Sunday, May 01, 2005 at 22:29
hmmm.... Interesting discussion here...
I have a TJM T15 alloy bar on a GU Patrol.. chose the alloy mainly for the weight-saving, and basically somewhere to mount a coupla (Hella 4000) spotties, and to hide the (Ox) winch (which is mounted via a cradle directly to chassis)...
Never really expected it to be as strong as steel, but then again I've never intended to go 'round clobberin' the wildlife, so I figured that *any* protection is better than none..
Anyhoo, a couple of weeks ago I "put it to the test", and I must say that I was (rather pleasantly) surprised... (and relieved)...
Approx. 80 Km/h, gravel road, early evening, and WHAMMO!!! d@mn 'roo came outa nowhere & clobbered the bar right at the outer end (r.h. side).. 'roo went cartwheelin' down the road, & by the time I'd stopped, said 'roo was lying pretty much alongside the vehicle.. he was goin' nowhere, so was (ahem) "humanely despatched"... (BTW, they were about, & I was watchin' out for 'em, just didn't see this one)...
Time to inspect the damage, and lo & behold, no discernible damage whatsoever!!
Well blow me down with a feather, it appears that these alloy bars are not as p!ss-weak as many folk reckon they are....
In the light of day I've had a closer look, and it appears that the outer wing has "flexed" just enough to put a slight "wrinkle" in the flat horizontal section right alongside the gusset that forms the mounting bracket, but if you weren't lookin' for it you'd never pick it... It would appear that the "flex" has absorbed the impact quite
well... I've looked at the bar from every angle, and I cannot see any misalignment whatsoever...
Without the bar, I have no doubt that I'd have been up for a new headlight at the very least, & quite likely some panel damage as
well, so you might say that this particular alloy bar is more than just a decoration...
It remains to be seen I guess, just how it will cope with another "clout" in the same place
Anyway, that's my (recent) experience.. Make of it what you will :-)
Regards, Ed. C.
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AnswerID:
109148
Follow Up By: muzzgit (WA) - Monday, May 02, 2005 at 01:09
Monday, May 02, 2005 at 01:09
Iv'e thought about what I'd do in that predicament. I have always said I will go back and deal with an animal if I hit one, And up untill now that stands at a couple of cats and a few snakes. NO ROOS, thank christ.
Would it be best to aprouch the situation with a knife or something with a bit of weight behind it when dealing with roo's. I'm not keen on things getting messy if I missed with the first swing.
FollowupID:
365859
Follow Up By: hoyks - Monday, May 09, 2005 at 20:24
Monday, May 09, 2005 at 20:24
Muzzgit, I don't know how you handle such situations, but a lot of people have trouble with the getting up close and personal and dispatching an animal with a knife, especially those that haven't lived on farms and the like. It does involve getting your hands dirty and requires a little more than a quick stab to do it properly and quickly.
You might be more comfortable dispatching the poor critter with a nice clean impersonal smack over the back of the head with something solid.
An axe or a pick handle are always effective and and easy to stow in the vehicle.
FollowupID:
367017