Brushguard pros/cons

[MnRunr]

Hi-

Considering getting a brushguard, but am riding the fence because of a few things:

1. Ive heard these can increase the amount of damage(both to the auto and passengers) when in an accident situation. for example in an accident they prevent the impact from hitting/spreading through the bumper properly... Are there any statistics on this? Am I putting my family at higher risk of injury because of this? hate to sound so :rolleye2: but we're pregnant with our first..

2. how strong really are they? I live in an area where vehicles come into contact with deer quite frequently, and while I like the idea that a brush guard might protect my grill if I hit one, I would hate it to be at the expense of a bent frame. the roads I have hit deer (and seen others hit) are usually 55mph roads (if that matters)..

Would love to see some hard data or hear personal experience on either of these points. and before anybody suggests it, I definitely wont be able to justify buying an ARB or SW bumper

Thanks everybody-

 

[MnRunr]

nevermind

nevermind, i found most of your opinions here


sorry for dragging this up again-

 

[Falls]

So what did you decide ?

The thread was good reading , but bottom line it's the luck of the draw , sometime's it might protect you a little and sometime's it won't.

Kinda like wearing a helmet on a motorcycle or wearing a seatbelt in your car. I've seen 1st hand where thing's like seat belt's and helmut's have hurt or killer people. granted they are a HUGE lifesaver and a must wear IMO , but weird thing's happen. ( I was a cop ) seen alot more than I care to remember.

 

[ThatsRicci]

that deer is screwed...

although i've never seen a deer bend a frame... maybe a giraff or something... a hippoptomus for sure..

 

[OffRDR]

there are things in our forest bigger then deer.

moose are the worst since they are so tall.

 

[MnRunr]

deer are the most common here.. gotta head north to find moose, and then its much less common. I did have to swerve to miss a dead black bear on the highway last saturday..

So what did you decide ?

So I guess I may be over-cautious about adding one of these.. nevertheless, I've decided to add on some other things first (tires, roof basket, thinking bout a spacer lift).. i dont even have decent liners in there yet..

 

[santana]

i had a pathfinder with a pretty beefy brush guard on it. i was going about 55-60 and saw a deer jump into the road. i was told never to hit ur breaks if you dont have space to stop. because your nose will dip down and the deer will be launched into ur windshield. so i instinctly just let go of the gas and wham. lets just say it was no longer in my way. total damage of the smash was a broken fog light and some minor scratches from hitting it.

this was a 1992 pathfinder they use to be pretty damn sturdy back then. so our 4runners with wimpy crumple zones might endure more damage.

 

[BuckyBadger]

As a fellow Northwoods driver, mostly northern Wisconsin to the cabin, I wanted a bar on as soon as possible....but I took a different look at it, I was getting the bar so I could mount lights on it. I looked at the extra light as my first line of defense against deer. I first got the Westin Safari Light Bar - Black, liked the lower profile look to it... and then I mounted (2) PIAA 525's lights to the bar. I have already been up north a number of times with this setup and when I have my high beams on and the PIAA's on the highbeams (the 525's have a highbeam and low beam) I can see quite a ways down the road, I aimed the PIAA's out just a bit so they would light up the sides of the road more.. This has allowed me to see the deer much sooner as well as the elk (yes they reintroduced elk to northern WI 5 years ago)

 

[Falls]

As a fellow Northwoods driver, mostly northern Wisconsin to the cabin, I wanted a bar on as soon as possible....but I took a different look at it, I was getting the bar so I could mount lights on it. I looked at the extra light as my first line of defense against deer. I first got the Westin Safari Light Bar - Black, liked the lower profile look to it... and then I mounted (2) PIAA 525's lights to the bar. I have already been up north a number of times with this setup and when I have my high beams on and the PIAA's on the highbeams (the 525's have a highbeam and low beam) I can see quite a ways down the road, I aimed the PIAA's out just a bit so they would light up the sides of the road more.. This has allowed me to see the deer much sooner as well as the elk (yes they reintroduced elk to northern WI 5 years ago)

Good tip with the light's , how true that is . being able to see at night up there is a huge factor.

I live in S.E. Wi. but have spent alot of time in Hayward Wi. area. It's a great area lot's of good 4 wheeling , ATVing, snowmobiling , lake's ect.... I love that country up there.

I did not know aboutthe Elk. Have you spotted any , and where about's ? I would think there would'nt be that many around .

 

[BuckyBadger]

Good tip with the light's , how true that is . being able to see at night up there is a huge factor.

I live in S.E. Wi. but have spent alot of time in Hayward Wi. area. It's a great area lot's of good 4 wheeling , ATVing, snowmobiling , lake's ect.... I love that country up there.

I did not know aboutthe Elk. Have you spotted any , and where about's ? I would think there would'nt be that many around .

Our cabin in just east of Hayward in Clam Lake; I also do a lot of snowmobiling, 4 wheeling up there, yes it is a great area to be in. I am looking forward to this winter to see how the 4R tows my sleds compared to my last jeep. But yes the elk heard is now upto 120 (orginally released 20 five years ago), the orginal release site for the elk was just south of Clam Lake, you will actually see an Elk Crossing next 2 miles sign on the highway. It took me two years before I actually saw any elk up there. but I have seen quite a few in the last three years. I see a lot in the winter while on the snowmobile, plus they like to bake in the early morning winter sun along the side of the roads.....if you are up that way just stop in the gas station in Clam Lake you can get a map of the fireroads, lots of fun in the 4Runner....but the map will have a number of locations to visit to try and spot them, including the orginal release site, where one bull elk refuses to go more than a 1/4 mile from.

 

[MnRunr]

.....if you are up that way just stop in the gas station in Clam Lake you can get a map of the fireroads, lots of fun in the 4Runner....but the map will have a number of locations to visit to try and spot them, including the orginal release site, where one bull elk refuses to go more than a 1/4 mile from.

thanks! always glad to hear recommended spots!