To Bull Bar or Not to Bull Bar? Combined Threads
 

Moderator Note: Combined the bull bar threads.



Just installed the Aries 3" Pro Series Black Textured Bull Bar. I like it during the day but at night I like the bar less silhouette better.

What do you think?

Not a fan of bull bars... but, that is your truck...what do you think ??

Looks mean regardless.

Opinion: To Bull Bar or Not to Bull Bar?
 

I think they should make a retractable bull bar lol

When I go off road I can deploy it and when I don't I can retract it

I vote no bull bar as well. I think it makes a truck look like it has a sever underbite.

Opinion: To Bull Bar or Not to Bull Bar?
 

Yeah at night it looks like a retard from side and 1/4 view. But during the day I kinda dig it.

But one things for sure that this will come in handy in off roading.

I'm also not a fan. Your truck looks great without it but with just doesn't work for me. Much cleaner and refined look without but it's your truck. Do what you like with it and who cares what anybody else thinks.

Opinion: To Bull Bar or Not to Bull Bar?
 

Any fans at all? Lol

Well it took me 30 mins to install this so the second time around should be 15min or so to reinstall the tow hooks.

I'll run this for a while. Last time I went off roading I would have scrapped the front bumper if not for the tow hook. This bull bar would definitely safe the truck on off road excursions.

But you guys are right. Without it the truck looks cleaner.

Anyone interested in an Aries Bull Bar? Lol

I have been thinking about getting one for my two tone Blue Jeans / Caribou lariat. I would want it painted Caribou to match the front bumper.

I've yet to see many that I'm a fan of. Having said that the few I have seen that look good look REALLY good. To me it's all or nothing and by that I mean if you're going for that zombie apocalypse look you've got to go all in with it. Let me do some Googling and I'll post some pics of what works IMO.

I visited Spyder Industries in Wenatchee, WA. They make a pretty sweet looking one with box tubing turned 45 degrees. Gives a much more aggressive look than the Aries.

http://www.spyderindustries.com/bull_bars.html

Here you go. A little on the aggressive side but I'd roll out in these if the **** hit the fan.
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.f15...a1e317a9f4.jpg


https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.f15...e10835e7cd.jpg


https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.f15...c659a99001.jpg


https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.f15...f7c4799514.jpg

If I was you... I would go with a bull nose road armor bumper In the front and the road armor rear bumper. More ground clearance in the front. Mounts for LED's and a winch if you want. I haven't seen road armor post them on their website yet but I know they are selling them. Only downfall is the price, so they are not always an affordable option.

I think you got a cool picture of a dragon fly in one of the first pics!:thumbsup:

I don't like the bull bars on this generation of F150. The front end looks so smooth and crisp as it is that I think the bull bar screws up the lines too much.

I guess if it's a functional thing for you then that would be cool, but looks wise no.

Opinion: To Bull Bar or Not to Bull Bar?
 

Holy shiit is that guy a midget? Lol looks like one standing on the truck.

Opinion: To Bull Bar or Not to Bull Bar?
 

Yeah i agree. Well I got a 22.5" led bar coming in tomorrow. I'm gonna hook it up in the bull bar and see if it changes anything. Maybe it'll be like the cherry on top of a sundae or a nipple on a boob. Missing either renders the sundae or boob incomplete lol.

Here's a dusk 1/4 view shot.

Opinion: To Bull Bar or Not to Bull Bar?
 

Nice bull bar looks nice on your truck, i went with a setina push bar instead

Opinion: To Bull Bar or Not to Bull Bar?
 

I saw your post. I really like it on your truck. Especially with the fender flares. Since I'm not planning on the flares I wanted something more subtle.

Once the LED bar gets in I'll install it and take a pic. They're 22.5" so it should fill out the bull bar nicely. We'll see.

If I don't like it even with the light bar I'll take the bull bar off and place the light bar onto the grille itself and keep the trucks mug bull bar less lol

Up to each owners preference. But most inexpensive bull bars really serve no functional purpose. If you hit something they just fold back and damage your vehicle. In some cases if they were not there, you would have no damage.

Now the heavy duty type that are made into a bumper, they offer more vehicle front end protection.

Opinion: To Bull Bar or Not to Bull Bar?
 

Completely agree. But an extra 5% protection is an extra 5% protection.

The tow hooks hit the rock which would have torn into the front bumper. It's more a front skid plate guard to notify me of clearance issues.

That and in parking lots if the car in front of me bumps into my truck when she's parking then the guard should hold up against a 2-4mph collision with minimum damage if any.

It'll be useless in a collision say with a deer at speeds but for 5mph or less impacts it should protect the bumper to a degree. That's all I require at this point.

Frontier makes these extreme grill guards. I've seen them before and they look good. They show on their website that they make them for the 15's but they dont have a picture yet. Here's a picture from the previous gen f150 though.

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.f15...0b5d2feeaa.jpg

I googled frontier but it didn't bring anything up. Do you have a link?

You pushing bulls or just bs. If it's bs, no need for that bar

[QUOTE=dtibbals;4307932]I googled frontier but it didn't bring anything up. Do you have a link

I can't get it to set up the link. If you go to www.frontier-gear.com and then enter your truck year model and what not in on the website. After it pulls up the page with all the parts they make for your truck go to grill guards and it's labeled as the xtreme grill guard. They have info on the 2015 one but they dont show a price or a picture yet. It's possible it's not quite ready for production. Not sure though.

Opinion: To Bull Bar or Not to Bull Bar?
 

Consider many people are dumber than bull then yeah there's a buncha bulls on the road

Opinion: To Bull Bar or Not to Bull Bar?
 

Damnit. I went off roading today and I dented my bull bar by going down this 15 ft rocky trench. At least the bull bar saved the front bumper cuz I'm pretty sure it would have scraped the hell out of the bottom of the bumper...

Oh well. I think this means I need a 6-8 inch lift and 35" tires 😕

How does one dent a bull bar? Hit a large rock that was much larger than their clearance?

i love my push bumper :thumbup:

Oooohh, I kinda like this Setina bull bar. How is it holding up? How does it mount?

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.f15...95d0195d45.jpg

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.f15...42322ddf8f.jpg

i love my gorhino push bar. i certainly think the truck looks better without a push/bull bar but i like the practically factor. i use it all the time to push things around my properties. also a nice platform to mount an led bar too. and if you dont like it, just unbolt it right off with no ill effects.

it's very solid a durable,
been using ut for almost 2 years now with no issues at all,
it mounts directly to the chase

I say bull bar. Here is my Lund bull bar with LED. Aesthetically speaking, I'm pleased with how it looks. Functionally, to be honest, the LED comes in handy especially on some back roads I have to drive.

No bars for this Marine ;) I don't do enough offroading for the frontal protection. I personally think it's much cleaner to not have something protruding. To each his own though.

If I ever DO change anything, bumper wise...I'll be changing out the full bumper for something more robust.

I'm a little late to this game here, but I gots the Westin Contour unit.

It also has top supports that brace it to the top bumper mounts. Pretty sturdy for a Bull Bar. Plus I can keep the tow hooks. May be mounting lights in the future.


https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.f15...d19a956326.jpg



https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.f15...c78195ae35.jpg

Thanks, I was hoping someone had a Setina on theirs! Would like to put one on as well but I have the 360 camera and I'm concerned the bar will interfere. Have you got the camera?

I would spray bedliner on it, black powder chips and rusts pretty quickly.

Bull bars are awesome and it looks great on your rig

i have the xlt so no camera in front

I couldn't decide either, but I bought one today.

Looking for opinions...
I really like the look of the Setina PB400 on our trucks, but Im torn between getting it with or without the PB5 fender wrap option. What are others thoughts on this or has anyone else looked at them?

No Bull bar for me, The front ends are what I like about the new body style. With the bull bar thats all your eyes see. SPOATS has so much black you don't notice it as much.:D

Almost like Caddy Shack and Rodney saying Oh but that hat looks good on you..:rolleyes:

bull bar!

I'm not a fan of the headlight wrap bars, always thought it looked over the top. Most of the vehicles I've seen them on were driven by people that would never take their vehicle into conditions that would warrant having them in the first place.

Sadly my dreams of getting a PB400L have been crushed by my 360 camera and adaptive cruise, but to be honest I'd rather have the latter two!

To bull bar or not to bull bar, this is the question, ya bull bar!

try this again

try it one more time. lol

I think the bull bar is a personal preference and if you like it you like it. The best part is no matter who shows off their truck on this forum we all have one thing in common, we love trucks. How we dress them is what makes us individualists. I have seen some trucks that people have spent a **** load of money on and some look good and some don't. I know I am not satisfied with mine and want to make changes, when I get the cash LOL.
“Everything has its beauty, but not everyone sees it.” Andy Warhol


https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.f15...c41a6ad7a3.jpg

Nah. Personally I like my tow hooks being available.

They can look good though. Seen a few pics in this thread that looked sharp.

setina push bumper all the way baby

I'm OUT on the BB, strictly for "looks" wise. For me, it's all about FUNCTION. What does it DO? Do you NEED that function? If so, get one that matches(like you did) and make it work for you. If not, nix it.


As for me, I need some additional lighting but don't need bumper protection or grappling mount etc. I'm gonna go for a light bar instead. I'm close to ordering the Smitty Built bar for my rig.


If you're asking about strictly looks, I don't care for BBs, I'd rather a full front end cover unit.
TomJV

I have had a bull bar on for 18 months now. I like it, but am starting to lean towards the full coverage. I also like that Setina push bar. I'm a fan of having additional locations for lighting when I decide to move that direction.

Regardless, its your truck so do what you like! None of our opinions really matter when it comes down to it.

Sick truck brother!!! :thumbsup:

Absolutely love mine.

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.f15...1621a03190.jpg

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.f15...070f4be830.jpg

Personally I've never liked the bull bar, even on Jeeps but ESPECIALLY on trucks.

IMO looks like a sad attempt at saying "I off-road!!! Kind of. . . ."

I prefer the look of a smaller, tighter bumper. Not even really a fan of the full protection bumpers. . .

Not my cup of tea either.

I would say most of the bull bars are for aesthetics more than anything, if one were to hit something with those on I would guess regardless if small or full width one with the cheesy mounting points (tow bar bolts only I believe?) that they would cause more damage by buckling into hood, headlights, etc

But each to their own, if we all liked the same thing like would be boring.


T2

in many other countries bull bars are severely restricted or will drive your insurance premium sky high ... because:

- while car manufacturers make the best attempt to save pedestrian / bikers / children life's by avoiding hard metal rods / beams in the front of the vehicle.... with a bull bar you are putting a solid piece of metal at about the head level of a 10yr old ...

your choice.

also - if you rear-end another vehicle (= your fault) and the bull bar f**ks the other vehicle up more so than a simple bumper tap.... not exactly sure if your insurance will fully cover that damage if you installed the bull bar aftermarket. Big difference cost wise between a scratched bumper and a dented in trunk ....

I'm looking at just a mount for the light bar. I like this one from nfab.

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.f15...bc7c2ffa77.jpg

No offense but this doesn't sound right. A catastrophic occurrence is the same amount of risk. Another words, you hit a 10yr old and it's up to the man upstairs. There's no way to prove the bull bar caused more damage or anything else would have been different.

Same can be said for collisions as well.

just numerous academic studies and articles plus laws against them (for that reason) in several EU countries

https://www.google.com/amp/www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/killer-car-fad-that-costs-lives-theyre-lethal-but-bull-bars-are-now-even-being-fitted-to-ambulances-1439275.html%3Famp

thanks bro :thumbup:

My 05 FX4 with a Spyder Bull Bar
 

I had a Spyder Bull Bar and LOVED it. Everywhere I went, someone would comment or ask questions about it. The wife would get irritated by the "nonsense" that it created at a gas station or ball game. I should of never sold it with the truck b/c the price has sky rocketed!!

Bit the bullet, glad I did.
 

Ordered me a Setina PB400 for my truck, surprisingly did the install myself which was ' easy ' enough. Looks awesome, and it's certainly solid.

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.f15...77405348d.jpeg
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.f15...cdee0e581.jpeg

Anyone got a picture with a winch mounted on a setina?

I like mine :). I might get a light bar for it. but am not sure.

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.f15...d09f274f9e.jpg

Changed my front end a bit with the grill, no I like it even more!

Truck looks great and I like the light bar you installed. What brand is it and was it very hard to install and wire. Did you run wires to the cabin or did you you use a wireless switch which I heard exists.


https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.f15...b6483d0493.jpg

Nice look
 

Do you have a link? I think this is the westin 3.5" contour one. Look different on the web site. Does this block the front camera? or do you know if it would?

Thanks

Real Truck matched the Amazon price for me. Don't know about the camera question. Sorry.

Show off your trucks with Bull Bars...
 

Trying to decide on a bull bar. So let's see some pictures, especially the Blue jeans metallic trucks like mine. I'm leaning towards this bar on my truck.

https://www.realtruck.com/aries-stealth-bull-bar/
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.f15...ba5db24cd9.jpg

Got a Lund on mine. Light bar is wired into my high beams. Works great.

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.f15...fb8a800dbe.jpg

Looks great, thanks. How do you wire it into your high beams? That is so much better than a separate switch.

Tapped the signal switch from the relay harness into my high beams.
I wish I would have taken pics to post as i'm sure it's a fairly common request. Used a test light to figure out which wire was hot when high beams were on. Then tapped this wire to the relay instead of the switch they come with.

Thanks. I completely stink at electrical stuff so I'd either need a video or someone to do it.

And I see this comes in chrome too. What do you think would look better on my truck?

Probably chrome to match your grill and bumper.

Yeah, that's what I was thinking too but I do like black. Chrome will match better though.

I think these bull bars look OK but always wondered....what is their purpose? Is it just for looks?

I clicked on the link in the OP's post - under options it lists them for the 3.5EB and 5.0 - can't get this for a 2.7L?

Here's a thread on bull bars..................................

https://www.f150forum.com/f118/opini...312437/index4/




https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.f15...7058a020dc.jpg

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.f15...bb41a0342a.jpg

Mostly looks, however where I live a lot of tourists parallel park by literally bumping the cars in front and behind them, so I have the bull bar in the front and a hitch in the rear to act as sacrifice to save the bumpers.

Rough Country makes a bull bar specifically for eco/boost engines https://www.roughcountry.com/ford-bl...r-b-f2112.html

I work in the 5 boroughs of NYC so it's for protection when parking.

Londart08XLT
 

How did you mount your front license plate to the bull bar if I may ask?

Westin offers a relocator bracket for the tag to mount it under the bar if you need it.

I would have that bar Line-X'ed, as Barricade powder coatings are horrible. I had a Barricade front bumper on my Jeep and it was rusting inside of a year.

Frankly, I'm one of those that doesn't like the looks of them. Kind of an "all hat, no cattle" kind of thing to me, anyway.

But I live on one of the family farms that requires travel along a thin ribbon of blacktop with no shoulder, and whitetail deer scurrying around like rats at night. I'm thinking of adding one to save my front end. I've only had my truck about four weeks, and I've had two narrow misses, with one of those misses required a "stand on it" style of braking.

I'll live with the silly bolt on crap if it'll save my truck.

Same thing with the roads and deer - no shoulder at all - just ditch on one side and bank on the other. And there are more deer in my county than people.

I've hit a few deer over the years - that's what insurance is for - I have a $50 deductible for deer/critter damage. Some people around here have a different theory about these bars - they may actually cause more damage to the truck than without when you hit a deer, elk, or bear. The bar will bend back and crush more stuff on the front end than without.

I have no idea how strong these things are. Hitting a 150# deer at 55 mph is a heck of an impact - a bear or elk would be much worse of course.

In theory however I feel these bull bars would work much better than a full coverage thing like a brush guard. Each deer that I hit was at a full run - when they are running they are actually a lot lower to the ground than if standing. The ones I hit affected only my bumper and fog lights - none have smashed my grill yet. So these low bars are in the right position for that and don't look too bad at all. A lot of guys have made their own deer guards for their trucks. Most of them look terrible to me but they work - function over form. Me - I'll just let my insurance take care of it.

Then there are the ones which run into the side of your truck - that has happened twice to me. Again - insurance took care of it. There are no guards to protect the sides......

For people who live and/or work in cities I realize now what they are talking about with parking in such close quarters to other cars - between that and leaving a hitch insert in the receiver would certainly help in that situation.

The one by rough country does not require the plate to be relocated

Another one that I considered that also doesn't require the plate to be moved is Setina, that's the one used by police in a lot of areas https://setina.com/spec-your-vehicle/#

They serve no purpose, just like aftermarket wheels big tires and lifts, but they make us smile!
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.f15...6c168df06.jpeg

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.f15...6ac7c32d9e.jpg
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.f15...2419b3af6c.jpg

Bull bar
 

Hey guys, so it's been a while since I've done another mod to the truck and I'm getting the itch. I was thinking about a front black bull bar. What are your thoughts and any suggestions on a nice looking one, thinking something nice and simple.

This is my truck now.

https://www.americantrucks.com/barri...caApMFEALw_wcB

Is what I was thinking

I personally like the look of bull bars (mostly for lightbar use). I have a Lund that i think looks great.

My only concern would be hitting something. Hit a deer and it can actually cause more damage than without it. If not for that I might have put one on my truck too. I had one on my 99 F350, the attachments are the tow hook holes, and those were attached to the frame. Hit hard enough at the top it could bend the frame a bit, but considering how high up it was, I wasn't too concerned, but on my current truck with stock suspension, and having hit a deer with an F150 once, I would much rather replace the hood and grill than a bent frame.

I think the one you are looking at would be less likely to cause that if you hit a deer, so good choice.

Oh really that's good to know... yea I want something cheap and simple. I have no use for a light bar otherwise I'd consider one with it integrated into the bull bar. I was thinking of getting the one I put the link for and painting it a matte black....there's no chrome or shiny black on truck ☺

It seems to cover the front license plate a bit which I like bc we hve yellow in New York. I wonder if it's illegal at all here?

I had one like this,

https://realtruck.com/p/westin-sportsman-grille-guards/

That middle bar is where it attached on the F350, and when I hit the deer with the F150 the mass was on the right side which would have bent the bar backwards, and with the F150 the attachment is on the bottom so it would have done some serious damage down below where it attaches which is why I didn't get one like the above for my current truck.

I liked it on the one ton, it was intimidating to other drivers when I was behind them. :) It had thick rubber on the face of the uprights too. Bump, oops, sorry.

I've got the AT stainless model. It seems pretty well made and was very easy to install.
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.f15...6669607c5d.jpg

It does cover the front plate, but they sell a bracket that holds the plate up from behind. I bought the bracket, but wasn't too impressed with how it mounted the plate. In PA, a front plate isn't required.

I got it to keep bad parkers off my front bumper and grille.

Aqualung

eh, most bull bars are cheap thinwall steel and really aren't that strong.

I've seen a few bull bars on this gen F150 and from any view but straight on, they just stick out way too much. JMO.

Not bad
 

Looks pretty good actually. Was considering getting one for my truck, until I needed the tow hooks to pull out a car that had gotten stuck in the mud.