Bullbars are practically essential for 4x4s in Australia … at least for anyone traveling outside the cities.
They are cheap insurance against animal attacks, where a collision with a kangaroo could take out your radiator. Better to spend a few bucks on a decent bulwark than to be stuck in the middle of nowhere. Even if you live outside the city, chances are you’ll have an unwanted encounter with a stray animal sooner or later.
Bull bars will protect the front of your vehicle from trees, branches, stumps and even large rocks as you pick your way through a narrow bush track. And they are the perfect place to mount winches, aerials and driving lights.
So what is available in the local market? Enough as it turns out.
To help you narrow down your choices, we’ll go through the various bulb suppliers. Each of them has heaps of models in steel and alloy … some even offer polycarbonate bars.
AFN Bill Bars
Specifications:
- Material: Steel
- Coatings: Powder coated
- Warranty: 2 years (structural), 1 year (finish)
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AFN bulbs are manufactured by a company in Portugal that supplies military equipment. They provide both three-hoop designs and nine-hoop designs.
All AFN bullbars are Airbag Compliant, ADR Compliant and Winch Compliant. These include dual aerial mounts, driving light mounts and high-lift jacking points. These bars fit snugly to minimize front overhang and maximize front clearance angle.
ARB Bill Bars
Specifications:
- Material: Alloy, steel or polycarbonate
- Coatings: Polish, color code or paint
- Warranty: 3 years
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ARB designs and manufactures its billboards in Australia. They have 11 different ranges of bulbs including:
- Commercial bars, where functionality and cost are top priorities. A simple manufacturing process makes these bars perfect for fleet and government vehicles.
- Deluxe Bars, ARB’s traditional bar. They are fully compatible with safety features such as collision avoidance and adaptive cruise control.
- Sahara bars have all the features of a full bullbar, but only a hoop to protect the radiator.
- Alloy bars for those looking for something lighter than steel
- Polycarbonate rods, rotationally molded as one piece. Ideal for applications where weight is critical.
Most ballbars are available as winch bars. All are airbag and ADR compliant. The fog and indicator lights are recessed for added protection, and some models are compatible with side protection rails.
Dobson Bulbars
Specifications:
- Material: Steel
- Coatings: Powder coated
- Warranty: 1 year
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Dobinsons bullbars are designed and manufactured locally by Outback Accessories. They make three models, all steel and all powder coated:
- Classic Black – Functional design for fleets, government vehicles and trades
- Classic Black Deluxe with driving lights.
- Stainless Loop Deluxe – Stainless steel hoops.
All Dobinsons bullbars are airbag compatible, ADR compatible and winch-compatible. These include dual aerial mounts, driving light mounts and high-lift jacking points.
East Coast Bullbars (ECB)
Specifications:
- Material: Alloy
- Coatings: mirror polished or powder coated
- Warranty: Lifetime
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ECB is the oldest bull bars manufacturer in Australia, having been established in 1971. It specializes in alloy bullbars for 4WDs, vans and trucks. Its bullbars range from lightweight nudge bars and ‘row bars to premium winch bars.
All its bulbs are designed to be compatible with safety features such as adaptive cruise control, parking sensors, etc. The range includes:
- The Big Tube Bar is ECB’s signature product. It includes fog lights and is available with or without winch mounting.
- cry bar It sits on top of the OEM bumper bar, like a nudge bar. It protects the bumper, grill and headlights. The ‘row bar has tabs fitted to fit the driving lights.
- A midi tube bar is similar to a row bar. However, it is designed to protect the OEM bumper, grill and fog lights.
If you don’t have the coin to replace a full bumper bar, the Roo Bar and Midi Tube Bar are both lightweight and low-cost options.
All bullbars are airbag compliant and ADR compliant. ECB uses an industry leading mirror polished finish or a high quality powder coated finish depending on your needs.
EFS 4×4 Accessories Bullbars
Specifications:
- Material: Steel
- Coating: Andorra Coat
- Warranty: 2 years
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EFS offers two types of bullbars, the Adventure range and the Xcap. Their bulbs are designed locally and manufactured overseas.
The Adventure range is the premium model:
- Winch compatible
- Re-off fog and indicator lights
- Fill in the trim below the headlights.
- Lower bulbar skid plates.
The X-Cape is a winch-compatible bumper bar alternative with no hoops. It has all the features of the Adventure range, minus the hoops. All bullbars are airbag compliant and ADR compliant.
Ironman 4×4 Bullbars
Specifications:
- Material: Alloy or Steel
- Coatings: Polish, color code or paint
- Warranty: 1 year
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Ironman 4×4 designs and manufactures its bullbars in Australia. They have seven different ranges of bulbs including:
- Commercial bars are designed for function and practicality. Ideal for fleet and government buyers where cost is a key consideration.
- Premium Deluxe. These bars include extras like integrated fog lights and color coding.
- The ProGuard bar is customizable as a nine-hoop, one-hoop, or three-hoop bar.
- Alloy bars have all the features of premium deluxe bars, with the benefit of lighter weight.
All ballbars are winch compatible, airbag compatible, ADR compliant, and all have high lift jack points. Ironman recess fog and indicator lights for added protection. Most models are compatible with side protection rails.
MAX 4×4 Accessories Bullbars
Specifications:
- Material: Steel or Alloy
- Coatings: Powder coated or polished
- Warranty: 2 years
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MAX Bulbars are locally designed and manufactured overseas. They have four models including an alloy model. Features include:
- Mounts for driving lights
- Two mounts for the plane
- Two rated recovery points
- Two high lift jacking points
- Arrangement of fog lights.
They are Airbag Compliant, ADR Compliant and Winch Compliant.
PIAK Bullbars
Specifications:
- Material: Steel
- Coatings: Powder coated
- Warranty: 2 years
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PIAK Bulbars are designed and manufactured overseas. They have two models, both available as three-hoop or nine-hoop designs.
The Elite range is what PIAK calls ‘tech compatible’, meaning they’re compatible with parking sensors, adaptive cruise control and the like. The Premium range is compatible with parking sensors, designed for older 4WDs.
All PIAK ballbars are airbag compatible, ADR compatible and winch compatible.
TJM Bullbars
Specifications:
- Material: Steel or Alloy
- Coatings: Powder coated or polished
- Warranty: 3 years
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TJM Bulbars are locally designed and manufactured overseas. They cover a wide variety of vehicle makes and models, primarily with steel bullbars. The range includes:
- Tradesman – A functional three-hop bar designed for fleet vehicles and trades.
- Three hoop bars – steel outback and alloy signature. These are the premium models of TJM.
- One Hope Bars – Explorer and Frontier. They are available with a steel or polished alloy hoop to protect the radiator.
- Nine Hoop Bars – Venturer, Chaser and Covert bumper bar replacements that increase approach angle clearance over the OEM bumper bar.
Most TJM ballbars are winch compatible and all steel bars have high lift jacking points. A handy feature is the twin aerial mounts. All bullbars are airbag compliant and ADR compliant.
Xerox Bullbars
Specifications:
- Material: Steel
- Coatings: Powder coated
- Warranty: Not provided.
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Exrox Bulbs are locally designed and manufactured by Outback Accessories. They were originally designed for comp trucks but have gained popularity in the recreational 4WD market. Xrox has a range of features:
- 2 high lift jacking points
- 4 recovery hook locations
- 4 mountings for spotlights and aerials
- Detachable side wings to allow easy replacement
- Winch compatible
All Xrox bulbs are airbag compliant and ADR compliant. Most have a hoop design to protect the radiator and allow additional mounting points for planes, sand flags and driving lights. The rest are nine-hoop designs. So you lose the extra mount points but keep all other features.
Their comp truck heritage means they have a massive approach angle clearance plus a very solid build. Replaceable fenders are a great idea for those of us who like to take our 4WDing to extremes.
How we review products.
4X4 Australia has been reviewing four wheel drive vehicles and aftermarket products for over 40 years.
When looking for the best bullbars in Australia, there are a few things that are important to ensure you have the best off-roading experience.
When we compared each product on the list to others out there, we noticed:
- Warranty
- Build quality
- value for money
- Materials used
- Coatings/Finishes
- Product range
- Compliance with ADRs
- Compatibility with airbags and other safety systems
- The weight
- What country they are manufactured in to determine what is the best product at each price point.
We also looked at user reviews and our own experience with these products to ensure that our recommendations are the best on the market.
Disclosure: When you make a purchase through our links, we may earn a commission. We also include products from which we do not earn a commission.