Brush Guard Question

[Jay58]

I recently installed a Polar Bear brush guard on my 04 4runner. It looks great but it shakes when accelerating or going over bumps. It is not an issue of tightening the bolts as the guard is securely fastened to the vehicle. The installer says this is normal. Any feedback is appreciated.

 

[Koz]

The problem (if you think it is) is lateral movement. The guards can be mounted to provide almost no movement up/down and forward/back but because of the front-end design it's hard to completely stop all the side to side movement. I have noticed this on mine and I will spend some time this summer to design a bracket somewhere to help. I will post whatever I come up with.

Koz

 

[Jay58]

That's exactly what it is Koz. Thanks

 

[TOY LVR]

Could you post some pictures and where you got it from. My wife and I are in the market. Do they have stainless?

Thanks for any help you can give us.

 

[ksneubec]

I have a WAAG bar and it does the same thing. I ended up re-tightening the bolts, and it actually did help. With time, a couple had gotten a bit loose. It still shakes, but less so.

This might be too late for Jay58, but I had 3 different Polar Bear brush guards before the Waag and all three were welded incorrectly so that one side was lower than the other (don't remember if it was driver's or passengers side). THAT's why I finally went with Waag, which I am very happy with. Hope they corrected the problem.

 

[Jay58]

Toylvr, i don't have any pics yet but there are plenty throughout this forum, both stainless and powdercoat black.

 

[Jay58]

ksneubec
Could you tell that it was uneven by looking at it? Mine looks pretty level. Your runner looks great with the "bells and whistles". Do you have the speaker for the scanner mounted inside or outside the console?

 

[ksneubec]

ksneubec
Could you tell that it was uneven by looking at it? Mine looks pretty level. Your runner looks great with the "bells and whistles". Do you have the speaker for the scanner mounted inside or outside the console?

Jay58- Didn't mean to cause any panic :awais: . Yes, I could see it fairly clearly just by looking at it. This was a year and a half ago when I first bought my 4Runner, so I would think they would have corrected the problem. It was probably just a bad batch. I really like the looks of the Polar Bear- I'm sure it looks great on your truck.

Thanks for the compliments- My truck is my baby. To answer your question, the speaker is mounted in the little cubby under the fold out "cheesburger holder." Here is a link with updated photos of how I have it set up. The scanner is an old radio shack version that I had in my first car over ten years ago, so it is time to go. I'm going to go with a bearcat model. The link below has a good photo and it is also one of the cheapest prices I've seen around. A friend just got one and he loves it, and it should fit right where I have mine mounted currently.

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/showthread.php?threadid=16019&highlight=scanner

http://www.usascan.com/files/bct8.cfm

 

[Jay58]

Jay58- Didn't mean to cause any panic :awais: . Yes, I could see it fairly clearly just by looking at it. This was a year and a half ago when I first bought my 4Runner, so I would think they would have corrected the problem. It was probably just a bad batch. I really like the looks of the Polar Bear- I'm sure it looks great on your truck.

Thanks for the compliments- My truck is my baby. To answer your question, the speaker is mounted in the little cubby under the fold out "cheesburger holder." Here is a link with updated photos of how I have it set up. The scanner is an old radio shack version that I had in my first car over ten years ago, so it is time to go. I'm going to go with a bearcat model. The link below has a good photo and it is also one of the cheapest prices I've seen around. A friend just got one and he loves it, and it should fit right where I have mine mounted currently.

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/showthread.php?threadid=16019&highlight=scanner

http://www.usascan.com/files/bct8.cfm

Thanks..I feel better now. I just have to get accustomed to the guard shimmying

 

[ksneubec]

Just keep an eye on the ends of the bar where it comes close to the headlights. I've noted on mine that I have a small mark in the paint because it rubbed a little. I actually think I did this off-roading when I had a steep incline and likely caught the bottom of the bar, but I'm not sure. Give it a couple of weeks then re-tighten all the bolts. Also, I would suggest having someone pull at the bar, pulling it forward, away from the truck, when you tighten the bolts, just to try to get a few extra milimeters of clearance.
And get some photos up!

 

[Jay58]

Just keep an eye on the ends of the bar where it comes close to the headlights. I've noted on mine that I have a small mark in the paint because it rubbed a little. I actually think I did this off-roading when I had a steep incline and likely caught the bottom of the bar, but I'm not sure. Give it a couple of weeks then re-tighten all the bolts. Also, I would suggest having someone pull at the bar, pulling it forward, away from the truck, when you tighten the bolts, just to try to get a few extra milimeters of clearance.
And get some photos up!

Will Do Thanks! I added an Alpine GPS system, Pioneer sound system with Sirius Sat, and PIAA 540's on the guard as well. I have to cool it for a while.....

 

[ksneubec]

Will Do Thanks! I added an Alpine GPS system, Pioneer sound system with Sirius Sat, and PIAA 540's on the guard as well. I have to cool it for a while.....

Yeah, I had to "cool it" for a while too after I got my brush guard and lift. I "cooled it" by getting Nittos, navigation unit, more emergency lights, CB radio, etc. I plan on "cooling it" more by getting that new bull bar bumper from shrockworks sometime in the fall too

If you figure out how to actually "cool it," please post it on this website- thousands of our significant others will be extremely grateful