Driving a truck is an experience like no other. It is definitely not nearly the same as when driving a sedan nor a speedy two-seater. A truck gives you the ability to go over obstacles a lot easier and it is also considered to be safer than most commercial vehicles.
But although trucks have a lot of capabilities, you should still consider installing a bullbar on yours. Bullbars are metal A-frame barriers that go on the front of your truck.
These metal frames can be as small as your truck’s front grille and as big as the whole front part. The latter option usually goes over the headlights too. But selecting the best bull bar is not as easy as that. There’s a lot more to consider than its size.
Best Bull Bar Brands for Trucks
1. Aries
If you are someone who wants a bullbar that will both look and be strong, then go for Aries. Aries makes some of the best bull bars for trucks that come in either stainless steel or black finish.
You also get to choose from a wide variety of bullbar styles. For more serious off-roaders, the brand’s Pro series products are some of the company’s best bull bars.
2. Tyger Auto
Like Aries, Tyger Auto also offers a wide variety of bullbars as well as some of the best grille guards. While most of their bullbars come with a stainless steel finish, some come with a glossy black e-coating which helps prevent rust.
Some Tyger Auto bullbars are made from mild steel, so make sure to identify those so you don’t go for the weaker material instead.
3. KYX
KYX has some great bolt-on bullbars, and while they might not be the most rugged bullbars on the market, they can provide solid levels of protection. These bullbars will definitely last you a long time. They are usually made of high-grade steel coupled with a rust-resistant coating.
4. AutoSaver
AutoSaver is known for manufacturing some of the best budget bullbars for trucks. The company’s 88 bullbar is their go-to product since it comes in at a reasonable price, and it can hold quite well even when put through the roughest and bumpiest of rides.
AutoSaver bullbars are also relatively easy to install and come in various different great designs.
5. Westin
One of the best bull bar brands you’ll find on Amazon nowadays and probably even the most popular one is Westin. Westin is known for its 3-inch tubing bullbar lineup made for larger trucks and SUVs. The brand has different offers of bullbars and an excellent grill guard selection covering everything from off-roading to a safari trip.
6. Lund
With a Lund bullbar on your truck, you’re going to enjoy off-roading without a care in the world, thanks to the brand’s heavy-gauge steel construction. Lund means business when it comes to offering the utmost level of protection for their customers.
You can also wire an LED to some of their bullbars – if you have a need for one. One downside is that Lund doesn’t often make their bullbars with a special coating to keep them safe from corrosion.
7. Auto Dynasty
With Auto Dynasty you might not always get a vehicle-specific bullbar. Still, you will get an affordable and durable bullbar. Most Auto Dynasty bullbars are extremely light, so you won’t have to worry about any of their products increasing your truck’s fuel consumption. When it comes to the installation process, you’ll need a pro for that.
8. Go Rhino!
Go Rhino is the brand to go to for any of your truck accessories. When it comes to bullbars, this family-owned and operated company is able to provide you with high-quality products thanks to their 40 years of experience.
Just like their long persistence on the market, you’ll get a bullbar with a long lifespan. While you don’t have much to choose from, every single one of Go Rhino’s bullbars is a worthwhile investment.
9. Rough Country
Rough Country’s bullbars often come with a feature that you can’t seem to ignore. Usually, this feature is an LED light for off-roading at night which makes Rough Country’s bullbar stand out from the rest. It’s not that this is a diversion from the quality of the bullbar because Rough Country makes some decent quality bullbars.
10. TAC (Truck Accessories Company)
Truck accessories company is also known for offering quality bullbars, but these are more focused on heavy-duty use. The bullbars TAC offers often come with a 3.5-inch diameter tubing with a glossy black finish and require no drilling in order to be installed.
What to Consider Before Buying the Best Bull Bar for My Truck?
Material
One of the most important features to keep your eyes on is the material a bullbar is made of. Some of the best bullbars for trucks will be made from steel, but some are made from aluminum. Other less expensive bullbars can be found too, which are made from plastic.
Plastic bullbars are not ideal in areas where animal collisions happen frequently. If you want your bullbar to sustain heavy impacts and not get as damaged when a major collision happens, then go for steel bullbars. Remember though, steel bullbars are quite heavy.
They often affect fuel efficiency in a negative way. To avoid this from being the case, you can go for aluminum bullbars instead. Aluminum bullbars are lightweight yet strong. Maybe not as strong as steel, but they still offer good enough protection even when off-roading.
Aluminum bullbars are also able to withstand rust and corrosion thanks to their naturally occurring protective layer.
Styles
There are also many different types of bullbars you can put on your truck. These include nudge bars, Baja bars, triple and single hoop bars, bumper, and competition bars.
- Bumper bars are simple to understand. They go on the bumper instead of the grille or over the bonnet and offer the most basic level of protection.
- Single hoop bars have one bar going over the grille, while triple hoop bullbars have two more hoops going over the headlights.
- Baja bars are much like bumper bars but they are a lot stronger since they are mounted to the chassis and are able to work with high-power winches too.
- Nudge bars are also similar to bumper bars except that they offer slightly better protection and are more aesthetically pleasing.
- Competition bars are those made for off-roading competitions where you need maximum ground clearance and an easy-to-remove bullbar for when it gets damaged.
Accessories
One thing that you can do with bullbars is the option to add accessories to them. For this to be possible, a bullbar needs to have what are known as points to attach certain accessories to. While mainly these are tow points and high-lift jack points, the best bull bars for trucks allow you to put LED lights or a UHF antenna too.
Approach Angle
If you are an avid off-roader, you might want to consider the approach angle of a bullbar. The best bull bars will hang low enough to give you better protection, but they won’t be so low that you end up damaging them when driving on varying terrain. If you don’t go off-roading as much though, you can get a bullbar that hangs lower than usual but make sure it doesn’t make your truck less maneuverable when it comes to sharp turns.
What Do I Recommend Based on My Experience and Research on the Internet?
I wouldn’t be able to recommend you any brand specifically as I don’t know what type of truck you drive and what you do with it. But what I will recommend you to go for is a bullbar that won’t require much from you.
By that, I mean a bullbar that won’t be in the way of safety and convenience. A bullbar that you’ll be able to clean and install with ease without this coming at the cost of poor collision protection. If you can find that sort of balance in a bullbar, then you’re good to go on your off-roading adventures.
FAQ Section
How Do I Know If a Bull Bar Will Fit My Car?
The best way to determine if a bullbar will fit your truck is to ensure that it doesn’t affect approach angles and ground clearance negatively. The best way to avoid this from happening though is to look for a bullbar that has upswept outer wings. You should also look for a bullbar that is made specifically for your model. This way, the contours of the bullbar will match those of your truck’s front grille.
Why Put a Bull Bar on a Truck?
The reason why you should install a bullbar on your truck is so that you can shield its most valuable components such as the radiator, and engine components from flying objects. Collisions are the most common reason why people install bullbars, and if they are something that can occur on your drive through the bush, then it’s best that you install a bullbar.
Do Bull Bars Affect Insurance?
While usually external modifications on your truck won’t increase your insurance you should still notify your insurer that you’ve made such a modification to your truck. Who knows, you may push down your insurance.
Do Bull Bars Need Suspension Upgrade?
A preferred next step after installing a bullbar is to often get a suspension upgrade. Why? This is done because your truck will need that extra support, handling-wise, as the bullbar will bring in a lot of extra weight, especially if it’s made of steel.
How Much Length Does a Bull Bar Add?
Alongside weight, a bullbar also adds some length too. This will largely depend on the style of bullbar you go for. Usually, aesthetically pleasing bullbars such as nudge bars will not add a lot of length, but those that are made to provide the utmost level of protection are going to be quite lengthy.
Do Bull Bars Affect Airbags?
As you already know, airbags are deployed thanks to acceleration/ deceleration sensors. If these sensors are blocked by a bullbar, then the airbags in your truck won’t deploy. This is where you’ll want to get model-specific bullbars to ensure that your truck’s airbags will be fully operational.
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