ARB Bullbars - Be Warned!

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

All products that are mass / bulk produced will have a lemon (or 2). With the number of ARB bars out there weasel scored a sour taste. What is an issue here being that weasel didn't expect a positive response is how ARB has dealt with him (or her). Being that Weasel has gone quiet on this thread we don't know if there has been a number of attempts to deal with ARB or did he walk away dejected and pi$$ed off after one complaint.

Off topic.... but Ironman who had a scathing attack on myswag from someone, jumped onto the thread and actually tracked down the person, so they say, who posted the video for a good outcome http://www.myswag.org/index.php?topic=30790.0

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

One of the subjects I undertook at college some 40 years go was metallurgy
If memory is correct that type of cracking around a hole was caused by cooling the hole rapidly after it became hot whilst drilling
May be worth investigation
But be warned 40 years ago and it took me two goes to pass it

[MDS69 Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close MDS69]

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Off topic.... but Ironman who had a scathing attack on myswag from someone, jumped onto the thread and actually tracked down the person, so they say, who posted the video for a good outcome http://www.myswag.org/index.php?topic=30790.0

If ARB were to do the same thing then Sam hasn't been on for 9 days. I am sure with Sam being as proactive as he is that when he see's this thread he will make contact with the OP.

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

Thanks for the passionate responses, i haven't escalated it to HO as yet because of work commitments and hence the slow response to questions and requests for photo's. The below should cover it....

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

The hole in the bar is approx 15mm in diameter and the bolt/stud on the spottie is 10mm

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.

The spotties were originally secured using a large washer and spring washer (as pictured)



Now i have a steel plate under the bar with a spring washer and double nut.

Can you post a wide front shot of the bar?

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 ??

The holes are factory holes. Nothing has been drilled into the bar. The photo's of the damage may have been a bit deceiving.

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

Do you have a photo of the lights in question showing the top and bottom surface areas where they come into contact with the bull bar?

See photo's below. As you can see there is no damage to the base of the spotties, which is flat and has a large surface area in contact with the bar. Even when the drivers side spottie was coming loose it was only turning on the bar.







The passenger side spottie however came completely out of the bar on another day and was bouncing around on the front of the bar but didn't have the same type of metal fatigue around it's mounting hole. You can see where the bolt/stud has rounded the hole a little when it was working its way loose.

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

So If you have a loose steel bolt and metal base of the spotty slapping back and forth for hours on end...then something like this is expected to happen but bugger me it looks bad!

The bull bar was installed early this year and has done a small amount of Vic High Country 4wding before the Anne Beadell. We were only on the Anne Beadell corrugations for about 6-7 days and i was continuosly monitoring the lights because i'd had issues with my 120 and different spotties on the corrugations into Dalhousie Springs a few years previous. It's not like the lights were loose for days on end because i was checking them everytime we had a can stop or lunch.

Sure looks like a weaker design than the 120 bar...

As you've probably already seen from my earlier pictures that looks identical to the current bar.

Did the OP go to ARB Kilsyth or just to a dealer?

I originally contacted my 4wd workshop who installed the bar who in turn contacted ARB Dandenong who initially supplied the bar. After arranging a time to take the vehicle in for them to view and take photo's e.t.c. i was told that the warranty department (wherever they are located) had made the assessment (from photo's) that it was due to the spotlight being loose.

Hey weasel, have you run over any possums recently? There's been a few about.
Seriously I'd just keep going with ARB. You should be able to get a replacement, or at least a repair.

No i haven't, only rabbits. I will take it further on Monday and send them my photo's because with the large plate now having been installed underneath the bar since Laverton, when tightened against the large surface area of the spottie base it has flattened the loose fatigued metal from my original photo back into position around the hole and doesnt look as bad.

Cheers, Mick

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

Add some thread locker for added security and they will not come off. My Hella 4000s have been on 2 prados, both alloy and steel bars and have never even come close to working loose.

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

I had the help of Sam recently, and can only say positive things. I'm sure that if contacted, he will be able to sort it out asap.
Why not drop him a pm and see what can be done?

[Rogerthatv2 Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close Rogerthatv2]

I had the help of Sam recently, and can only say positive things. I'm sure that if contacted, he will be able to sort it out asap.
Why not drop him a pm and see what can be done?

I think he may be on holidays hence the silence, but agree you shoud drop him a PM, great guy and he is always happy to help.

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

Thanks guys. Who is Sam? Is he a hitman or something? What does he do and whats his username?

[Guest Close Guest]

Thanks guys. Who is Sam? Is he a hitman or something? What does he do and whats his username?

http://www.pradopoint.com/member.php...X4-Accessories

[D4Dazz Member Find all posts View Profile Close D4Dazz]

Weasel
I had a situation with the ARB bull bar I fretted to my 2010 Challenger. As it happens the aerial tab had been welded on incorrectly meaning the cb aerial was not perpendicular to the top bar and hece on a noticeable angle. Took the car back to ARB and they had one of their bull bar specialist look over it. Consequently they happily replaced my bar no charge at all. That included removing lights and winch and refitting everything back to normal. I suggest you go directly to ARB HO in Kilsyth and have a hat to them.

Hope it all works out well for you.

Cheers
Dazz

[nickchap Member Find all posts View Profile Close nickchap]

Weasal4x4

You should have been warned about the Anne Beadell Highway first!

I had the pleasure July Last year.

Broke off a new Narva HID spotlight at the base. (Narva replaced it free)
It was on an alloy bar But it did not split the bar!

Also had to replace a left front strut as the EFS shocker broke off at the base.
As a matter of planning for the "Highway" I took 2 spare pre-loaded standard struts. Took a hour to replace it.
The strut was also replace for free.

I think your Bar should be replaced for free but the Anne Beadell is one HELL OF A HIGHWAY on gear, as you now know!!

Good Luck

Nick

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

All products that are mass / bulk produced will have a lemon (or 2). With the number of ARB bars out there weasel scored a sour taste. What is an issue here being that weasel didn't expect a positive response is how ARB has dealt with him (or her). Being that Weasel has gone quiet on this thread we don't know if there has been a number of attempts to deal with ARB or did he walk away dejected and pi$$ed off after one complaint.

This is exactly my thinking.

I've (sadly) seen how tough an ARB bar is when you're in a collission and I assure you this is not normal, Mine took a pretty good hit and got bent but there is not a single crack on the entire thing, I carefully inspected it.

Insist on going to ARB, this is clearly a manufacturing fault, no two ways about it..

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

Hope this all works out well, I reckon that ARB will come around with enough pressure. Surely when pointed out to them of the bad feeling about 1 bar they will get on top of it and give you a new bar for your trouble.