Push Bar - Is this too much?

[USMCBuckWild]

As stated by others, flimsy brush guards cause more damage. Has to be stout and actually have a solid mount (not just 2 little bolts).

We used to fill tube bumpers with water/calcium mix (to keep from freezing, same stuff used in tractor tires) and seal the endcaps with a little silicone. If you ever hit anything the water would blow out the endcaps and help dissipate some of the crash energy.

 

[Adieu]

As stated by others, flimsy brush guards cause more damage. Has to be stout and actually have a solid mount (not just 2 little bolts).

We used to fill tube bumpers with water/calcium mix (to keep from freezing, same stuff used in tractor tires) and seal the endcaps with a little silicone. If you ever hit anything the water would blow out the endcaps and help dissipate some of the crash energy.

????


For purposes of hard and fast blunt impacts, water might as well be a rigid solid

 

[Muddy Bean]

????
For purposes of hard and fast blunt impacts, water might as well be a rigid solid

There’s more science to this I think. In Michigan we have big 55 gallon plastic drums filled with water set up like bowling pins in front of some of our bridge abutments on the interstate. The concept works for dispersing energy. They are called impact attenuator barrels. Sometimes they fill them with sand. But the tiny amount of water inside a metal tube bumper can’t be that effective I would think?




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[ExpeditionAndy]

There’s more science to this I think. In Michigan we have big 55 gallon plastic drums filled with water set up like bowling pins in front of some of our bridge abutments on the interstate. The concept works for dispersing energy. They are called impact attenuator barrels. Sometimes they fill them with sand. But the tiny amount of water inside a metal tube bumper can’t be that effective I would think?




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If they were filled with just water, I would hate to hit one in the winter.

 

[USMCBuckWild]

There’s more science to this I think. In Michigan we have big 55 gallon plastic drums filled with water set up like bowling pins in front of some of our bridge abutments on the interstate. The concept works for dispersing energy. They are called impact attenuator barrels. Sometimes they fill them with sand. But the tiny amount of water inside a metal tube bumper can’t be that effective I would think?




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A 3” diameter tube bumper (which are typically barely 3/32” thick steel) holds a substantial amount of water. The water does actually dissipate energy. Since water can’t be compressed, it is forced to move. So as the water is pressurized by the impact/pressure on the tube it must overcome the plastic end caps and then exit the tube. This is all energy that would have been transferred to the vehicle had the water not been there.

Is it a perfect answer? No. Does it work? In theory. Do I have scientific evidence? Not at the moment but i’m sure somewhere on the interwebs it has been tested.

 

[Trainmaster]

Would police fleets use them if they were a liability to the drivers? Not on your life.

Ford addresses the issue in their retrofit manual for the Expedition. They mention only that the vehicle may respond differently in accidents. That's very subjective.

To correct one point posted here - Fleet and SSV vehicles have exactly the same airbag and roll sensors in the same places as the rest of Expeditions. The airbag sensors are not affected by a push bar and still react if the occupants are endangered. Unless, of course you drill a hole through the thing or move it.

And yea, a push bar can crumple a hood that would otherwise be missed in a crash. That's a great point.

Many push bars, bull bars grill guards are Chinese junk and just made to look cool. I'd suspect if you want to get any real protection out of a product, look to the American made stuff the police agencies use: Generally Setime, Go Rhino (Mexican), Pro-Gard and Westin.

 

[llhoneymoons]

Wow. This has sparked quite a conversation and provided me with some great information I did not have previously.

The reason I was contemplating this is because a part of my grille is damaged. Neither my wife or I hit anything and we always park in a spot that will minimize damage. The only thing I can think that happened is that one of the neighborhood kids ran into it. If i had the push bar, he would not have damaged the car (FYI - the replacement part, which is just trim, is ~$150). Yes, this is cheaper than the Westin push bar I was thinking of (link in my original post), but I also like the way they look. However, after reading some of the posts, I will have to give it more thought.

Thanks for everyone's input.

 

[ExpeditionAndy]

Wow. This has sparked quite a conversation and provided me with some great information I did not have previously.

The reason I was contemplating this is because a part of my grille is damaged. Neither my wife or I hit anything and we always park in a spot that will minimize damage. The only thing I can think that happened is that one of the neighborhood kids ran into it. If i had the push bar, he would not have damaged the car (FYI - the replacement part, which is just trim, is ~$150). Yes, this is cheaper than the Westin push bar I was thinking of (link in my original post), but I also like the way they look. However, after reading some of the posts, I will have to give it more thought.

Thanks for everyone's input.

View attachment 22513

Wow looks like a bullet hole.

I have been buying Ford OEM parts for my truck from www.fordpartsgiant.com. The parts are significantly discounted over my local dealer price I saved over $50 over what my dealer wanted on a couple of chrome mirror inserts for side view mirrors.

You might go there and see what they charge for that part.

 

[llhoneymoons]

Thanks for the tip. I will take a look.

 

[chuck s]

Bullets typically leave clean round holes on the surface of soft plastic, paperboard, and animal tissue.

-- Chuck