A Good Reason for a Bull Bar

[Rich]

Went for a drive today on some dirt tracks near home.

It was a bit hilly and lots of sharp corners.

But as I am still getting the feel of the car I took my time (which I would do any way).

Came to a corner and some nutter on a motor bike came screaming around the corner on my side of the road.

I braked and he did a side skid and I reckon I missed him by a foot or so.

My thoughts went straight to to 'I better get a bull bar' - thinking of the damage this guy would have caused and of course it would be put down to an accident involving 'one of those 4wd vehicles' in the press.

But being a good person I did think that I should get a smartbar so that if I did hit him it would not have caused him as much damage. .

MInd you on the same trip I came across another 4wd truck cutting corners as well (not me), but I did my share until above.

Lesson learnt, for all I hope.

Rich

[bgiddins]

One of the reasons I always have headlights on when driving state forest and similar tracks - increases the chances that someone hooning towards you spots you a tad earlier and has a chance to slow down.

Amazing how many P platers there are with SWB GQ Patrols and similar that treat state forests like a closed rally track.

[Para Ordnance]

.

My thoughts went straight to to 'I better get a bull bar' -
Rich

Wow, your first thoughts were about damage caused to your vehicle and not " geez, I could of just killed a human being "

Sadistic S.O.B you are!

[Nargun]

A few couple of years ago I saw a pedestrian hit by Suzuki with a bull bar. Totally the pedestrian's fault, but he couldn't see thae Suzuki behind the Patrol I was driving.

Do you know that a human body folds around each of the bars, legs and ribs (and therefore spine) and as the body bends, the head hits the bonnet? It was only that the Suzi was braking hard that he got thrown on the bonnet rather than directed under the car

I do 70% of my driving in areas where pedestrians are a traffic hazard; I have a responsibility to those around me and therefore refuse to sport a bull bar. If I lived in a rural area where roos were the primary source of danger it would be a different issue. I live in the Dandenong Ranges, where the major animal strikes are wombats or possums. A roo bar to deal with them would play havoc with approach angles

[Mike DiD]

If you have a look at the Smartbar website you will see independant research that shows that a Smartbar can actually cause LESS injury than the metal frontend of a car.

All NSW Police NS Pajeros are now being fitted with Smartbars.

[Walker]

I am with you Rich, if some idiot comes around a corner on the wrong side of the road, the first thing I would think of is the damage to my car!


And I also think if you are going to use your Pajero for 4WDing or touring then a bullbar is a worthwhile assset. It is going to pay off at some stage and may even save the lives of those in the vehicle with you.
If you live in the city and dont 4Wd or tour....then what do you have a 4WD for anyway!

[Rich]

Para,
You might note I suggested getting a smartbar so I would not only protect my car I would do minimal damage (relatively) to anything I hit , I thought I was being considerate. Well at least considerate for a sadistic sob. .

I would hate to hit an animal as well.



Rich

[Mike DiD]

If you live in the city and dont 4Wd or tour....then what do you have a 4WD for anyway!

This actually comes as a surprise to some Pajero owners, but since 1991 the Pajero can be put into 4WD on the bitumen to give you better traction and road-holding on sealed roads, city or country.

Audi, Subaru etc also have 4WD that is not intended to allow them to be used on extreme off-road conditions

[mikens]

If you have a look at the Smartbar website you will see independant research that shows that a Smartbar can actually cause LESS injury than the metal frontend of a car.

All NSW Police NS Pajeros are now being fitted with Smartbars.

I agree, if your considering a bullbar you should at least have a look at the smartbar website and the video clip they have.

I need a bar as I live in the country, do heaps of country driving and i've already hit a small roo which put dent in the front bumper bar, but had to replace the whole front and wheel flare - goodbye $500 excess.

Although I don't think they look the best on the Pajero, I'm getting a smartbar fitted soon. I've spoken to a number of people who say the smartbars bend back in shape after hitting a roo (not too big of course - but hitting a big roo wouldn't be good for any standard bar), AND they are safer for pedestrials than the standard bumpers on most cars (although I don't know whether this is true for the Pajero, nor if you have a winch fitted). From my research, smartbars are also lighter and cheaper than the others too.

In my previous vehicle I had almost the same situation where a biker almost came head on, down hill, around a corner in the Watagan's. The biker was going way too fast. I think a smartbar will help protect both body and property - as well as the occupants of the vehicle as in a major collision I would think that the smartbar would crumple better than a metal bar.

Anyway, that's my two cents.


Cheers, Mikens

[Rich]

I have been looking into a smartbar for some time.

I have a SWB R model and there is no official smartbar for this model. There is one for the X model.

The difference is that the X model has flares and the R does not. If a smartbar is installed on an R model it will hang over about 5-10mm which has been a bit of a concern as do not want to look to bad. (I made a correction - many thanks to Eastie for pointing out mm not cm)

After the weekend I came to the opinion who gives bugger about 5-10mm

The smartbar has gone up to the top of my goodies wish list, just ahead of a long range tank, UHF radio and lots of others. I bought the cheaper R model so I could afford these. Well that was the theory any way - unfortunately it has not worked out that way.

Rich

[Eastie]

You will probably find the 5-10cm is actaully 5-10mm. That was the case with the ARB bar

[Rich]

Eastie OOOPS,
Thank Christ you are right - would look like extra ears if 10cm and I would have taken the bike out for sure.

(I still see things in feet/inches).

Rich

[Eastie]

See attached - this is the overhang. It's a $2 coin to give you some perspective - it's about how far the plastic on the x would hang out I'm guessing

[Rich]

Thanks for that Eastie - sort of puts it in perspective a bit - overhang ain't worth wirrying about.


Rich

[earlneath]

Is it considered good practice to honk the horn when going round steep corners in state forests to let people know you're coming? I have been doing that for this very reason. Once we went "the back way" (that should be "the long way") from Melbourne to Buller (an unsealed rd through the forest I think it was Mansfield Point Woods Rd) and had a very near miss with a motorbike in a similar situation and since then I took to honking the horn before corners.