ARB Bullbars - Be Warned!

[weasal4x4 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close weasal4x4]

After my recent trip across the Anne Beadell Highway i found that my Hella Predator driving lights were coming loose on my 6 month old ARB bar. After stopping a few times over the seven days to retighten them using arrangments varying from double nuts, springwashers, nylocs e.t.c i removed the drivers side light in Laverton to find this......





ARB dandenong have sinced informed me that this cannot be covered under warranty because the light must have been loose and has fatigued the steel on the bullbar. (I dont know why i expected to hear anything different.)

On a positive note Hella would indeed be impressed that their die-cast zinc housing driving light can apparantly so easily fatigue and crack an ARB steel bullbar in a matter of days.

Needless to say I will definately be buying Hella again. ARB i doubt!!

BE WARNED and check your lights!



NB: As per last page, issue was rectified. Thanks again Sam and ARB.

[Brains Find all posts View Profile Close Brains]

TJM bar then?

[Hutch Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close Hutch]

That's not good Mick... have u raised this up to HO.

Hutch- Prado 2012 petrol with the TJM Catologue.

[iantz Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close iantz]

Really? A piss weak driving light will crack a $2,000 ARB steel bullbar? Says a lot about ARB quality really. So much for getting the best quality for the most amount of money. Hope you get it sorted Weasel...

[Guest Close Guest]

Just curious.... how big is that hole and how big is the bolt/stud on the spottie?

[krypto Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close krypto]

By the way it has failed it really looks like something is not right with the steel. It looks like a brittle failure which is not something that you would expect from the type of steel used for a bull bar. Either something wrong with the material properties or rolling/forming process used to manufacture the bullbar.

[UncySpam Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close UncySpam]

You need to take that further, that answer simply isn't good enough...

[krypto Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close krypto]

I don't know all the ins and outs of the ADRs, but it shouldn't be hard to prove that this failure doesn't match what you would expect for the type of steel that should be used in a bullbar.

Edit: I did a quick search but I haven't got a copy of AS47861.1/2002, and I can only find where it specifies the shape of a bullbar, nothing about the material properties.

[Guest Close Guest]

Steve, that there is the "crumble zone"

[mjrandom Out of control poster! Find all posts View Profile Close mjrandom]

Get onto Sam though no doubt he will pick up on this when he gets a chance. Do the Hella lights have an indented base? I was wondering if the fitter of the lights used a too small washer underneath and overtightened the nut which bent the bar up into the base but that bar must be at least 2mm thick at the point so it shouldn't be possible. Are you going to repair or replace? Should be able to chase the cracks out and MIG them up and then weld a bigger washer on top as a compensation plate and be good.

[Ozpat Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close Ozpat]

Need to bolt any fixture on the bullbar with washers, the larger/thicker the better to spread any vibrations over a wider area, regardless of make.

Cheers, Jim.

[slimf Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close slimf]

Im in the market for a Prado, and was going to get ARB.. But looking at that makes me think twice. It should not fatigue that easily - even if it was a bit loose that bar should be strong as.

[Bushbasher Out of control poster! Find all posts View Profile Close Bushbasher]

There would be hundreds of Prados out there with ARB bars and Hella spots without issues. I would be one, ARB bar and Hella Rallye 4000. The bar and lights have seen nearly 100,000km with over half that off the sealed road. My lights have never moved and the bar, albeit a little faded and stone chipped, has stood up to the task faultlessly including pushing camels, brumbies, cars, trees and other objects. Usually you would expect the light mounting to fail first but this looks like the under-side fixing is at fault. I'm not aware that ARB has changed the dimensions/ specifications of the bar construction, ie lighter/thinner metal.

[D4D Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close D4D]

Can you post a wide front shot of the bar?

[Steve M Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close Steve M]

Those holes look to be very close to the outer edge of the bar not in front of radiator area ?? like the hole that's already in an ARB bar to suit an uhf aerial ?? Did you drill extra holes for the lights or are these the factory holes ?? Only reason I ask is it will be another reason they will come up with to not go any further with it saying you drilled holes where you shouldn't have......still shouldn't happen either way.....Cheers Steve