much lighter than steel, so you don’t need to worry about how your suspension will handle the additional weight at the front end. There are not many downsides to an aluminium bullbar, except that you won’t have a winch (although you could attach one to your chassis) and they are not as easy to weld as steel.

Plastic bullbars

These are also known as smart bars and tend to bounce back into shape from minimal knocks. Larger bangs however, can destroy your bullbar, because they are designed to take the force of a crash, saving the occupants from injury. If all you want is to drive around town and not head out into 4WD country, this is definitely the cheaper option.

Nudge bars

A nudge bar fits in front of your vehicle’s bumper and is designed to protect the area directly behind it – the bumper and the radiator. They come into their own if you run up the back of a vehicle, but won’t save the rest of your bumper from damage. Nudge bars are best used around town and not for serious 4WD country.

For more information on bullbars, 4WD accessories, 4WD drawers or 4WD water tanks, call us on 1300 210 549 or complete our online enquiry form.