Hey,
I have been looking for a grille guard or bull bar for a decent price. While I was looking I found this...

http://www.aztrucks.com/Product.asp?Product=267

Just wondering if anyone has one and if they liked it. I was going to get a chrome one for my 99 Ford Ranger 4x4.
Thanks,
Chris

 

looks like a fancy WAAG bar...member redneckstone has one, along with many others..

i'd like to get one...

 

i do not recommend those style of grille guards, as the slim design of the puching part will cause more damage in the event of an accident than a normal round design. I have seen trucks like that bump into bump gates, and leave indentions in the metal from the sharper bump part. A regular grille guard is rounded and the impact point would be spread out over a larger area. Just saying, if you were to hit a person, animal, or vehicle, your likelihood of either killing the person, animal, or damaging the vehicle worse, is increased...

 

safer bumper/grille guard/whatever designs:

 

I used to have a Manik Brush guard.... the thing rocked.. It hit/ran over allsorts of things while OR and it held up great.

 

my brushguard saved me from gettin cracked in the face by an airbag

 

Maybe it's all relative, but I have the Manik 1-peice guard, probably the same model as Christian and Doc have/had. I've already managed to put two very large dents in the bottom and middle cross-bars. I was trying to 'bully' a coupld of small-ish wrist and arm sized trees a bit. Overall I'd call these things 90% just for looks. None of the designs I've seen will really hold up in a serious collision. But then that's not the point. The point is to keep LIGHT brush from scratching paint, headlamps, etc. And it does that fairly well.

Having said that, my guard has some red paint on one side. I'm pretty sure this came from somone getting too close to me in a parking lot at the local mall. Just as a comparison I had something very similar happen w/ my '99, which did not have a guard. The damage from that incident set me back nearly $800!

Back to the OP: I would much rather have a 1-peice bar than one of those knock down ones. The only advantage I see to the knock downs is that they are easier to ship. If that's your only concern then I would check out some local truck accessory retailers. Look for places that sell plows and/or bed caps. My local guy got me a bar for $500. Pretty steep, but I didn't have to deal w/ freight shipping.

 

Christian sorry to say your wrong here bud. I have a VERY close bar to that one its not that brand but this is still the same bar AFTER I hit a grand am doin 45mpg

All I did was touch up the paint and reaim the lights and the chrome bumper moved back about an 1" and i unbolted it and moved it back up. and it messed up the plastic valance on the bottom thats why i have the fog light one now. So sorry I have tested this bar and it held up fine. now for the grand am thats a different story. I have seen TONS of wrecks with the bar similar to yours and seen FAR more damage to the trucks. they usally screw up the fenders from the light gaurds and tons of other things. then on the Flip side they can SAVE your core support so in a sence they did there job. just like mine did, and saved me a BIG repair bill.

 

it will cause more damage to what you hit, is what i am saying... it's a sharper point on that grille guard, than the spread out flat areas on mine...

if you hit an animal with yours, it might get cut inhalf... you hit a car, you will crease it more likely...

i wasnt talking strength... did you even read my post?

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as far as keeping your own truck safe, sure, the knockdown version can do that as well as any. but when you are driving something around with a "knockdown" bar, you need to take into account the risk you put others at. why do you think i got rid of my huge bumper? i would hate to be responsible for running into someone's windows and killing them. i would never drive with one of thise knockdown versions, because the few times i have seen them bump something, they have damaged what they hit.

my manik, i have now hit two cars with it and numerous grocery carts, trees, little walls, etc... it's got some scratches... but it does the job... as i am sure the knockdown version is just as capable... the difference, in my opinion, would be the amount of damage/harm you cause to whatever you hit...

would you rather be hit by a pipe, covered in rubber? or the back end of a sword?

 

Ok i guess i didnt check your drift of what u sayed. but being on that u pointed out. I didnt buy my brush gaurd thinking "o I wonder what that deer would feel like when i hit it" i bought it to help protect my truck. if you want to think about others TAKE all of them off then. its better to hit with just the car as is stock thats what the companys design them for. if i hit a deer and it get cut in half so be it. it will want to be dead after that any who. same as if you hit one with your bar it will really mess it up. now for the grand am when i hit it, i *sliced* the plastic bumper but as for the metal nothing just beat the crap out of it. Just the same as if they made the Body armor bumpers for our trucks those things dont give at all and really mess things up, but i would still get one because am buying it to help MY truck not the other guy. sorry if am not so Loving to the people i hit, but tuff crap.

 

somebody, might be Westin, makes a safari bar that fits like a bull bar and has light tabs and it can be found in powder coated black for $120US. it is also in chrome but those cost a little more.

 

personally, i just feel that the likelihood of damaging a vehicle is even more increased with the sharper edge design... if i was going to pick one over the other... in the end, though, i'm just looking to protect my truck... as is almost anyone with a guard..

i am not anti-grille guard, obviously.. i just never understood that skinny flat bar design...

now, throw on an arb style bumper... that'll mess stuff up, but i like them

hypocritical, maybe...

this is the old one i had.. and it would mess a car up if i had ever hit one with it, so i just sold it to tommy:

 

how would an ARB style bumper "mess stuff up" whats arb style to you???

 

if you hit a car with this type of bumper, it will seriously damage the vehicle you hit:

 

i think you will damage any vehicle with any sort of speed and any sort of stout bumper, but I dont see why a manik grill guard or similar would do lesss damage? and youll save youreself more with the ARB so.....

 

http://fomocoedge.com/Meet/Huntsville/Picture%20332.jpg


**** some **** up..lol

 

Another fact Christian. Being the fact that i have to pay for everything on my truck i cant afford a style like yours being that they start at $300 and go WAY up from there. being that my bar DID save my truck in an accident and it only cost me $75 makes are far better in my mind over yours. now styling would i want one like yours *maybe* but thats a big maybe for the price it totally doesnt do it for me. now a ARB style bumper i would shell out the money for because that is worth every darn penny, granted it will take ALOT longer to save up for.

 

agree with you zach.


and they dont make arb bumpers for rangers sadly (as im sure you ALL know)


Also i highly doubt that zachs bumper will cut anyone in half even if he did hit someone for any weird reason. and I also doubt that a manik guard is gonna save so much damage that itll give you back huge rewards. Those manik or westin or whatever grill guards are mainly for show although they have some purpose.



onelast edit: I find that simpler is often better and with the complexity of manik and whatever grill guards compared to the simplicity and straightforwardness of the "skiny flat" designs Id much rather take zachs over any other grill guard should i get one, but I wont, causeim mmore of a custom/strength to the max type of guy.

 

OK time for my 0.02. I have a pretty stout bumper, ask christian. I fear no damage to my truck, tested on quite a few objects (no cars though).

Manik style, waste of money. the headlight protection, no real support so they bend into your truck, they are bolted on usually at a weak point so the grill guard will bend/twist/ etc.

The object of a grill guard is to protect your truck, plain and simple.

If you are worried abotu hurtiung other people that are involved in an accident with you, dont drive a truck. in a truck your odds of causing more damage are already much higher.

simple weight ratio, and height factor.

 

and you know i agree with you on all of those parts, jeff... you and i have both seen where my manik bent into my truck... not saying mine is necesarily superior, just those ones with the flat bars look... sharp to me...

maybe i should look at one in person...

but, yeah, i drive a truck. i need a truck. i haul stuff constantly, go offroad, etc, and a truck is the vehicle for me. i do however, worry about the safetly of those in other vehicles. i know when i get behind the wheel of my 77 that i have to drive more carefully, cuz odds are i would hurt someone worse in an accident with them, being as tall as it is..

grill guard is there to protect your truck. no argument about that. some are better than others. and it all comes down to personal preference.

we should all just drive life-size battlebots...

 

#2 pic - haha

 

thats a pretty badass bumper but whats up with the skidplate?? that thing KILLS your approach angle that you barely had in the first place!

 

his truck is like 6" taller now, than in those pics...

 

actually the skit doesnt hurt approach at all! The skid plate really helps to do creek crossings, no water problems! The old pics it looks real deceiving b/c I hadn't lifted it when i built the bumper.

The bottom of the skid is jsut below the radiator.

Here is a recent pic, nto teh best but it will do.


It is hard to tell, but I am parked straddling a berm, our work truck (stock 01 Chevy Z-71) rubs frame on this berm, so NO my approch angle is not comprimised.

 

even if its 20 inches taller it still hurts the angle of the dangle, which is really important unless your pre runner.