Jeep Garage  - Jeep Forum banner

ARB Bullbar Delayed

79K views 338 replies 61 participants last post by  BobT 
#1 ·
I received an email from ARB today regarding the GC bullbar....

Due to huge demand for our products and the release of numerous new and facelift vehicles in the last 12 months (many of which are fleet and trade vehicles), the Grand Cherokee bar development has been delayed. We're hoping to have something ready later this year but unfortunately I can't give you a more accurate ETA at this stage.

Kind regards, Sam (marketing).
 
#297 · (Edited)
Uneek have had their tow hooks on their bullbar rated:

If you own, or are looking at purchasing our Steel Bull Bar for the 2011 on Grand Cherokee, you might be interested to know that we have had the tow points rated. They are now rated at 3 tonne each. For customers who already have this bar fitted, we will soon be able to provide a rating sticker on request.

https://www.facebook.com/Uneek4x4/p...0359708358516/916306151763867/?type=1&theater
 
  • Like
Reactions: BobT
#298 ·
Got quoted just over $3K the other day for fitting of ARB bar (for overland), Radar kit, fog lights and colour coating. Is this normal?

Saw on Ausjeep and here a few times, quotes around 2300 - 2500.

Is it purely a WA thing (ie getting stock over) or am I definitely looking at that kind of cost?

Any others in WA with ARB bar quotes similar or less?

Any help appreciated.

Cheers,

jaemie
 
#301 ·
hi guys . i purchased a 2014 limited with an arb already installed . What i thought was a recovery point is a tow hook . It looks like 8mm thickness at least and bolted onto the chassis . is this strong enough as a recovery point for light snatching in sand ?
The terminology used is probably a lot to do with arse-covering by ARB, though in a particularly heavy recovery it could in fact be insufficient. From your post, I gather you're going to be sensible with the magnitude of recovery effort, and as such I'd say go for it. In saying that, I'd also recommend that you always have a well secured recovery dampener attached to the ends of the strap... about 500mm to a metre from the loop. Putting the dampener in the middle of the strap, whilst often pictured professionally, is not my idea of best practice.

Remember a bit of digging or sand clearing makes a big difference to the ultimate load applied.

Cheers,
Steve
 
#304 · (Edited)
The ARB bull bar is undoubtedly the best on the market. In comparison, the others are basically one hit and throw away units. However, what put me off it is it's weight. I once put the Jeep on a weighbridge and was surprised at how high the front axle load was is standard trim. With an ARB bull bar, the axle load would have been close to the specified maximum. There would have been no capacity to add a winch or armour. I rarely drive in other than broad daylight in the country and have only hit a roo once so I opted for armour instead. A small winch would be good though. I notice Chief products have a hidden winch mount in development. Looks interesting.
 
#306 ·
That's why I said I'd never put one on the GC when I first bought it, I didn't want the extra weight or to change the look of the car.
But I relented for peace of mind, I don't drive much in the outback anymore but when I do, alot of it is at night. And there's this one time that always sticks in my mind, when around 2am between Paraburdoo and Karratha I hit this massive red. I hit him so hard my ipod skipped a few songs when it flew into the dash but the only damage to the car was a slight inward bow to the centre on the bullbar where I hit him. Without the bar, it would've been a right off in the middle of nowhere.
 
#308 ·
I've been in a steel ARB bar equipped 4x4 and the car was no where near moving after hitting a small roo, I hit a slightly larger roo without a bullbar in my WK2 without any visible damage.

Really depends how it hits. Nothing short of an illegal 5 poster with steel brush bars / side rails will be mostly immune.
 
  • Like
Reactions: BobT
#310 · (Edited)
#312 ·
They look great!



Sent from my iPhone using JeepGarage
 
#316 ·
With this renewed interest in bull bars, I looked back at my very early posts on this thread around 2011. At the time I was strongly pushing ARB to come out with a model for the WK2 but when it finally came out, I piked. The reason was as follows. The allowable front axle load on the WK2 is 1,452kg. With two on boards and gear in the back, my Jeep measured 1,420kg in the front on a weighbridge. So that gave only 32kg to play with. Bull bar manufacturers are cagy about weights but Uneek4x4 estimated their steel bull bar to weigh about 50kg. Even the ECB aluminium bar came in at 32kg. OK, this doesn't mean that your front end is about to collapse but if you intend to keep your vehicle for a long time as I do, it is an issue. For those that like to sell after the "new" has worn off, no problem!
 
#317 · (Edited)
idk where you got your numbers.

Uneek provides 75kg as their number.

As far as the weight of the bar, added with the weight of a winch, the ome HD kit is more than enough to sustain that weight for a long time.

You also have to consider the engine. The diesel is -significantly- heavier than the v6 for example. So that's a lot more weight to deal with.
 
#320 ·
The weight of the vehicle sits on the wheels, with the transfer point being the lower control arm.

More weight simply means it's harder to turn the wheels(harder to move the vehicle).

The LCA height(i.e. from a lift kit, or sagging), has a larger impact on the steering knuckle and the cv axle.

As far as the wheel bearings, if you're arguing it'll damage that, then you might as well argue not to put additional weight on the front because the struts and coils will wear faster. It's a pretty bad argument. They're not going to last forever.
 
#322 ·
Just for interest:
I have a diesel and an ARB bar. After packing the car and camper for a multi-week trip, I took the car to the local tip weighbridge (resolution 20kg if you don't pay).
With camper unhitched, the front axle load was 70kg over the spec (1452kg). Apart from regular luggage, there was a Thumper auxiliary battery and a loaded 40l fridge , plus tools, spares etc in the car.
With the camper hitched and 180kg on the hitch, the front axle load reduced by 40kg, so only 30kg over spec. I removed some stuff, and relocated some, but the point is that the ARB bar probably accounted pretty much for the overload. No winch, and because of this I abandoned plans to add one.
Thanks,
Russell
 
  • Like
Reactions: BobT
#324 · (Edited)
It's also worth noting, that not just their boxes, but their entire bumpers and other products are made from 350 grade steel.

you can read more on steel grades, if you don't know about it already, here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maraging_steel

Still a wiki page, but you're welcome to look more if you want more evidence of the quality of their products.

Unfortunately, ARB doesn't provide their steel thickness, grade of steel, or really anything that would give insight to the quality of the build itself(ignoring design), and nor do I intend on scouring the web for a few hours trying to find that information, so I can't make a direct comparison for that here.

You're more than welcome to look for yourself, and draw your own conclusions from what you find. I'd be more than happy to provide any other Uneek specs I have, if you want them.

If you have an issue with weight, perhaps the best option, if any, if the aluminum bumper made by uneek. That'd be your best bet for weight saving. I can see where weight will be an issue if your travels are under weight restriction. However personally, I don't travel anywhere that involves weight limits. The only possible real concern I have for weight during my travels are regarding bridging ladders.
 
#339 ·
It's also worth noting, that not just their boxes, but their entire bumpers and other products are made from 350 grade steel.

you can read more on steel grades, if you don't know about it already, here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maraging_steel
The only reference to 350 grade steel on an ARB bar is in relation to recovery points, see http://www.arbeurope.com/site/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/JK-Stubby-Bar_EN.pdf . I can certainly vouch for the strength of 350 grade steel. The Chief WK2 bash plate (lower front guard) is of 350 grade. I drilled a couple of holes in it to attach the floppy bits of the fender liners with plastic rivets. I couldn't believe how long it took to drill through it. I'm sure I've totally blunted my high speed drill bit.
 
#326 ·
I'm not including those. the "crash pads"(what setina, and other push bar manufacturers call them) are likely rubber anyways.

But yes, mainly the surround/mount for the lighting, which appears to be a very large chunk on many of their bars, including the wk2 one.

Having a machine cut out holes specific to the size of those lights with a low tolerance(something uneek did) would have been much more costly than just cutting a single larger shape that has a lot higher tolerance(what arb did) and then shoving a molded, or even 3d printed plastic holder in there.

Either way. The bottom line is, the wings on the ARB bar are very weak compared to uneek.
 
#327 ·
This whole Uneek vs ARB discussion sounds a bit sus to me. While there maybe lots of pros and cons, I have never heard of an ARB bar being critisized for failing due to weak construction.
 
#329 · (Edited)
There are lots of considerations in good engineering that are taken into account in fit for purpose - use of finite resources, embedded energy, cost, safety of design....

Yes - a bull bar could be built out of railway tracks and never bend under any circumstances, but is this necessary for the purpose?


Sent from my iPad using JeepGarage
 
  • Like
Reactions: BobT
#333 ·
Laughs.


Sent from my iPad using JeepGarage
 
#337 · (Edited)
All comes down to the luck of the kangaroo bounce and your personal risk management profile.

No single answer for everyone....life is like that.

Personally, I'm waiting for a wombat bar. Hit one in my Torana years ago and just about ripped the bottom out of the car.


Sent from my iPhone using JeepGarage
 
#338 ·
Exactly!. It's all about risk management. If you live in the bush and need to drive at night, then yes, you need a bull bar. If you're a city dwelling weekend warrior, you don't need one. Just drive carefully. Accidents will happen regardless, maybe you'll hit a roo, maybe a tree, maybe another car, How much would a bull bar have helped? It's you money.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top