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  • Ironman Bullbar

    I am looking to put a bullbar onto my 2018 Kakadu. I see a lot of mixed reviews about Ironman, but a lot of those posts are fairly old. Have their products improved lately? Has anyone had serious issues with their bullbars? I think the Premium Deluxe bar suits the 150 really well. $500 saving over ARB or TJM is a real drawcard but I don't want to sacrifice significant quality over that amount of money. Any thoughts? Anyone have this bar?

  • #2
    I have had an Ironman bull bar on my 2016 for coming up 4 years. NO issues at all despite a lot of outback travel. Powder coating is still shiny and no flaky/chalky. Spend the $500 saving elsewhere on the car!

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    • #3
      404pug that's really encouraging!

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      • #4
        Check if your Kakadu has sensors that need to be relocated onto the Bullbar.

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        • #5
          Thanks RPP. The Ironman has provision for the parking sensors.

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          • #6
            I went through this less than 6 months ago.Moving from a 120 series with ARB Deluxe colour coded.

            I had used a local Ironman distributor for a while for variou things so had an ok relationship. Had also dealt with the local ARB for years on a number of accessories.

            When it came time to decide on a bullbar for my new 2019 GXL, the cost of the ARB Summit (no other ARB alternative), 2 x recovery points, colour coding and installation I couldn't justify. Even when I had dealer pricing for ARB, the thought of paying for installation of a bullbar (fair enough) and then 2 x installation of recovery points (for basically unpacking the box) because the local dealer wouldn't negotiate just soured the whole purchase. And I had initially really liked the look of the Summit bar over all others.

            I checked out the Ironman Premium bar on a car at the local dealer and liked what I saw. Very similar to the ARB Deluxe. I talked to them about pricing and they were able to easily beat ARB pricing being offered by the dealer including 2 x recovery points. The Ironman also had a higher winch load rating which was important to me because I wanted to transfer a 12,000lb Ironman winch from the ARB Deluxe bar on my previous vehicle.

            Finally I spoke to my regular mechanic. He said the welds on the Ironman bar were up to standard these days, and the only problem he had seen was that on some bars the mounts needed spacers to have them sit flush. I haven't been back to see if mine is OK, but it looks good to me.

            So I went with the Ironman Premium colour coded bullbar, with recovery points. The winch had to be mounted at the same time as the bar would've had to be removed to install it later, and that meant I had to do the suspension straight away too, but that was a cost I already had budgeted for in the very near future.

            Am I happy with it, yes. The cost difference I found enough to sway me away from a bar I thought was aesthetically the best on the market. And apparently it weighs less than the ARB Summit too.

            The one thing I should mention though, I think ARB do their colour coding in house whereas Ironman use a paint shop local to their dealership. So there may be variation in the quality both for and against ARB. How-ever, on my ARB Deluxe colour coded 120 bar I did find that the paint chipped and left surface rust underneath.

            My recommendation would be to speak to people in the local area to see if they're happy with the product. When-ever I saw a recent Hilux or Prado in a car park with an Ironman bar for the weeks leading up to the decision I would try and have a chat with the owner. I didn't hear a bad word about the bars.

            All I can say is good luck. Make sure that the decision is made with whats important to you and you won't look back.
            --------------------------------------------------------------------
            2004 GXL 1KZ - ARB Deluxe Winch Bar - Safari Snorkel - Dobinsons/Ironman suspension - BFG AT 265/65/17 LT

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            • #7
              Thanks so much abcxyz. It's a really tricky decision. I have contacted a few other people in the industry about Ironman and the feeling is that the products are of much higher quality now than they were previously, but if you speak ARB/TJM they will tell you their product is superior. I am very encouraged by your experience and the thought you put into making your decision. I have also found that the local Ironman dealer is happy to sharpen his pencil a bit which ARB and TJM were not really happy to do.

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              • #8
                I know that the Ironman bar is about 10kg lighter than the others. Do you think this is a concern? It's obviously good for wear and tear etc but what about strength?

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                • #9
                  I am getting a tjm bar got at show price, but when I was looking the iron man seemed decent ! One thing I liked also it looks like that cut the bumper higher also giving the bar a little more height so your approach angle is better if they matters to you also

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                  • #10
                    Ive got the premium iron man colour coded looks nice but already had warranty with rust. Just check that one out. 18months old

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                    • #11
                      Originally posted by Nazgul View Post
                      I know that the Ironman bar is about 10kg lighter than the others. Do you think this is a concern? It's obviously good for wear and tear etc but what about strength?
                      Thats a very good point.

                      It would be interesting to see what the weight difference is with the ARB Commercial bar you can get for a Prado GX model, compared to the Summit bar that is the only option for the GXL and above.

                      From a design perspective, the ARB Commercial and the Ironman Premium are a lot closer than the Summit bar. In my opinion the Summit bar is designed more to replicate the 200 series front end and has a much larger horizontal beam. It could account for some of the weight differential.

                      The only other consideration I had was the 12,000lb winch that from my research could only be accommodated by the Ironman bar. I travel independently with a camper trailer, sometimes remotely. I didn't want to give up my winch, or pay for another one. In all likelihood the Ironman 12000 probably has the same pulling power as a newer 10000.

                      I also looked at TJM and Opposite Lock and they're all good options. I think it just comes down to personal preference and budget.
                      --------------------------------------------------------------------
                      2004 GXL 1KZ - ARB Deluxe Winch Bar - Safari Snorkel - Dobinsons/Ironman suspension - BFG AT 265/65/17 LT

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                      • #12
                        what about a AFN? really like the look of them! don't have any experience but others may?
                        https://www.afn4x4.com.au/toyota-prado-150-series-2019/

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                        • #13
                          Hey Lemo74. They look really good too, but are also expensive. They are about $3300 installed. They have built in recovery points too, like TJM.

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