Bull Bars?

im about 50/50 whether or not i wanna get a bull bar on my 12 DC.





this is the one im looking at https://www.protuninglab.com/bghd-t...85.557980041.1536644765-1055562852.1534906991





i think it would go well with the look of my truck. i like the squared look instead of the rolled. and should probably go with black to match my side steps - although im in quite of a conundrum: generally not a fan of covering up a nice front end. however, i think it will also help with the blacked out look since it would cover the chrome.



newb question: (ive never personally had a capable off-roading truck, in my expierences of going with one vehicle a winch comes in handy. ive seen it first hand, but not on my own vehicle) would this bull bar be able to handle a winch? or not. id like to take this thing off roading and not worry about being stranded, maybe i wanna run over a bush or pop open a locked fence. i finally got a truck worthy of doing truck stuff!

idk if its real or bs promotional pricing, but it seems like a steal at 154.

anyways, what are your opinions on bull bars?
are they ugly? do they make it look more badass?
truck ricer?
too small?
too big?
useless?
cheap?
if i mount this thing, is my truck going to have a Rake between the bar and the engine weight?


lotta questions. thank you in advance. i came from a 2007 chevy 1500 that had nothing but issues so realistically this is my first REAL truck. sorry if im over bearing

 

I love my bull bar especially living in a area where deers randomly jumps out in front of you. IMO, that bull bar seems a little over kill and ricey. Got my Tyger bill bar for 179 and it’s Rhino Coates

 

I used to use it to ram my trash cans

 

That's nice! What makes that one appear dicey specifically. I figured it looked more rugged being square. Looks similar to the post above me

 

I guess how the way our tundras are where it’s smooth curves vs straight corners, doesn’t seem to flow too well with that bull bar but if you like it, I say go for it. Bull bar makes parking a blast!

 

I'd be interested in this one.

https://www.protuninglab.com/mfg-002-kit-005.html

Wonder how the quality is for that price.
I would want it for the people who don't know how to park.

 

I've debated doing the same thing before, but never pulled the trigger. Interested in more pics.

 

i just want it to look badass and not weigh the truck down. not have to worry about knocking over garbage cans and busting open a fence here or there lol. also i was hoping to find one that covered the grille a little less then yours does (a shorter bull bar) so would this be strong enough to replace my tow hooks? can i attach a strap it to it and pull people out of ditches? what abiut a winch will it support a winch

 

Common misconception and problem with US marketing: “bull bars” like the one you’re looking at are actually brush guards in the US. And they’re made to do exactly that, block BRUSH (small sticks and grass). A true Bull Bar would be something like the ARB Bumpers that we’re originally built for farmers with the thought if BULLS. Hence why if you look at the Australian companies and search for bull bars there you won’t fjnd any of these goofy lightweight things period.

Like @NewImprovedRon said earlier, in and kind of front end collision (event hitting a deer at decent speed) these brush guards will collapse and cause potentially MORE damage than if you didn’t have it at all.

DO NOT us this as an attachment point for towing!!!! And easy way to explain why is for you to go grab one on a buddy’s truck and give it a good tug. You’ll notice it moves under just your small tug, now think about what it’ll do when strapped between 2 3 tin vehicles that are pulling with a 1000x your force!!

If you want something for trail protection and to be able to pull/take the abuse of a tow strap or winch; you’ll need some kind of aftermarket bumper and NOT any of these slap on bull bars.

There are a few nice options of low profile bumpers that keep things small, neat and light if you don’t want a whole front bumper but they obviously won’t provide the full protection you get from the big guys with light hoops and all.

Hope this helps, if you have any further questions fell free to pm me

 

so am i able to retain some sort of factory tow hooks (bolt on over mounts) that can reliably pull people out of snow? or is this literally bs aesthetics that u can wire up a light bar too and thats all, whooopitys#!t lol.

i remember being like jeez 15 (in this total hypothetical situation) riding around with my cool cousin. who was probably 17 years old at the time... you know, two young punks. and there was this great offroading spot but in order to get in (granted he had a 1995 f150 with a hell of an engine.) you had to bust the lock off this fence. we already had it in 4X4 and we would pull up quietly til we hear that masterlock and latch tap the bull bar and just barely hit itthat fence popped like a bottle opener everytime and we pushed the gate all the way open. but he had a bull bar almost identical to what ive been referring to them as. the tiny ones. barely covered the ford emblem with a single rolled bar.

now NEWRIDER - like i said, the lower ones like i OP are the ones i like. to be honest. i like them for asthetics and mounting options (u cleared the airwaves about using them as an anchor point, thanks. the more i thought about it the more i thought "DUH"
can i pop fences and stuff like you see in Dukes of Hazzard (dont worry im to old to trespass anymore lol)? can istill use them to accidentally pull up to far and hit a pole at rolling speed(200 costs less then a new bumper is my logic- but you got me thinking the angle will just make me need a new grill and radatior as well.
im guessing your a no go all around.

you just made some very valid points and i learned alot from you. Thnanks!

with that being whats the final verdict then?


to me it seems like you actually LOSE practicality of the truck, which is the opposite of the way they are marketed lol

 

What light bar you have? That's my purchase I'm just trying to decide on a real good one that will last and easy to install.

 

Well, since you asked....

are they ugly? Yes
do they make it look more badass? Not at all. Just paint your truck white.
truck ricer? n/a
too small? n/a
too big? n/a
useless? Yup, that too
cheap? Expensive for useless
if i mount this thing, is my truck going to have a Rake between the bar and the engine weight? is it made of lead?

 

To the OP:

It sounds like you’ve figured out your final answer. The bars you’re looking at are for aesthetics only (and givin you an easy place to mount a light). If you just want something to pull people out in the snow the you don’t need to do anything, that’s what your factory tow hood are for.

As for mounting a light, I’m not sure what grill you have but there are lots of options out to there to mount a light bar in/behind the grill that not only gives you a very clean look but further protects the light as well as making much harder for any asshat out there to steal seeing as you have to open the good to get to the mounts.

Personally, I hate brush guards and will never run one... I am however a welder/fabricator so I’ll always just build my own protection parts

 

for offroad bull bars give you worse approach angle and i peronaly dont like the look of them i prerffer a bar similar to themn but comes from the bumper, like in a lot of custom offroad bumpers