Brush guard ?

Not brush guards... Push bumpers, they have a specific utility... Not intended for protection.

 

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/police-style-pushbumper.372509/

 

Holy shit thats some damage. Hope you were ok.

 

Gratefully it wasn't me or my rig... Sadly it was a good friend who hit the elk, he walked away without a scratch however, which was fortunate. Elk had to be put down by state patrol...

 

Not true. I see brush guards on their SUV's all the time. Common. More than "push bars" , but yes they use them too.

 

Go to a source like Galls Police Supplies. These are a bit more heavy duty than you can get for your standard SUV or truck.

 

Good for your observant eyes then... I've literally never seen a Police vehicle with a cheap brush guard... Must be some podunk department with limited budget if so... Having driven patrol car and used the push bumper, I can attest that a brush guard would never hold up to the task they are intended for

 

They are probably trying to save a few bucks... though, I definitely do not live in an asinine "defund the police" type state.

 

When you look at a push bar on a police vehicle, they are designed to work the existing bumper and are generally shaped to match it. They bolt to the frame and use the bumper for some support as well. The brush guards are usually just bolt on bent steel pipe and won't be good for much more than light brush and branches. I saw a sheriff car that had gone into a corn field on a chase and they were fine. Much more and they probably wouldn't be.

The "push bar" or bull bar you see on most cars or trucks will bend back to your grill at the mere sight of an approaching bumper.

Link to a Setina push bumper, one of the more common ones you will see on police vehicles. Go Rhino is also gaining market share.

https://www.galls.com/go-rhino-road-defender-5000-pushbumper?PMSRCH=push bar

 

I like this design.

One of my concerns...trash/recycle bins are posted right next to the street. With this guard, at least the OEM LED Headlights would have a better chance of surviving a direct hit and not breaking.

My concern is they would interfere with the TSS on my 2021 Sport.

 

Bull bars are not push bars... They are cosmetic in nature @ best

 

Setina push bars are what we used on the cruisers when I was a LEO... They weren't intended for impacts at speed... Hence "push" bars...

 

The TSS wouldn't be an issue unless you move it lower with an after market bumper.

Those bolt on brush guards are going to flex back on impact and can damage what you're trying to protect. There is a thread in referenced earlier about plate bumpers after impact. There are pictures of those and the heavier "baja" style bars in front of the headlights that have bent back to damage lights, hoods, and fenders and flex back into position.

 

Sooooo,

is it worth buying those really bulky bumpers that have bars that look more protective?

Like this one?

 

Very little survives impact at speed. The front and rear of of vehicles are designed to fold and absorb the impact to protect the passenger cabin.

I have an aftermarket plate bumper and it looks good and holds the winch well. I imagine for a decent deer strike it would do well and keep it in front of me and not in the grill or windshield. A harder impact and the frame still buckles to protect the passenger compartment.



(Pic for attention. From a Toyotas and Coffee meet in September.)

 

Uh, those aren't bumpers. They're essentially bumper/grill "guards". As previously stated, if you want extra protection, you'll want to go with plate.

 

Agreed, they are bumper/grill guards.

The protection I'm looking for is simple minor bumps like hitting a trash bin left too close to the street on pick up days.

High impact is a totally different animal...even the hardest steel is going to take damage to a front end in a hard impact.

Plus, the heavy plate assemblies add weight.

Since I will be going with bigger tires within the next year, weight is also a consideration with regards to front end protection.

 

Okay. I'll bite. You could hit a light object at low speed and be protected (branches, trash cans). But any of those tubes are going bend and impact your body/fender/headlights at any normal speeds. IMO, they are essentially for looks only and provide "minimal protection" at best. YMMV.

 

I appreciate your honesty...for real.

I'm not going for looks...I have Bushwacker Fender Flares with my small OEM 17s right now...so, looks is not what I'm after.

Form and functionality are important to me. (All of us have different opinions about this)

I'll have to google what "YMMV" means....sorry, I like to spell things out most of the time--No offense.