Govt considering new Bull Bar rules

[svo supporter]

[QUOTE=XR6 Martin]Probably 50kg, if not more. All that weight so far forward is not what the manufacturer ever envisaged. It would cause hell to camber, castor, toe, bushes, steering, braking.
QUOTE]


That's the reason to get a wheel alignment after fitting one.

As for the extra weight causing other problems. Doubt it. It's the same as changing your car from a 6 cyl to a V8.

[FgNewbie]

< deleted - I'll shuddup and walk away >

[Terraplainin']

There’s a fair amount of conjecture in this thread without much in the way of facts.

Fact: the proposed standard will make no distinction between geographic area. It’s proposed to be an ADR and as such vehicles to which the ADR applies sold in Australia must comply. No ifs, no buts.

Fact: the proposed standard is all about harmonising the Australian ADRs with GTR 9. GTR 9 can be found here. The Regulation Impact Statement is an attempt to describe the results of implementing this standard as an ADR in Australia. The RIS is located here.

Fact: the RIS appears to focus almost exclusively on a perceived benefit of a reduction of costs to society based on some form of esoteric modelling, combining Victorian and UK statistics. It basically does not consider the impact of the proposed standard on rural and remote motoring in Australia.

Fact: GTR 9 was developed in a part of the world where the hazards associated with rural and remote motoring in Australia simply do not exist. Large animals exist in some areas (i.e. moose in Sweden) but the distances between towns, the climate and the telecommunications coverage significantly differ.

Fact: venting on a forum may make you feel good, but will not have any affect whatsoever on this issue. The only way to have your say in this issue is to download the form located here, fill in your details and post it to the address listed in the form.

To be honest, I agree with making vehicles more pedestrian friendly where practicable; you would, with respect, have to be pretty daft not to. But the sheer inability of Canberra based bureaucrats to consider the country as a whole, and to see anything other than what their modelling tells them, leads me to strongly vote against any of the proposed changes. They simply will not get it right.

For what it’s worth, this is what I inserted in the comments section of the form.

The proposed standard will, for all practical proposes, remove the right of country Australians to fit frontal protection systems that have saved lives in this country for generations. It is absolutely essential that this standard is not adopted if it affects, in any way, this right.

I have driven hundreds of thousands of kilometres in rural and remote Australia. A bull bar fitted to my 2WD Ford Falcon ute has personally saved me from injury in the past and I expect it to do so in the future. Having read the RIS it is obvious that there is an exclusive focus on inner city pedestrians with no consideration of motorists that operate in rural and remote Australia where animal strikes are a reality.

The proposed standard has been developed for an inner city environment in a part of the world where the risks posed by rural and remote Australian motoring simply do not exist. To adopt it in this country without extensive modification is sheer lunacy. As I don’t have any faith in the ability of Canberra based bureaucrats to understand the issues Australian motorists face while travelling in the bush, I do not want this standard adopted in any form in this country.

[BENT_8]

Originally Posted by svo supporter

Have you got any idea what you're saying. Firstly, you're banging the drum about banning bullbars fitted to cars in surburbia, now you're saying this dribble. Seriously, you need to get out and about and see what happens in the real world, as far as motoring is concerned.

I'll do that, and whilst out there i'll keep an eye out for other people who need a bullbar to protect their fancy paint and add on gaurd flutes

[svo supporter]

Originally Posted by BENT_8

I'll do that, and whilst out there i'll keep an eye out for other people who need a bullbar to protect their fancy paint and add on gaurd flutes

I surpose people like yourself are jealous that they don't have the skills to do things like that.

IMA. The flutes are not add ons, they're fitted properly. But hey, narrowminded people like yourself wouldn't understand that.

Time to move on, as you're beyond help

[fordomatic]

just got the email from four wheel drive action to sign a petition, signed it. cant believe they would tell someone who lives in remote australia that they cant protect themselves with a bullbar. ive hit 5 roos in the last year and my 4x4 would have been written off if it wasnt for the bullbar

[Need4Speed]

Originally Posted by fordomatic

just got the email from four wheel drive action to sign a petition, signed it.

+1 ...

[rancidpunx]

Originally Posted by fordomatic

just got the email from four wheel drive action to sign a petition, signed it. cant believe they would tell someone who lives in remote australia that they cant protect themselves with a bullbar. ive hit 5 roos in the last year and my 4x4 would have been written off if it wasnt for the bullbar

This is the link from the Email. You only have to fill out 4 boxes to have some say

This website can help you voice an opinion.

[XR Martin]

[QUOTE=svo supporter]

Originally Posted by XR6 Martin

Probably 50kg, if not more. All that weight so far forward is not what the manufacturer ever envisaged. It would cause hell to camber, castor, toe, bushes, steering, braking.
QUOTE]


That's the reason to get a wheel alignment after fitting one.

As for the extra weight causing other problems. Doubt it. It's the same as changing your car from a 6 cyl to a V8.

Its not the same at all, the weight is alot further forward than the engine bay. Leverage and all that....

[svo supporter]

Originally Posted by XR6 Martin

Its not the same at all, the weight is alot further forward than the engine bay. Leverage and all that....

Same principal. Alignment fixes camber/caster/toe issues. Bush wear isn't accelerated my having one fitted. If you are worried, replace the springs and shocks, just to raise the nose up by having the extra weight of the bar on the front.

[Work Horse]

My bull bar is fitted for safety, I need the weight over the front wheels. If the wheels come off the ground during hard acceleration I can't steer!

[302 XC]

I wanna see how many normal alloy Bullbars wiegh 50 KG

Ive got a few kikn around here and 2 alloy bars would still weigh less than the steel equivelant
I can put an alloy bullbar on each shoulder and walk but the steel one your flatout lifting it
One 4x4 here had this steel bullbar since new ,late 80s Nissan patrol
The car would have raised a good 3/4 inch when it was removed
Fitting the alloy bar the car hardly dropped anything
So the issues regarding "excess" wieght doesnt really wash with alloy bars
Unless of course they look like those hideous things like on those holden utes (pics in this thread)
But again it depends on the alloy thickness ect

[go_ford]

this is BS..the only thing I want for my 4x4 right now is a bullbar..you wouldnt believe how worried I am about hitting an animal when coming home at night!

[XR Martin]

Originally Posted by svo supporter

Same principal. Alignment fixes camber/caster/toe issues. Bush wear isn't accelerated my having one fitted. If you are worried, replace the springs and shocks, just to raise the nose up by having the extra weight of the bar on the front.

Im not talking regular bullbars on 4wds.
Im talking the truck style ones on cars/utes....Like the Commodore Ute posted above.

[stupa]

one of those big ally 5 posters on the utes weighs about 30kgs, hoad one for ages on my last ute and it had no noticable effect on steering and braking, even when going hard in either case

[TumekeFord]

Does that mean my fully kick **** replica of the simon & simon Ute is a no go?

[svo supporter]

Originally Posted by XR6 Martin

Im not talking regular bullbars on 4wds.
Im talking the truck style ones on cars/utes....Like the Commodore Ute posted above.

Same response as before.

[mash again]

There seems to be about a 2 year cycle for bullbar bashing. Same sh@##^t just another 2/3 years down the track. The only way to make it work would be to make the bars comply with the an ADR for bullbars which wouldnt be retrospective. There is no point in arguing the merits of front end weight, i drive a landcruiser ute for work in SWQld fitted with bullbar and its just as bumpy and crap handling with or without the bar. As for stopping distances, that will change with vehicle, tyres, load, driver, ABS or not, etc. etc. Theres toomany variables to legislate, maybe we could have individaul speed limits for every combination!!!!!!!! (sadly some genius legislator probably has thought of this, and we are paying this tool) It would be interesting to find out how many pedestrian deaths were caused by a vehicle with a bullbar. I think this will be the same as last time. Once the papers are sick of it we wont hear anymore on the subject

[Nikked]

Originally Posted by XR6 Martin

Im not talking regular bullbars on 4wds.
Im talking the truck style ones on cars/utes....Like the Commodore Ute posted above.

Funnly enough, we just had a car in at work that needed the front of the chassis rails welded up and reinforced due to its bullbar creating strain, shocks had to be replaced as well due to the fact they were dealing with more wieght then normal....