Is there such a thing?

It was mentioned earlier by @Jalapeno, but Ranch Hand makes an accessory grill guard. From what I've seen they are fairly legitimate, certainly head-and-shoulders better than those chrome brush guards the dealer sells. They are almost as heavy as just bolting a full bumper on your truck. The one for my 2nd gen weighs 90 lbs.

http://www.ranchhand.com/toyota.html

 

Lots of people rock Ranch Hand on their full size trucks on their farms. I really like the look and they seem to be able to take a beating. Have you had any rock/ deer/ impacts on yours?

Ya the chrome bull bars and jazz are just garbage.

 

Real bull bars, such as ARBs, are the real deal. But the fake appearance only things are really damage multipliers.

 

I'll check out ARB's. Hadn't seen it.

 

This an ARB front bumper. ARB is an Australian company and the reason they exist is for traveling the Outback and hitting kangaroos and dingos and shit. Out there if your truck is damaged it's a really, really, really long walk back to civilization.

 

I'm only seeing full replacement bumpers for the '16+. I used to drool over their jeep products.

 

Yeah, that's all they make are full replacement bumpers.

The 3rd gen ARB.

 

If I had the cash to drop over a grand then I'd go full replacement. But as it stands I'm lookin at the 500-700$ range, and that ranch hand fits the budget for sure. Looks damn good too

 

I'd expect the Ranch Hand to fit the bill, but I don't know for sure. They do seem common on farm trucks. I considered one I saw used on Craigslist but in the end I decided since the price for an ARB is only a couple of hundred more, the weight difference is marginal (stock + Ranch Hand being close to the same as an ARB, both probably needing some help with stronger springs) and being able to fit a winch made me decide to wait until I can scratch the cash together. But for front end protection I'd agree with the way you're going.

 

Yes the center section of the plastic bumper needs to be cut out. Here are instructions so you can see whats involved. It really isn't that difficult.
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...ont-winch-bumper-install-instructions.446516/

 

Warn makes a brush guard you can mount a winch on to so it's probably pretty stout. It's called a warn transformer