Animal vehicle strikes are most definitely not some rare occurrence on WA roads. Kangaroos, being large, unpredictable and most active at dawn and dusk, the very hours when Perth commuters and regional travellers are out in force on the roads, pose a genuine threat. And the threat is all the more serious because a big male kangaroo can weigh 90kg. At highway speeds, that’s enough to do some serious damage, destroy a radiator, compress the bonnet into the engine bay and deploy the airbags in one hit.
Irvin Bullbars, who’ve been making their stuff in Perth since 1976, put it bluntly. A roo bar gives you headlight and bumper protection that at least halves the risk of a single animal strike turning into a ticket to a very long way from home on foot. And when you’re out on the Stuart, North West Coastal or Great Eastern highways, with a vehicle knocked out by a roo strike, it’s not just the cost that’s a worry, it’s a straight safety risk. Roo bars Perth drivers choose are often based on where they travel, how often they drive in regional areas and the level of protection they need.
Roo Bar vs Bull Bar vs Nudge Bar, The Distinctions That Matter
These three terms are often bandied about as interchangeable, but they most definitely are not. Roo bars are all about protecting vehicles from animal strikes on country roads, heavy-duty, providing full frontal coverage with a special focus on headlight protection. Bull bars extend that sort of protection to include things like winch mounting, recovery points and auxiliary light mounting, and often underbody protection as well, the ultimate protection solution for anyone serious about off-roading or taking on remote terrain. Nudge bars, on the other hand, are lighter and lower profile, the perfect option for city drivers who want a bit of frontal protection without breaking the bank, in terms of looks or weight implications.
ADR Compliance, Airbag Compatibility and Why Both Matter
Every bull bar you see on Australian roads has had to be built to meet the relevant ADRs, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. You see, every vehicle you buy from around 2010 onwards needs a bull bar that’s also airbag compatible. Not just compliant with the rules, but actually made to work with the airbag system in your car. If a bull bar fouls the mounting geometry for the crash sensors, the airbag might not deploy in an emergency, turning what was supposed to be a safety boost into a safety hazard. Irvin Bullbars insists on ADR compliance and airbag compatibility across the board, and Coastals 4×4 says that Offroad Animal and ARB bars are designed with sensor compatibility as the top priority, not just an afterthought.
Perth Manufacturers, Suppliers and Where to Buy
Perth has some genuine homegrown manufacturing in the game. You can take your pick from local legends like Irvin Bullbars and WA Bullbars who design and build their products right here in Western Australia. That gives them a real point of difference, and not just in terms of local accountability, but also when it comes to getting the right fit for your WA vehicle. You can find ARB with multiple stores in Perth, and when you visit, they’ve got not just their own bars on offer, but also a full range of accessories for just about every popular 4WD model on the market, from Toyota Hilux and Land Cruiser through to Ford Ranger, you name it. Places like Total 4×4, United 4×4, PPD Performance and AUS 4WD Equipment stock all the major national brands like TJM, ECB, Outback Accessories, XROX and MAX, so whether you’re after a budget-friendly option or something with a bit more pizzazz, you’re in good hands.
Fitting, Weight Distribution and Warranty
You wouldn’t tackle a bull bar installation on a modern vehicle yourself even if you thought you could. Getting the mounting system right so it lines up with your vehicle’s chassis points is an engineering job that needs to be done by the book, and if you do it wrong and you’ll be voiding the warranty on the bar, and probably the structural warranty on your vehicle too. There’s a lot riding on getting this right, especially since insurance assesses claims for modifications at the first sign of trouble.
Coastals 4×4 has a big workshop in Perth, over 1,000 square metres of it, and they’ve been doing this sort of thing for 29 years, which is reassuring, to say the least. Irvin Bullbars is even working with Afterpay so you can get your new bar and pay for it in instalments. And if you’re in the Swan Valley, Midland Towbars is another option. They do installs that come with a lifetime warranty, as long as you don’t go over your vehicle’s maximum towing or loading capacity, of course.
