Re:Re:Re:Re:ARB Vs Ironman Bullbar for 4th Gen (2021) Jimny

wrote:

On a similar note, they both support winches, which is just a tray that bolts between the chassis rails. I'd suspect they are very similar for each.

I'd like to suggest you make no assumptions - Ironman are pretty clear that the winch mount is a separate item, and OME does not mention that - the OME bars I've looked at do not use an optional winch mount - it's integrated into the design, and differs from quite a few others in that they mount the winch "feet forward", a design that actually allows for a stronger mount with less or lighter materials.

The perhaps "traditional" feet down winch mount twists the mount plate (downward pressure on the front feet, upward pressure on the rear), requiring a heavier plate to withstand the stress, mounting the winch feet forward as ARB has been doing puts all four feet and the winch mount under tension, distributing the force much more evenly.

I haven't had a chance to actually see the product (and won't unless I order one, which is unlikely to happen as long as I have warranty coverage - I'm not going to add 45kg to the front of a vehicle without upgrading the suspension and Suzuki have made it clear that changing out the suspension is a "no-no" warranty wise), so I can't confirm that this bar conforms to the designs I've seen before.

Not really sure why you seemed to be getting narked, most odd.

All I'm saying is, both bumpers likely have brackets and nuts & bolts. And unless you know if these are included in the claimed weights or not, then the numbers you are using may not be directly comparable.

At the end of the day, I really couldn't care less what you buy or don't.

I'm not completely uninformed either. I do own one of the products under discussion.

Thanks for everyone's answers.

I think we can safely assume the total weight (including nuts and bolts etc.) of the ARB bulbar is approximately 45kg and the net weight is only 37kg. This is because it is advertised on their website and I contacted them directly to confirm these figures and was told that the total net weight added to my vehicle after fitting the ARB bulbar and removing existing materials is approximately 37kg.

Crash486 has given figures of the Ironman 4x4 bulbar that equates to 61.3kg. I think we can assume that Ironman will also take off approximately 8kg making the total net weight added to the vehicle approximately 53.3kg. However, I decided to contact Ironman 4x4 myself to ask for the weight of their bulbar and they told me "The Commercial Deluxe Bull Bar for A Jimny is approximately 50kg (+/_ kg). This is only the weight of the bar, the weight that is actually added to your vehicle may be different depending on what components are removed as the Bar is fitted.". I'm not sure what to make of that exactly but if we take best case scenario and they only add 50kg to the vehicle and then remove 8kg then their bulbar will add a net total of 42kg to the vehicle. So it seems that no matter what way you look at it and what figures you use the ARB bulbar will always be a minimum of at least 5kg lighter than the Ironman bulbar, which is significant on a small vehicle such as the Jimny.

To make things even more interesting, I have just had a look at the AFN bulbar and they have advertised that there bar is only 32kg! This has me considering an AFN bulbar now.

I still think that the ARB is going to be quite difficult to beat. Lighter isn't really better just on its own especially without an intelligent design to maximise strength for minimum material. Not saying that is impossible but its not often applied to consumer goods. Plus ARB have a wealth of experience in building bard fit for purpose.

LMcRae wrote: Thanks for everyone's answers.

I think we can safely assume the total weight (including nuts and bolts etc.) of the ARB bulbar is approximately 45kg and the net weight is only 37kg. This is because it is advertised on their website and I contacted them directly to confirm these figures and was told that the total net weight added to my vehicle after fitting the ARB bulbar and removing existing materials is approximately 37kg.

Crash486 has given figures of the Ironman 4x4 bulbar that equates to 61.3kg. I think we can assume that Ironman will also take off approximately 8kg making the total net weight added to the vehicle approximately 53.3kg. However, I decided to contact Ironman 4x4 myself to ask for the weight of their bulbar and they told me "The Commercial Deluxe Bull Bar for A Jimny is approximately 50kg (+/_ kg). This is only the weight of the bar, the weight that is actually added to your vehicle may be different depending on what components are removed as the Bar is fitted.". I'm not sure what to make of that exactly but if we take best case scenario and they only add 50kg to the vehicle and then remove 8kg then their bulbar will add a net total of 42kg to the vehicle. So it seems that no matter what way you look at it and what figures you use the ARB bulbar will always be a minimum of at least 5kg lighter than the Ironman bulbar, which is significant on a small vehicle such as the Jimny.

To make things even more interesting, I have just had a look at the AFN bulbar and they have advertised that there bar is only 32kg! This has me considering an AFN bulbar now.

Hamer 35kg approx (bad reviews)
AFN 32kg loopless
XROX 40kg
Wildog 36kg, rear 32kg.
ECB 37kg, winch compatible nudge 17kg, nudge 7.5kg, winch plate 11.5 kg

crash486 JB74W

I contacted AFN myself and they said "The ADDED weight of the AFN bulbar for the Jimny is 32kgs, this is once everything is off, and our bar is put on. The weight of the bulbar is approx. 45kgs.". The AFN bulbar is not "loopless" btw. So the AFN bulbar is actually 5kg lighter than the ARB and the ARB is AT LEAST 5kg lighter than the Ironman. But yes, lighter isn't necessarily better if it impacts quality. Does anyone have any info on how the AFN bulbar compares to the ARB bulbar besides weight?

LMcRae wrote: I contacted AFN myself and they said "The ADDED weight of the AFN bulbar for the Jimny is 32kgs, this is once everything is off, and our bar is put on. The weight of the bulbar is approx. 45kgs.". The AFN bulbar is not "loopless" btw. So the AFN bulbar is actually 5kg lighter than the ARB and the ARB is AT LEAST 5kg lighter than the Ironman. But yes, lighter isn't necessarily better if it impacts quality. Does anyone have any info on how the AFN bulbar compares to the ARB bulbar besides weight?

AFN bar.
Loopless and loop style


crash486 JB74W

Yeah and the quoted 45kg AFN Bullbar, which equates to 32kg added to the vehicle (because the original bumper and other parts are removed), is the loop style... not the loopless. AFN clarified this with me directly.

That loopless one is actually not as aesthetically awful as I was expecting. Bit pointless though if you take a kangaroo to the headlamps.

Thanks crash486. Can you please share some info on the Hamer’s bad reviews? What were the complaints about? It looks great and I am considering it. Thanks.

Well that was back in 2021. People reported twisted bars, poor alignment etc.
Things change with market feedback. I have no first-hand knowledge of anyone fitting them or issues.

JB74W Australia