ARB Large Tube Deluxe Steel Bull Bar 70 Series Toyota Land Cruiser
In this post we review the ARB Large Tube Deluxe steel bull bar on our 76 Series Toyota Land Cruiser after more than 18 months of use. We take a look at what we like, some of the issues we have had, and why we are removing this bull bar and going to another brand.
Why We Originally Chose ARB?
When we purchased our 76 Series Toyota Land Cruiser back in 2019, we had ARB fit the large tube deluxe steel bull bar before we picked up the 4WD from the dealer. In hindsight this was probably a mistake, we should have taken our time doing more research, but we will discuss this later in the post so hopefully you will not make the same mistakes.
We chose ARB for our bull bar mainly because of a recommendation that we had from a good mate who works in the bull bar manufacturing industry. They recommended their bull bar as it is one of the most popular and strongest brands in the Australian bush, but for the look we wanted on our 76 Series Land Cruiser it was not an option. They therefore recommended ARB as the next best option (in their opinion) being they had been manufacturing bull bars for decades and had a decent track record in Australian conditions. At the time we were also considering the Uneek 4×4 bull bar as we had owned one on our previous 4WD. Uneek 4×4 also manufacture quality products here in Australia, we know as we have their rear bar on our Land Cruiser. But when it came down to it, we preferred the look of the ARB bull bar to the Uneek 4×4 option mainly due to the hoop design. This will be different for everyone depending on your personal preferences. If we had chosen the ARB Deluxe bull bar, compared to the large tube option, the hoop design is like that of the Uneek 4×4 bull bar as they both have similar tube sizes.
Based on our mate’s recommendation, ARB’s track record in the 4WD industry, and our preference for the look of the ARB Large Tube Deluxe bull bar, we made the decision to add this bull bar to our 76 Series Toyota Land Cruiser.
Large Tube Deluxe vs Deluxe Bull Bar
ARB have two options in their Deluxe range for the 70 Series Toyota Land Cruiser. This is the Deluxe Bull Bar and the Large Tube Deluxe Bull Bar. Both bull bars have the same hooped design with the Large Tube option only being different in that the bull bar hoops (tubes) are larger than those on the standard Deluxe (as the name suggests).
The Large Tube Deluxe bull bar thicker outer frame steel tubes are 60.3mm with the lower cross bar tube being 47.6mm. You can see the size difference if you have a look at the ARB bull bar range on their website (we have added the link at the bottom of this post). The larger tube design adds far more strength to the bull bar providing added protection and safety in the event you hit something while touring. Increased steel size in the tubes for this added protection does come at a cost to both your pocket and the overall weight of the bull bar. The biggest difference here is the weight which we will discuss in more detail later in this post. Other than those two differences both options have the same features.
If considering the ARB Deluxe bull bar options, the biggest factor in making your decision will come down to the cost benefit of going with the larger tubes for safety and looks but having to carry that additional weight.
ARB Deluxe Bull Bar Features
Here are the features of the ARB Large Tube Deluxe steel bull bar:
- Designed to follow the shape and lines of the 70 Series Toyota Land Cruiser body.
- 60.3mm outer frame steel tube.
- 47.6mm lower cross bar tube.
- Full steel construction.
- Air bag compatible.
- Option with or without winch provision depending on requirements.
- Winch option will fit most 12V winches.
- Two hi-lift jacking points if required.
- Two spotlight / driving light mounting points behind lower cross bar that will fit 9-inch lights.
- Two antenna brackets on the top tube of the bull bar.
- Option to add underbody steel radiator protector or bash plate.
- Option to add rated recovery point on the passenger side chassis rail.
- Powder coat finish in black as standard but can be matched to vehicle.
Weight is the Problem
Our biggest learning through our 4WD build has been weight and GVM. We of course understood the GVM and payload of our 76 Series Land Cruiser when we commenced our build and did comprehensive calculations. But we have found over this process that biggest hurdle we faced was getting accurate weight information from some (not all) companies in the 4WD industry. This is where we have had our biggest issue with ARB and in hindsight, we should have made a very different decision in our 4WD build.
ARB Misinformation on Bull Bar Weights
During our build planning we listed all the modifications we wanted to make as well as calculations on the weight of each modification. Where we could not get a product weight, we made some assumptions which in some cases is ok as you can get plenty of information online but be careful as a few mistakes can lead to GVM problems.
When we spoke with ARB, we were advised that this bull bar weighed around 60kgs. As ARB does not list the weight of the bull bars anywhere on their website or in their price lists, we assumed that this figure was correct. It turns out that this weight is far from true. The ARB Large Tube Deluxe bull bar is well over 80kgs. The smaller Deluxe bull bar is around 65-70kgs. We found this out when we removed the bull bar at a later stage to fit our winch. After the fact, we have spoken to a few ARB dealers to try and get them to reconfirm the weight of this bull bar and the misinformation is astounding! A few of the ARB stores have advised that they do not have the actual weight listed on their system. With others providing us weights from 40kgs to 60kgs. It is impossible to speak to someone at ARB head office as you are always passed on to another store who cannot provide an accurate actual weight. This is ridiculous and should not be allowed in the Australian 4WD industry. ARB must know what their bull bars weigh as they need to ship them, as well as being able to calculate the correct spring rate when installing suspension upgrades. But for some reason they do not want to provide this information to their customers which is a disgrace. This was our biggest mistake in our 4WD build but what were we supposed to do? We had to rely on the information we were provided. Yes, in hindsight we were naïve and should have realised that a bar with 60mm tubes made from steel was going to weigh a lot more than 60kgs, but ARB should be able to provide accurate information especially when GVM is such an important factor when building a 4WD.
Will Be Ok With a GVM Upgrade
If you have or are getting a GVM upgrade or are not doing a great deal of modifications to your 4WD, then the ARB Large Tube Deluxe bull bar will not be an issue for you. But if you are trying to be weight conscious and want to stay away from increasing your GVM due to the terrible ride you will experience with extremely high rated springs, stay well away from this ARB bull bar as it is super heavy at over 80kgs. The ARB Deluxe option would be an improvement when it comes to weight. However, there are far better options nowadays in the Australian market that look as good or even better at a much better weight. For this reason, we will be changing this bull bar soon so keep posted on this update.
Bad Design of Antenna Mounts
One other issue we have found with the ARB Large Tube Deluxe bull bar is the bad design of the two antenna mounts on the top tube. These antenna mounts are flat pieces of steel with a single hole to secure the base of the antenna. There is however no slit (or cut out) between the mounting hole and the outside piece of bracket. This slit or cut out in the antenna bracket is in all other brands of bull bars we have seen.
The cut out is supposed to be there to allow you to slide the antenna cable through. Why is this a design issue? Well, we learnt this the hard way when we needed to remove the bull bar to fit our winch. Without having this cut out in the bracket this mean we had to disconnect the antenna cable from the UHF control box and pull it all the way back through our firewall so that we could thread the cable back through the hole to remove the antenna. At the time of fitting the antenna and UHF we just did not think of this but would never make this mistake again. When we did finally remove the bull bar to fit the winch, we used a cutting disk on our angle grinder and made a small cut out in the bracket to allow easy removal of the antenna if we ever needed to again in the future. This is only a small design issue but can be a real pain when you need to remove your antenna. If you do purchase one of these bars just make sure you make a cut out as we did before you fit an antenna unless ARB have since updated their design to allow for this.
Tight Fit for the Winch
We have a Runva 13XP winch and found that during fitting this winch ourselves the winch itself fits just fine. However, we have noticed while operating the winch out on the tracks that it is an extremely tight fit around the front of the winch and the bull bar. There is very little space between the winch rope, when not in use, and the front section of the bull bar. This can be an issue while winching and you are unable to do a straight line pull as the winching support might be at an angle. If the winch rope does not wind onto the winch spool correctly it can be difficult pulling the winch rope back out again afterwards to tidy up. We have also had to add an offset fairlead to eliminate rubbing on the steel of the bull bar as a standard fairlead leaves about 1-2mm of the bull bar steel exposed.
Looks The Same
At the time of purchasing our ARB Large Tube Deluxe steel bull bar we preferred the look of the three hooped design. Over time though we have started to prefer the single hoop look even though we know there is the higher risk of damage without the added protection over the 4WDs headlights. If you do like the three hooped design of the ARB Deluxe bull bars, then there are many other options in the market that look pretty much the same so do your research when deciding which brand to go with. Being that this design of bull bar is common, you will look like every other 70 Series Toyota Land Cruiser out there which is not an issue at all. But if you are wanting to be different you might want to look at a completely different style of bull bar to not be so ‘same same’.
The photo below shows three different bull bar brands and they all look the same with minor variances. The other two bull bars are Ironman 4×4 and TJM at a significantly lower price and overall weight.
Overall Verdict
Overall, the ARB Large Tube Deluxe steel bull bar is a good looking and well-made bull bar. The biggest issue we have had with this bull bar is its overall weight. It is extremely heavy. If weight is not an issue for you then this might not be a problem. But even if you do have the payload, either through a GVM upgrade or you are just not loaded, weight is still not a good thing.
Plenty of Better Options Not As Heavy
There are other options in the market that look as good or even better that weigh far less than the ARB Large Tube Deluxe bull bar at more than 80kgs. We understand that this bull bar is heavy because of the steel used in its construction to give it a serious amount of strength and protection. However, there are some really cool new brands coming to the market that are finding ways to reduce weight without comprising on protection. We have had some negative things to say about ARB and weight in this post which has only come about by misinformation provided by ARB themselves. If we had been provided accurate information at the start, then we would have made a different decision in our 4WD build. If you do not mind adding an 80kg bull bar to the front of your 70 Series Land Cruiser, then you will not have any problems. If on the other hand you are weight conscious, then we would recommend looking elsewhere. Do not make the same mistakes we have made and ensure that whichever company you decide to go with they provide you with an accurate weight as this is extremely important.
Antenna Mounts Annoying
The other issue which has been more of annoyance than anything else is the bad design of the antenna mounts. Simple little cut outs to allow you to easily slide the antenna cable in and out of the mounting hole is an oversight by ARB. Almost all other bull bars that we have seen have these for easy antenna installation and removal when required.
We Will Be Changing
As highlighted throughout this post keep posted as we will be removing this ARB Large Tube Deluxe Steel bull bar soon and replacing it with an awesome new bull bar made here in Australia that will be a game changer for the 70 Series Land Cruiser. This bull bar is lightweight due to a clever design and mix of materials used without comprising on strength and protection. You can now read our post here on our updated Offroad Creative lightweight alloy bull bar.
Thanks for reading this post on our ARB Large Tube Deluxe steel bull bar. To see the ARB Large Tube Deluxe and smaller Deluxe bull bars you can see them here on the ARB website. To keep up to date on our future stories as well as the updated bull bar we will be fitting soon join the 4WD Adventurer Community here. For more posts on our our 4WD build you can read them here. Follow us on Instagram for more regular updates.
Thanks for reading legends.
The thoughts of Peter.
16/10/2022 @ 8:58 PM
Good day
How much does the ARB standard Winch Bar weight? Not the deluxe bar or Big tube Deluxe Bar.
Thx
18/10/2022 @ 9:01 AM
G’day Daniel,
Thanks for the message mate. Unfortunately as I was unable to get bar weights off ARB I only know the weight of the big tube bar as I had this particular one. I would assume the standard bar is 80kgs or less as it has far less steel in it, but probably best to call ARB and see if they can provide you any more information. Hopefully they are better at providing this information, as they should have it available for suspension setups.
If you do find out the weight, please let me know as it would be good to be able to share that information with others.
Cheers,
Peter
16/09/2021 @ 3:16 PM
Looking to purchase a Bullbar, winch and fog lights for my HZJ73 1995T Toyota Land cruser.
Im in the USA.
Please Advise
17/09/2021 @ 9:31 AM
G’day Peter,
I am not sure what bull bar options there are for the HZJ especially in the US. I would recommend doing some searches online to see what is available for that Cruiser in the US. In regards to winch, there are many options so it will really depend on what load you are going to be putting through the winch and budget. I know in the US everyone loves Warn winches but I believe Sherpa and Smittybilt are also pretty popular. We have recently changed to an Australian winch made by Carbon Offroad as they are the lightest winch available on the market at just under 20kgs.
Cheers mate.
Peter
09/07/2021 @ 1:19 PM
Hi Peter.
Can you share some info on the “new” bull bar? I am in the same situation is you and would really appreciate your findings.
Love the site and have read every word.
Josh.
76 Series.
09/07/2021 @ 2:00 PM
G’day Josh,
Appreciate the feedback and awesome that you’ve read it all. Glad to be able to provide some assistance.
So with the new bar. We don’t have it fitted yet. It’s almost finished being made. Hopefully going on in a couple of weeks. We have decided to go with the new Offroad Creative alloy bar. This is their first version so it only had a single hoop. I believe they are looking at going with three hoops at some stage. Once we have it fitted we will do a detailed write up on it all.
Check out their website below, there’s not much info on their site. A bit more on their Instagram. This bar with the steel winch cradle, recovery points and bash plate weighs 50kgs.
https://offroadcreative.com.au/
Let me know if you have any other questions.
Cheers mate.
Peter
12/02/2024 @ 9:59 AM
Good read, I similarly got caught, you’re comments we’re very mild,a class action is warranted…
09/07/2021 @ 2:07 PM
Josh,
Here’s a link to the exact bar on their Instagram page.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CN9OoJ7gku5/?utm_medium=copy_link
Hope it works for you.
Cheers
Peter
02/08/2021 @ 9:50 PM
g’day Peter, do you have or know where I can find an electronic copy of the fitting instructions for the ARB bar? I have the same bar, and will be removing it to install a winch shortly. the bar was on the car when I bought it. cheers
02/08/2021 @ 10:20 PM
Hey Dan
No I don’t have a copy and haven’t seen any. See our post on when we fitted our winch below.
https://4wdadventurer.com/4wds/land-cruiser-build-runva-winch-install/
You shouldn’t need instructions. It’s really easy mate. There’s about 6 bolts in total that need to be removed. Bull bar just slides off the chassis rail. You’ll need at least two people to remove. It’s a real heavy bar. Then it just slides back on the chassis rail and you do up the bolts. Having help will make it easy. Not difficult.
I’ll be fitting this one to a mates 79 in a few weeks once we get our new one on. I’ll take some pics.
Cheers
Peter
03/08/2021 @ 9:20 AM
cheers mate, your runva winch post will be very helpful. any additional photos would also be great. thanks