Prado Deluxe Bull Bar Vibration - Shaking Problems

Hi Hector,

I hired a new Prado in Cairns last month. The Bull Bar constantly hit the body every time I went over corrugations. It smashed some plastic spacers (cosmetic) items between the bar and the front of the wheel arch.

The hire company said they had approached the manufacturer and there was a recall in progress.

The vibration was quiet severe.

Redeye

Mostly due to the 'lightness' of the front end of the chassis.
A known problem with late model Prado's developing front end body cracks due to the extra movement caused by the weight of the bullbar and accessories on the front.

The bar is mounted to the chassis and body is separted from the chassis.
So when you drive the bar would vibrate with the chassis independent of the body ;)

I don't have a problem with mine braking anything off and it had been throught severe corrigations.... It also could be that the way it was installed is
the problem...

Hector it's a common problem with the poor mounting on the Prado's due to the crumple zone. Can make driving lights almost unusable due to the shaking on some roads. ATS in Geelong have made a fix for it that includes secure tow points.
Cheers Craig...........

The Toyota OE Bars on the Prado are quite well designed. Fitment rates initially were as high as 70% - I don't think ARB had theirs ready.

Not all OE bars are made by the same manufacturer.

In the case of the current model Prado, quite sophisticated design and manufacture went into the bar and new metal forming techniques were used - the result is a product with extremely low warranty issues.

Ciao for now
Andrew (no connection to the manufacturer - just have been told by someone who knows)

Hi Hector,

I have the Toyota OE alloy bar on a 2003 model (current shape). At the time there was no other choice.

Like many people, I didn't have a high regard for alloy bars. However, that has changed after a recent trip to WA.

At the end of the day, the measure of a bar is the punishment it can take. We travelled through 600kms of untracked country which was the worse I've been through in five decades of 4wdriving.

I had no mechanical problems with the car and, given the pounding the bar copped, came away surprised.

The car suffered $6500 damage, principally from body repair, severe scratching and plastic panels being ripped off.

On the latter point, this is a big problem with the Prado.

Under normal conditions the alloy OE bar will serve your needs well.

In closing, I was a bit perplexed by Peter's comment that the Prado's front end was weak.

Regards

Kim