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  • #31
    Yeah, I'm pretty much sold on the smart bar. I'll get the version with the winch (35.5 kg with the winch fittings, I believe you drop about 15 kg in original Prado parts when it's fitted so only 20 kg extra on the front plus the winch itself).

    I just emailed them yesterday to check on latest developments before I order one. I noticed that they have a "stealth bar" out for the Ranger and they may have similar about to be released for others.

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    • #32
      Originally posted by Ian Reid View Post
      If you want to stand out try this bar i saw recently

      Sent from my SM-G900I using Tapatalk
      Geezzzuussss.!!! You can hardly see it. Very factory like....
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      Oh wait, there's a Prado attached to it.
      2004 V6 Grande. BLACK -

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      • #33
        Not quite the stealth bar I was looking for !!

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        • #34
          Easy, repaint the Prado!

          See what I mean about the approach angle? Compare that to a TJM or ARB bar.
          My 150 build - http://www.pradopoint.com/showthread.php?27423-A-Random-approach-to-a-Bluestorm-150-GXL-D4D-automatic

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          • #35
            True but is probably a good insurance against having you pride and joy knocked off


            Sent from my iGizmo using Tapatalk
            2014 VX D4D. Dobinson 2 inch lift. TJM T3 Bullbar. rhino platform. TraxRax. Maxtrax. Dual batteries. GME TX3450.
            Setup to tow Crusader Muskateer caravan

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            • #36
              Finally got it done. Fully prepared for the FUGLY aspect but must admit, very surprised when I picked it up at OL and saw it in the flesh fitted on the car. Works reasonably well on the 3 door. Some of the bars that stick forward a long way don't look the best on the shortie. It's got the VRS 9500 lb dyneema rope winch in the Smart Bar winch cradle. Just need some lift to finish it off.





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              • #37
                Hey all. Interested in hearing updates on smartbars, as I am thinking about fitting one to a graphite grey 2015 VX.

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                • #38
                  Originally posted by chappy View Post
                  My employer has the smart bars fitted to a few of its utes and a couple of prados,driving back into town along Bingarn rd back into Tom Price I saw a dead
                  and very large cow by the side of the road and thought it may have been collected by a roadtrain, a couple of hundred metres up the road there was a
                  company ford ranger parked by the side of the road unattended so I went back to have a look and found this.
                  [ATTACH=CONFIG]24031[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]24032[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]24033[/ATTACH]

                  Wouldn't go near one now.
                  Interesting this one. Let’s think about it. If the bar’s purpose is to deflect animal strikes then it’s clear a cow is never gonna “deflect” unless you hit it with a freight train. Conversely, if it’s designed to protect occupants (which I’m pretty sure NO Bullbars purport to try to do), then in the photographed scenario, with straight looking A pillar and door panel (with a door that probably still opened), then one could argue that the bar MAY have assisted in absorbing the impact force. Remember, it’s crumple zones that protect passengers, not rigid structures.
                  In trying to research Bullbars, whilst all certified designs state that they are airbag compatible, no companies seems to make reference to the effect (good or bad) on the car’s crumple zone design. I simply have to assume (unless someone has actual evidence to the contrary) that all bullbars may (or indeed are likely to) compromise the way engineers have designed crumple zones to work.
                  In my mind, I’d prefer a family mostly uninjured in a crumpled wreck than injured in a car “protected” by a bar. It’s tricky, and I suppose it boils down to priorities. I’m just wondering if a winch compatible Smartbar kinda meets in the middle.....?

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                  • #39
                    There is a general reference to the effect of bull bars provided on this https://www.ancap.com.au/frequently-asked-questions . An internet search with keywords ANCAP and smartbar should provide further interesting reading. I would no longer go for a bull bar unless one absolutely needed a winch. Being in this situation I decided for a smart bar, conscious of weight and attaching a rigid and heavy steel structure to the front of crumple zone doesn't make much sense to me. I think the smart bar concept is much more aligned with modern car design, a softer shell mounted to a winch cradle is in my pinion advantageous over a steel bar in low energy impact situations. In a high impact situation it probably doesn't matter what bar you have, crumple zone effectiveness and passenger cell rigidity in combination with air bags are probably the main deciding survival factors.

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                    • #40
                      Originally posted by PradoJim View Post
                      Yeah, I'm pretty much sold on the smart bar. I'll get the version with the winch (35.5 kg with the winch fittings, I believe you drop about 15 kg in original Prado parts when it's fitted so only 20 kg extra on the front plus the winch itself).

                      I just emailed them yesterday to check on latest developments before I order one. I noticed that they have a "stealth bar" out for the Ranger and they may have similar about to be released for others.
                      I'm umming and aaaahhhing about that too .... the StealthBar option looks pretty good. I contacted SmartBar to find out if they were working on a version for the Prado but apparently the people in the know were still on holiday.

                      Does anyone know if there's a Prado friendly StealthBar on the drawing board ?

                      Comment


                      • #41
                        Time revive!

                        any further reports or experiences on fitting Smartbars? I’m perticularly interested in a winch compatible unit for a 150 series Prado.

                        Out of interest, can siderails be fitted to Smartbars?

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                        • #42
                          Across a dozen years on two Pajeros I have hit a few roos with SmartBars, absolutely no problems or damage to the vehicle. Regarding the Ranger fitted with one which hit a cow in WA above, I've personally seen what a Friesian cow did to a Nisan patrol with a steel bar near Singleton one night, it looked much the same as the Ranger, steel didn't save the Patrol. I am going to get a Smart Bar fitted to a new Prado in a couple of months. I agree they look ugly, but I like the weight saving as well as other features they claim. Shame they no longer make them colour matched, they look much better.

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                          • #43
                            Four and a half years since fitting my smartbar to a 3 door. No complaints but haven't hit anything.

                            One downside I've discovered is they snap UHF aerials. They move around a lot more than a steel bar and that's transmitted to the aerial. My first aerial took it for 3 years and then the threaded part under the aerial snapped. It was mounted on the bar's aerial mount plate. I've experimented with a number of positions and settled for drilling into the steel spotty mount and bolting a GME stainless "S" shaped aerial mount in, The aerial fits directly to that. I have it aligned so that the "S" is lateral to the car, IE the flex is left to right rather than fore aft as that's the movement coming out the bar. It's as low as possible and as close to the centre of the bar as possible to reduce the harmonics. The aerial itself is above bonnet height so should still work okay.

                            I've winched other people a couple of times and it's been no probs re the bar. Works as good as anything else.

                            Other than that, it gets a dusty grey look about it after a few months but a wipe over with Armorall and it looks like new for some time after.

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                            • #44
                              Originally posted by PradoJim View Post
                              Four and a half years since fitting my smartbar to a 3 door. No complaints but haven't hit anything.

                              One downside I've discovered is they snap UHF aerials. They move around a lot more than a steel bar and that's transmitted to the aerial. My first aerial took it for 3 years and then the threaded part under the aerial snapped. It was mounted on the bar's aerial mount plate. I've experimented with a number of positions and settled for drilling into the steel spotty mount and bolting a GME stainless "S" shaped aerial mount in, The aerial fits directly to that. I have it aligned so that the "S" is lateral to the car, IE the flex is left to right rather than fore aft as that's the movement coming out the bar. It's as low as possible and as close to the centre of the bar as possible to reduce the harmonics. The aerial itself is above bonnet height so should still work okay.

                              I've winched other people a couple of times and it's been no probs re the bar. Works as good as anything else.

                              Other than that, it gets a dusty grey look about it after a few months but a wipe over with Armorall and it looks like new for some time after.
                              Thanks for the ongoing report! I'm still considering one for our Prado. Remind me, what winch did you go with and why?
                              Also, out of interest, has anyone manage to fit rails along the front quarterpanels to the steps (llike you'd do with a steel setup? Would be nice if the Smart Bar peeps made matching plastic ones that were rigid enough! Mat

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                              • #45
                                I got the VRS winch. Confession, they had a package deal on Bar and VRS at the 4x4 show. Nothing wrong with the winch itself but had some serious problems. First time out did the right thing, spooled it out on flat ground and winched the car under light load to "bed" the rope and windings. One hour later needed the winch. Can hear the winch winding but nothing happening. At home found where the rope goes into the fitting which bolts to the winch drum it had cut through. Whoever installed the rope wound it back over the fitting instead of in the same direction as the fitting (hard to explain) so as soon as significant load was put on it, the rope was sliced through by the fitting. Checked with installer and they said it's fitted out of the box- IE that error was done in the factory. Makes me wonder how many other "installed but never used" VRS 9500 lb are out there with the same fault.

                                During the above winch only half the rope was out so there were at least two full spools of rope (probably 20 winds) on the winch, well above the recommended minimum of 3 to 5 winds or so. Also damaged the car getting out of the jam grinding an alloy wheel, damage to the sidestep and damage to my rear bumper. We were lucky to get out of it.

                                Later on had the replacement fitting pull out as well where there was also plenty of winds on the winch. Now I've adapted a weird wind on the first run of rope so it tightens against itself hopefully reducing load on the fitting.

                                To be honest, while I've winched one guy up a good obstacle it was a little Suzuki and another I winched back onto his wheels after a rollover so hardly a heavy load. Not confident that this problem is fixed for a full blown winch recovery.

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