Bullbars and Bash Plates

Hello,

Recently bought my new D40 ST-X Dual Cab 2.5ltr Auto and my wife and i love it and the new world we are discovering off the blacktop.

We are starting to upgrade with some aftermarket gear and we were wondering if anyone has fitted a TJM Type 13 Steel Bullbar ? Are they good ? We would like to know if there are any problems.

We're also looking at the TJM 8,500lb winch and TJM sump and transmission underbody protection. We are newbies to the 4WD world and any advice would be appreciated.

I have the TJM underbody guards, they are bloody great value I reckon, I put the ARB sahara bar on mine, I love it. I didnt bother with winch though, I would prefer to spend that money elsewhere than lug that weight around everyday.

Hi, I have just fitted a tjm. It looks OK, but......It doesnt sit high enough. Driving light holes are in the wrong position (too far forward lights stick out in front of the bar) The original tow hook won't fit back on even though this instructions say it will, There is a piece of pinchweld rubber that trims up the cut on the orignal bumper this will catch dirt etc, indicator lights rattle in their holes, You have to break out the centre section to fit the fairleads then you have to paint the raw metal edges, fairly ordinary having to repair the paint on a new bull bar!. I think you get what you pay for, For the King Cab it was around $400 cheaper than the ARB.

NavaraPhill said:

transmission underbody protection.

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Re Bashplates. I got both front and rear plates from Brown Davis. Both straight forward to fit to the ute. For Series 2 D40s (without captive nuts in the cross member) they now supply a secondary cross member to bolt the front plate too.

Bosshog

Thanks for the info, What about Ironman 4x4 ? Protector combo deal in 4wd action mag ? I cant afford ARB gear and they tell me its almost the same as the ARB sahara bar ? Does anyone have Ironman Feedback ?
Cheers

Hi NavaraPhill, welcome mate!
I have a TJM T15 steel winch bar on my D22 and I reckon it's pretty tidy! I can't find fault with it. TJM are IMHO very good value for the money, I looked at an ARB bar and can't for the life of me see how they're worth $400-$600 more than what I paid for mine. I have heard the TJM winch has a few issues where as the Ironman winch looks like a pretty solid performer for the dollars.

Brad

NavaraPhill said:

Thanks for the info, What about Ironman 4x4 ? Protector combo deal in 4wd action mag ? I cant afford ARB gear and they tell me its almost the same as the ARB sahara bar ? Does anyone have Ironman Feedback ?
Cheers

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My mate has an Ironman combo,(hilux) bullbar is a exact copy of the ARB except it's made from lighter steel and the quality isn't too flash, their made in China along with the ARB but they don't have the quality control of the ARB facttory. On the car his bullbar sits more to one side and as a result its hitting the front guard causing paint to rub off and rust starting. The winch seems to work, not sure for how long though.
I would go the TJM over the Ironman Bar. Ironman products look good on the surface but their raw materials are inferior that's why there cheaper.

Thanks for your feedback, I googled a few sites on Ironman bullbars and unfortunately there was more negative than positive reviews on them,Apparently the mounts aren't as good as the other brands, A shame because they look good and the fact they come with spotties and fog lights was tempting.Looks like TJM for me.

I have a TJM bashplate on my 2006 Navara and am wondering if it is the cause of excessive heat coming up into the transfer lever and gear stick lever rubber cover.
Any thoughts on this - has anyone experienced the rubber cover becoming hot when cruising on 80 or 90 kph ?

Extended

In my line of work I do a lot of warning light fitments to vehicle with ARB & TJM bars. Overall the build quality of the ARB bar is a lot higher, the indicator insert in the TJM rattle. The quality of fit seems to be higher on the ARB models too so when it cam time to get one for the Nav ARB was a natural choice.

If you don't have factory fogs and are going to have fog lights in the bar then invest in the factory stalk switch and have the installer pick up the existing fog lamp wiring, looks a lot neater and saves on the extra wiring the installer will want to add.

A note on the TJM bars that I have noticed with most of the ones coming in to work is that they do not have any real adjustment as to the height/position of the bar. A lot of people comment on the fact that ARB bars "have too much gap" between the cut bumper section and the bar but it is there for a reason.

All the TJM bars and ironman bars I have seen lately sit hard up against the plastic of the bumper/fenders and rub and cause issues. One hilux we had was so bad it had actually popped the plastic out of the clips. A 200# Landcruiser had started to rust the bar where the plastic was rubbing. Not acceptable as far as I am concerned.

The bodies on new cars flex a lot especially offroad so that is why the ARB have adjustable mounting and leave a gap between body and bar. There are also variations from factory as to how the body sits on the chassis so to not have a good mounting arrangement is just asking for trouble.

Save the money and get an ARB bar you will not regret it in the long run.
Don't get me wrong there are things that ARB make that I think are no good and need attention but as far as bullbars go they are the leaders.