I've been considering putting a Ranch Hand or Westin on my Tundra. Last season I had a few close calls with deer and I pretty much know a hit at 65-70mph would destroy the front end.

I'm just curious for those with grill guards or even the replacement bumpers, did they protect your front end from deer or even wrecks?
I'm not too aware of other brands, but any rec's on other manufacturers?
Did it drop your front end at all?

I'm also looking for a good used one if anyone has a lead.

Thanks.

I have a Frontier brand on my Silverado. Don't notice too much difference between it and the Ranch Hand.

As far as protection, I have bumped a small deer and no damage was done because of the grill guard. But I'm not sure how much it will protect your truck if you hit one going full speed. Especially if they jump and end up on your hood/windshield.

And check craigslist. I bought mine from a guy who buys them at auction for cheap and sells them cheap. I think I bought mine for $150 and then paid a shop in South SA to put it on for $60. It was used, but had a truckbed type spray all over it. I think it looks sharp.


[This message has been edited by Barnaby Stinson (edited 6/30/2014 9:35a).]

+1 on buying off craigslist. I have purchased three of them from there. Although you may have a hard time finding a used one for a Tundra because they are not as common.

My BIL hit a deer with a grill gaurd similar to a Ranch Hand at highway speeds and it only did minor damage like crack in the head light. It really depends on the impact and animal.

A full replacement bumper will do much more to protect you, especially in smaller wreck/animal collisions.

I had a full replacement Ranch Hand on the rear and someone hit me going ~20 mph, and there was barely a scratch. The car was a cheap little Corolla and was totaled. Hit a deer with it on the front right side probably going 45 and there was blood everywhere and a busted taillight, but no serious body damage, which wouldn't have been true without it or even with a regular Grille Guard. The regular grille guard can be pushed back into your front end much easier, and won't do much good on any impact over about 20 mph in my experience in the insurance industry.

Nothing is saving your front end/windshield if you hit one dead-on going 70, but I would still recommend the full replacement if you are going to get one. I also happen to like the way it looks, especially on a super duty. Also keep in mind that if you rear-end someone with a full replacement bumper, it'll do much more damage to their car, so you better hope it isn't your fault.

[This message has been edited by Lorenz_0016 (edited 6/30/2014 9:47a).]

get you one of these by Road Armor

Go Industries makes some good ones that offer a good bit of protection as far as grill guards are concerned.

I have a full ranchhand replacement on my superduty I bought it for $500 second hand and it has saved me 6 times so far.

So yeah check craiglist a friend of mine was selling a practically new Ranch Hand grill guard for a dodge for $250 that is 40% of new.

The full replacement with grill guard is the way to go imho. Protection of the grille, radiator, fan and headlights in a single accident will repay for them ten fold in time and money.

I thought a full replacement bumper would be a good investment due to the Friday night rides to the deer lease. So I purchased the Ranch Hand. It did drop the front end ever so slightly. Little did I know that suicidal birds would be an issue as well. A large bird(falcon or hawk)took it's own life by flying in front of me while I was doing 70 mph. It dented the mesh part of the bumper. It's very difficult to see the damage, but you can feel the indention. Didn't chip the paint at all. Can't imagine the damage that bird would have done to the radiators on my F250. Definitely would have ruined my day. I figured it paid for itself that day. I have also caught the back half of a doe off the front right side. No damage at all from that encounter .

Thanks guys.

I can find some deals on used grill guards, but replacement bumpers we are talking about new probably. Definitely superior to a grill guard, but much more expensive if I have to buy new.

Get what you pay for I guess.

Your standard grill guard isn't going to give you the same protection as a full replacement will, though it's still better than stock. I have Ranch Hand full replacement on the front and Tough Country full replacement on the back.

Frontier and Tough Country are Aggie owned and operated from what I understand.

And ditto what kolache said about birds. I hit a road runner that flew in front of me when I was doing about 85. It dented the mesh on the Ranch Hand a little bit and the bird completely disintegrated. When I stopped a few miles up the road there was nothing but feathers and splatter. He would've gone right through the plastic grill of my truck if it weren't for the Ranch Hand.

[This message has been edited by Hoss (edited 6/30/2014 12:20p).]

Funny enough, never hit a deer until I got a grill guard. I've hit two and both ducked under the grill and hit the expensive plastic bumper. Luckily grill guard was not damaged

Speaking from experience, I would recommend a full Ranch Hand.

My wife and I were heading back from the deer lease on HWY190 somewhere between Menard and Brady when I hit a rather large doe as square in the middle of my F250 as you could get. I had cruze set at 75mph and never hit the breaks. I just kept on going. My wife asked me if I was going to stop and inspect the damage and I said, "Heck no, if I stop and something is broke then I just have to walk further to the nearest town." (I didn't have any cell reception) Anyway, I kept on truckin' and finally stopped at the McDonalds in Brady to inspect the damage (~25 miles later). Other than the smell, the bent the lower bar and a cracked fog light everything was great. It cost me $50 to get the lower bar fixed through Ranch Hand and ~$30 to get the light fixed. It probably would have totaled my truck without the Ranch Hand.

So, yeah...get the Ranch Hand.

[This message has been edited by Ol' Rock '05 (edited 6/30/2014 1:02p).]

Ford 250 with Ranch hand grill guard and factory bumper. Caught a deer square at the passenger headlight at 70 +/-. Not a scratch. Deer not so good. Glad he did not have Ranch Hand guard

I prefer Tough Country over Ranch Hand.l. Either one is fine and both are hanging on. Mine is an F250. Can you get a full bumper replacement on a 1/2 ton?

Yea there are replacement bumpers for Tundras, but I am worried about eventual sagging in the front end.

I'll call around and get some quotes.

Gentleman, please feel free share pictures of your setups as well. Don't be shy.

On a half ton don't get a full bumper replacement it will cause uneven wear on your tires.

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Gentleman, please feel free share pictures of your setups as well. Don't be shy.

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Ranch Hand "Legend" on Front:





Tough Country "Deluxe" on Back:

Damn...Nice.

Ranch hand makes a lighter version full replacement for 1/2 trucks or did a few years ago - replaced my factory bumper after hitting a deer - cheaper than factory replacement it was still heavier

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The full replacement with grill guard is the way to go imho. Protection of the grille, radiator, fan and headlights in a single accident will repay for them ten fold in time and money.

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This. I hit a doe going 75 mph coming out of abilene one night. Never hit the brakes and the deer literally exploded. Besides the mess, occupants and truck were in pristine condition.

Shouldnt you also factor in airbag deployment in the equation? That is, no deployment with after market guard/bumper and deployment with stock equip? Thus adding to the replacement cost if you hit something.
Dont know but curious.

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Shouldnt you also factor in airbag deployment in the equation? That is, no deployment with after market guard/bumper and deployment with stock equip? Thus adding to the replacement cost if you hit something.
Dont know but curious.

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That reminds me of a question I've wondered about in the past but never researched. What is it that makes the air bag deploy? Is there a sensor somewhere? I know it's nothing connected to the bumper itself.

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Shouldnt you also factor in airbag deployment in the equation? That is, no deployment with after market guard/bumper and deployment with stock equip? Thus adding to the replacement cost if you hit something.
Dont know but curious.

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I have also wondered about this and how it would affect the "crumple zone" designs on newer trucks.

I found this summary on a 4x4 forum

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The addition of a brush guard (or snow-plow, push bar, etc.) mounted to the frame may, if anything, increase the chance of air bag deployment, rather than decrease it.
This is because a rigid brush guard, rigidly connected to the vehicle frame will bypass the bumper and front crumple zones. The bumper and front crumple zones absorb some impact energy and reduce the deceleration rate of the vehicle behind these structures.
With these structures bypassed and an impact on the brush guard transmitted dirctly to the frame, the air bag decelerometers will sense a higher deceleration rate.
Is this decrease in sensitivity significant, or even measurable? I don't know. But at least with this mod you're changing the safety margin in the conservative direction.

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I had a ranch hand guard on my 3/4 to. 2 years ago when I hit a buck.
It hit square in the middle of the guard as I was doing 65mph.

I didn't notice any damage until the next day, when I saw a small crease in the front right quarter panel, where the guard flexed and hit. I noticed the light was hitting lower and there was a small ding on the bumper.

I had the headlight replaced along with the front bumper and State Farm replaced the guard. Total repair cost was $2800.

I'm sure without the guard the cost would have been 3 times that.

Oh, and the airbags did not deploy. From what I understand the sensor is at the back of the bumper.

Hoss.... very nice truck

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Hoss.... very nice truck

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Thanks!

I have a friend that has a F250 power stroke with a ranch hand replacement. He was in the hill country one night and there was a good sized black steer that had gotten out. He came up over the top of the hill and didnt see the steer and hit it at 70 mph. It bent the bumper back onto his hood and broke a headlight. He drove home that night and just had to pull the bumper back out and replace the headlight.

Got a Tough Country grille guard for my Sierra. Cost me the same as a Ranch Hand. It's heavy, but I'm happy with it. Haven't taken out any deer with it yet. I have to go through four bump gates to get to deer camp. Beats the heck out of having to get out and prop the gates open coming and going.

I would not trust a 4x4 forum with my life. More research needed on air bags.


[This message has been edited by Dubi (edited 7/1/2014 11:29p).]

You mean like researching how air bags are triggered?
The sensors don't have anything to do with a bumper. They are in the engine bay or passenger compartment and are sensing a variety of things.
None of those things take into account whether you have a factory or bumper replacement or if you even have a bumper.

What he said. I don't know where the sensors are at, but I can confirm they're not in or attached to the bumper. At least they're not on my truck. The only thing attached to my stock bumper was the fog lights.

On the way to Ole Miss game last year without a bumper guard on our suburban, hit a deer and caused over $9,000 damage

I have the full replacement on my truck. I've hit 2 deer at highway speeds and literally NO damage.

Man you guys have made this so much harder on me.

At first I thought I could just get a ranch hand grill guard and be done with it. I even found some good deals on craigslist and Ebay.

Now I'm thinking about the doe I almost hit last year at about 65mph. I'm just not sure a brush guard will do much, plus there is a lot of exposed area still.

New bumpers are a heck of a lot more expensive, plus I'm wondering if I should beep up the front coil spings/struts. Wife is not gonna like this...

But, its all cheaper than hitting a deer with no protection at all...