Push bar, cattle rack to protect the front of your Van

[Trekking]

You folks traveling where there's a lot of wildlife like deer ,elk and moose do you have a push bar or a cattle rack on the front of your van to protect it. I've been looking online but it looks like a lot of running a $1000. :s

 

[GotSmart]

Call Junk Yards.

Personally another 100 lbs hanging off my rig is not an option for me. I will just travel slow.

 

[WheelEstate USA]

Known as bushwackers and sometimes bullguards can be purchased from Westin for much less than a grand and with the help of a buddy you can install it in an afternoon.
If you want a Warn that will support a winch you're gonna pay the big bucks.

 

[Trekking]

Call Junk Yards.

Personally another 100 lbs hanging off my rig is not an option for me. I will just travel slow.

I've hit deer and back roads at 25 mph and they make one hell of a mess of a vehicle. Even during the day on a road where you doing 55-70 mph a deer, Moose, Elk, running 25 mph running across the field is on the Highway in no time at all

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Known as bushwackers and sometimes bullguards can be purchased from Westin for much less than a grand and with the help of a buddy you can install it in an afternoon.
If you want a Warn that will support a winch you're gonna pay the big bucks.

I am getting to think it may be better and cheaper to build a custom one. I reckon a guy could probably make one for a couple hundred dollars from steel tubing and be very very solid.

 

[WheelEstate USA]

Yup, a dear can make a big mess at low speeds. Luckily, when the one in Washington came off the hill beside the road I only smacked with the side mirror. Mirror was shot, but not as bad as it could have been a split second earlier. We were doing 45 at the time and it would have creamed that little Ford car. Knocked the deer silly, but he walked away.
A friend wasn't quite as lucky. On a dirt road at 35 he went off a 20' drop when a deer caught his front fender. Deer meat went in the freezer and thanks to being strapped in my friend was just shaken...his old truck was a total.

And...those little thingies you put on the front bumper to keep deer away don't work worth a hoot.

 

[flying kurbmaster]

are you saying those deer whistles don't work??? I travel in an area during the North American summer where there are a lot of deer. I have those things on my scooter as well as on the Kurbmaster, I assumed they work as I have never hit a deer:s

I also try to stay off the road at dusk and dawn especially on the scooter. One of my biggest fears is hitting a deer on my scooter. I met a guy once that hit a kangaroo on his scooter, it hit him on the front quarter rolled down the side, and hopped away, he wobbled but managed to stay upright, he was lucky.

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about bull bars, they use them a lot in Australia because of Kangaroos, also here in NZ but mostly to look macho as there are no kangaroos here. I read something about them once that was saying they change the impact taking capabilities of vehicles, the crush zone also said they change the way a pedestrian hits the vehicle. Somehow the manufacturers engineer this into vehicles for crash tests and by installing bullbars this alters it.

 

[WheelEstate USA]

I had deer whistles on that little Ford and they didn't seem to make a difference at all. As I recall my friend in Oregon had them also when he went over the side. (lots of deer in Or.).

I think they travel so quickly that its too late when they hear them...if they even do at all.

Here in the southwest there's a lot of open range where cattle roam. Never had an issue with them, but can usually see for a long distance in most of those areas.

I've heard the Aussies have a lot of trouble with over-population of roos and I understand that they cause lots of problems.

 

[Patrick46]

I've driven semi trucks from the top to the bottom of this nation, including the AlCan and Alaska, and a good chunk of the Canadian provinces too.

I think I hit a dog one time out in Liberal Kansas.


that is, until I moved to Oregon.


I've now hit 8 deer between here on the coast, and I-5, a mere 70 miles away. The last one creamed my beloved Union City stepvan!! (...and I had just scored a brush guard from a 4x4 that I was gonna modify for it too.)

I am a big believer in these things, and wish I had 'em on ALL my rigs!


Get a used one from the junkyard for $100, and modify it to fit your vehicle is the cheapest & easiest way to go.

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

As regards the deer whistles . . .

I was selling auto parts when they first came out and I had a chance to discuss them with the wholesaler.

The Michigan State Police were having a real problem with damage to their cruisers caused by deer, especially in the Upper Peninsula.

After putting the deer whistles on their entire fleet, they experienced a 50% reduction in deer strikes in the first year of testing.

Do the whistles GUARANTEE that no deer will run in front of you? Of course not. If the deer is being chased by a dog or something, it's not going to stop running because of a whistle.

But I'm happy to spend a few dollars to get a 50% reduction in my chances of hitting a deer.

Regards
John

 

[sparky1]

On my older Van was my work.sleeper,home away from home.
I added a push/brush guard from JC Whitney, worked for me. still have the van, pushed a lot of vehicles for people with it. as for the glue on whistles hit one deer/grazed it --she got back up & ran off.

 

[MrNoodly]

There are all sorts of bars for pickups and SUVs. Late model vans are another matter. And since the market for van bars is small, the prices for them are higher.

 

[HWJ]

Check tow yards too. Some older trucks had these. My old '83 F-150 had one mounted on it and its now a farm truck.

 

[highdesertranger]

allot of the bars they sell today are junk they are only for looks. do your research and check out first if you can. back when I had a shop we used to pull these off of trucks from texas and Oklahoma for the used car dealers and reinstall factory bumpers. they said that they would not sell in kalifornia. they were some heavy duty bumpers and guards. several manufacturers in those states. here's a pic of mine it's home built by yours truly. highdesertranger

 

[Patrick46]

I like your truck on alot of different levels HDR!!! ^^^ Nice!!

 

[jeepbri]

I like your truck on alot of different levels HDR!!! ^^^ Nice!!

Agreed, that rig is all business.

 

[highdesertranger]

thanks, she's a worker. highdesertranger