Wanted to know if any of you that have bull bars could tell me how strong they actually are. Are they made to withstand any impact or are they just for show? I hit a deer a couple of weeks ago that screwed up my bumper right in the middle and was wondering if this would have saved this from happening. Thanks guys.

fordmustangfan67

2005 F250 6.0L Ex Cab Long Box 4x4

 

The short answer to your question is both.

It depends on the quality of it. I have seen some that look awesome, but you can tell that they wouldn't stand up to any kind of impact. On the other hand I have seen some that look like crap, but looked like you could hit a deer doing 100 and wouldn't dent it.

Hopes this helps.

 

Any idea of the brands of any of the better ones and possibly the prices?

 

Here is a link to a recent thread with some of the information you are looking for...

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/6...u-call-em.html

 

Westins ultimate bullbar is pretty nice, it can take a beating. I had one on my ranger and whacked a deer doing about 55 and didn't even phase it. Be careful though because Westin also sells one that is just for looks and I saw one of those the other day that was all sorts of messed up from a deer. You pay a little more for the ultimate bullbar but its worth it in my opinion.

 

why not get a grille guard?
will offer more protection
I had a bull bar on my truck for a while
kissed a few poles with it and it put small dents in it
I am sure if I hit a deer straight on and in the middle of my truck it would have saved some serious damage, but it only protects the front center...

 

Most deer strikes are off to the side anyway, so a bull bar wouldn't do much good.

Most brush guards would just fold under the impact. They might end up damaging your truck worse. It'd be like giving the deer a pipe to hit your truck with.

If you want deer proof bumpers, expect to pay some serious coin. I've looked at some, price seems to be around $2000 for a bumper that will deflect a 150-200 lb animal impact at 60 MPH. My insurance deductible is less than half of that.

 

....with the 8 inches of lift, do you really have to worry about deer hitting the bullbar or actually hitting the pumpkin? lol.

 

I have the same Westin bar as Bigrey's and hit a deer doin bout 50 mph; struck the front passenger side. It was at night so I wasnt able to see any immediate damage, the next morning I looked and couldnt even tell where the deer hit or see any signs at all it had even happened. I dont remember seeing it actually hit the bar, though, it jumped into the middle of the road and tried retreating but didnt make it.

When installing my Westin, the first thing I thought was that it was pretty much just for show as it only has two mounts. But if I had to say, I think it would protect to a point, depending on how large the animal and how fast one was traveling.

 

You need something like this HBS Patriot bumper to take a deer strike:



http://www.hbsteel.net/siteSpecific/...spx?entryID=11

 

Oh, I didn't see the bumper in the photo at first...

 

What bumper?

 

[QUOTE=redford]You need something like this HBS Patriot bumper to take a deer strike:



http://www.hbsteel.net/siteSpecific/portfolioEntry/PortfolioEntryDetail.aspx?entryID=11[/QUOTE]

Not only is it strong it comes with a free chick to ride in the truck with you.....