after a pretty bad deer struck accident out of state this month, I'm thinking of adding a cattle guard to the front of the Tacoma. My question is do they really work or are they mostly for show? Are there certain brands that are better than others? Is it better to weld them to the frame or just bolt them on the way they come?

Look at Ranch Hand brand

After you pay well over $1000 for a guard and bumper that are questionable, check what it costs to just lower the deductible on your insurance and forget the guard.

LOL...

A cattle guard is what you run over between pastures...

A cow catcher, or deer guard is what you put on the front of your pickup...

Ranchhand makes some good ones for Toyota.

The full replacement bumper is more solid and protective than the bolt on guard.

https://www.ranchhand.com/toyota.html

That doesn't generally work out very well when you hit animals at highway speeds.

You'll be glad to have a strong guard if you do.

I’d have one if I lived in a rural area. I hit a deer going 30 miles an hour in the middle of Georgetown by the HEB on 29 and 35. The SOB came out of the HEB parking lot. Someone had to have spooked it out of the River bottom. The San Gabriel rivers runs through Georgetown. It was about 3 in the afternoon. It did 2000.00 worth of damage. If I had a cow catcher on the front, no damage except to poor deer.

I spent 7 nights in a hotel in the middle of nowhere Utah waiting to get the truck drivable for the 1800 mile trip home. If it would help avoid that nightmare in the future I'd gladly spend $1000 on a cow catcher.

One of my Mil's friends has one on her Lincoln Continental, way out in the boonies.
Some people have bump gates out there.

That's puro Tejas!

They are called grill guards. If you get one, get the type that are the grill guard and bumper all in one.
Ranchhand is a great brand and will protect the front of your truck from deer.

Hal

. The problems I have had hitting deer is when they dart from the side. This means the side of my vehicle gets the hit. Knarley bumper would not help. I would like one so I could hit orange barrels again

Dang a suicidal deer.

My brother had a Ranch Hand grill guard on a pickup, and hit an antelope.
Critter went underneath that Chevy, tearing up the plastic air dam.
It was cheaper to go to a full bumper/grill guard than to replace the plastic.
Ranch Hand bumper/guard is all we use, now.

Hillary Clinton was going to do away with the cattle guards out west as she saw paying those guys a waste of tax dollars.

Depends on the speed, size of animal and if it’s not a glancing blow. Sometimes you’ll just cause less structural and more frame damage. Then add the cost or replacing the grill guard for up to 2k

Happy Birthday, Mark!

Thank you, Barry.
I only regret that I share it with Hillary!

I recommend the BLM guard .

If you live in town they’re called niqqer catchers. Don’t ask me how I know. I won’t be without one. MAGA

I hope you have many, many more than she does!

Son and DIL have Ranchhand's[?] on all 3 of their trucks.
He rolls out at 4AM to work and has a 25 mile stretch of Nat. Forest to cruise on his way.
He averages about 1 deer month.

Those guards only protect the front.I have had three deer run into my vehicles in my life of driving.First one jumped off a bank and landed on the hood of my 56 Chevy.Next one came from the side and buried it's head in the front wheel my 98 Dodge.Last one came from the side and hit the front of the fender on my horse trailer ( missed the truck) .

The ones in front,I drive carefully enough I can usually avoid them.Around here,those guards are called brush guards.If you were to hit a beef or an elk with one,they are not going to help much.

I'm going to put one on my Bronco (when it arrives)

BTW, Happy birthday to you Mark! I hope its a great one.

I did $4,500 damage to a 2016 F150 after a doe his my right front corner. I'll take a side impact if I can protect the front, which I think is much more expensive to repair and can render the pickup undriveable.

Donkey Knocker

Just last October..wife smacked a mature doe @ 65 mph + broadside

Lexus GX 460 with Iron Man front steel bumper as shown---Deer DRT

Truck had no fluid leaks...after SO/Insurance report....she finished her 12 mile commute

Bumper was not damaged...sheared off 5 mounting bolts on left side

Costly items were the left headlamp....($1200)...hood...LF fender....and of course labor/refinish etc

Firm believer in 'real steel' bumpers...in our case the truck would have to been towed away instead of driven

Too bad you can't get a roo guard from Australia. They are massive, often made of 4" diameter steel pipe and extend well out beyond the sides of the vehicle. Never seen anything as big nor as strong (or as ugly) in the US.

Ranch Hand, as others have said, makes a great product.

My Son in Law put a locally built clone on a brand new Ram 350 4x4. Just a few weeks later, coming home from a charter steelhead fishing trip on the Salmon River near Whitebird Id, a whitetail doe and two fawns leaped out of the weeds alongside the road and committed suicide on the bumper.

They left a bit of blood to hose off of the rig. Otherwise the truck was undamaged. The bumper paid for itself that night. Not to mention that they make a hell of a winch mount.

Bolted? or welded to the frame?

Bolts will sheer off. Welds will not. An impact severe enough to sheer the mounting bolts would likely bend the frame and total the vehicle if the bumper were welded solid to the frame.

We run ARB winch bumpers on our Toyotas. They're very well built. Here's my old hunting truck with one.

Iron Man builds a similar bumper..in Australia as well

Seems better availabilty & pricing although

Without a doubt, the strongest one's I've seen are Del Rio Bumpers.

They are made by real welders in a real welding shop in Del Rio, TX. They used to give you a new one if you hit a deer, and it bent the guard. (Because usually, deer won't phase it, even at highway speeds. ) Not sure if they still do that, but they used to. Never seen one replaced.



(830) 768-0777

I have a Ranch Hand on my diesel Ram to keep deer from getting into the radiator.
I pull trailers a lot and your ability to steer or stop your way out of an animal collision is severely diminished..
If anything compromises your coolant system you are immediately a camper.

Ranchhand.

Never...ever ....try to maneuver away from a deer.


Scrub off some speed if you can....but stay centered in your lane.

good advise to any motorist......

Curious about air-bag deployment and how they affect it. Also gas mileage. We tapped a young buck two weeks ago in the pre-dawn darkness on the way to goose hunt. Left some hair on the front bumper and ran off. +1 on what Jim said.

A skilled driver can maneuver away from many accidents. I have avoided several via a lane change, or taking the shoulder. Once, a head on at 65 mph with a car in my lane which would have likely killed me, my wife, and our three little kids in the back seat of the 77 Volare.

Though your advice is the same as I would give my daughters. My son or wife? No, they can drive.

Trucks and deer are one thing. But deer will come right through the windshield of many compact cars. A horse or elk will come through the windshield of many trucks.

I would much prefer to avoid the deer than have it in the car with me, and possibly take my head off.

I draw the line at cats and dogs. I will not swerve to miss them.

I hit a doe going 65 mph with an old Toyota (1990). Hit her square and barely felt a bump inside the truck. She slid down the road about 100 yards after hitting her. The truck is designed to collapse and absorb the impact. It folded like an accordion and protected the occupants as designed. The body shop just put a new front end on the truck by drilling out the spotwelds and removing the old one, slid a new one on, weld in place. Simplified overview.

A bumper that doesn't give may bend the frame instead if impact is great enough.

Yep. Plus if you hit a deer it’s handled under comprehensive, if you swerve and miss the deer and hit something else it’s handled under collision.

That gets a bunch of "drivers" killed every year.

It does.

I don't know how many bad wrecks I worked on people swerving to keep from hitting a deer. Some were fatalities.

Hit the SOB, don’t swerve at high speed.

It's actually a question on the DMV test here...or at least was. Better to hit a 100lb deer than a 200 year old oak on the side of the road or swerve and roll it. Oncoming vehicles is a different topic all together.

Not a lot different. Yes, avoid if possible.


The studies have shown that with modern vehicles, a frontal collision is one of the safer ones.


The car's crumple zones are most efficient with head on collisions.


When you try and maneuver, you are actually putting less iron between you and the oncoming vehicle.




BY FAR AND AWAY, the best thing to do is to dynamite the brakes.


If you are driving a 76 Opal Kadet.......just stay home.

For those of you that have the larger units on a diesel pickup, I would assume they add some real weight in front of the front axle. Do you need to up the front spring rates to account for the added weight of the brush guard?

On the GMs with the torsion bar suspension, they would sometimes crank the bars or install a leveling kit.

I have had a Ranch Hand on a 93 Ford diesel with the IFS. Been fine for 15 years.

Don't weld it.

Yeah, if welded, it could interfere with the airbag deployment.

I've avoided dozens and dozens of deer collisions by steering.

I'm am no rookie driving at night in game country.

If you can safely steer away from a deer and stay completely in your lane....you went in that much danger of hitting it in the first place.

Commuting through Yellowstone Park at night I came around a corner and had to slalom through a herd of elk in my little work car.
All I could see was elk legs all around me.
Was probably going a bit faster than prudent.

Hahahaha!

Elk slalom!

That's a good description.

My niece hit an elk with her GMC heavy half at highway speeds. Even with a grill guard (not sure if it was bolted on or part of the bumper), it did enough damage to move the engine block back and bend the chassis. My point is, despite elk being bigger than deer, damage can still happen even with a grill guard. Beef cows are a danger anywhere in the country so even if the OP doesn't live in elk country, there is still the danger.

Ranch hands are all I am familiar with, but I am sure others are good too.

Great timing for this thread as I just got back from Yellowstone and the area. I was noticing a lot of pickups had guards on the front and could see why. Was thinking about back here in TN, and wondering about getting one for my truck. I have not hit a deer (knock wood) but the wife and daughter and several friends have.

WYcoyote, I was in Yellowstone coming back to the room for the night and about took out 2 elk standing in the road. Lucky for me (and them) I grew up in the country and learned how to dodge deer at a young age. Does not mean I can not hit one, I guess I am luckier than most.

Good point. Can you believe the air bags didn't go off on this one though?

I've had the front end "clocked" on a couple of GMC 2500's w/6.0 gas.
Haven't done anything to the Dodge/Cummins

There are millions of people out there every day behind the wheel who could not properly be called "drivers".

My youngest (36 YO) daughter is one, my stepmom is another. But at least they have enough smarts to keep their car on low volume, low speed secondary roads. Many do not.

Yes.

Why, is there a problem with using the other lane, if no one is in it?

Or a good wide shoulder?

Nowhere am I stating that a person should not get on the brakes hard at the first sight of a large critter in the road.

But, then again, if one is incapable of a high speed lane change in an emergency, one ought not even be on the road in the first place. There are lots of places where such might be required.

Come around a corner at speed and see a big boulder in the road? Crest a hill and see a semi or tractor virtually sitting in front of you?
Realize those headlights in the dark in front of you closing at 130 MPH are in your lane?

Slow down as much as you can, but then you have two choices. Avoid the collision or be dead, along with everyone else in the car.

Thats the same kind of silly mentality that people use to justify not wearing a seatbelt.


What if a meteorite lands in the highway??


Espescially as people age......golly officer...I just didn't see that van of kids in the other lane when I crossed the lane.

Well Jim, perhaps you have never been there. I have several times. Plus two times of avoiding intentional impacts by other drivers on the freeway. I assume you are familiar with the "swoop and squat" insurance scam.

I am sure that I am not the only driver on the road who drives defensively and constantly looks for an avenue of escape.

100 pound deer and the possibility of exiting your lane, losing control and killing yourself and others.......yeah. Hit the fugging deer. Sheesh.


If Jeff Bezos [bleep] of Discovery lands on the interstate infront of you....well, do what you have to do.

I have a ranch hand on my GMC 3/4 ton. I have hit 3 deer in the last two years. I lose about a 1 mpg with it on on a big block gasser.
The 3 impacts will still break the headlight plastic mounts.

Most of the time people run the lighter brush guards to save the radiator, not the vehicle. If you can save the radiator, it saves immediate headache.

I think Move bumpers are pretty well built also.

I just hit one a few days ago. I called my insurance company, State Farm, who told me that if the deer hit me it was covered under comprehensive but since I hit the deer it was covered by collision. I guess the insurance companies have found another way to screw people.

My insurance is state farm too and that's BS. I don't have collision and they covered it under comprehensive. They already paid me $5800+ with more coming. I'd call back and get a different rep on the phone.

Yes, or call your state insurance commission/board. Total BS

I have a Ranchhand Bumper and guard. Hit 1 deer so far. Killed deer not a mark on my truck. Stepson hit 3 different ones with his. No damage to his truck at all. People don't try to force their way in front of you in heavy traffic either

I've had or still have several ranch trucks w the ranch hand bumpers. They work well and are fairly cheap. I went w a Buckstop replacement bumper and guard on my last superduty. They are extremely heavy and nice looking. Color match to my truck as well. Highly recommend looking into that brand.

I slow down when I see deer

Instead of doing 80 with 9 of them feeding along the shoulder of the road

I also look way ahead, I dont stare at the bumper of the person I’m tail gaiting like Mr McGoo

I had a claim once with a guy that hit a cow.

“That cow was on the side of the road and as soon as I got there it JUMPED, right in front of me”

I hit my own cow once.


Totaled the pickup. Cow was fine.


They are quite resilient.

I’ve got a Herd aluminum bumper/grillguard on my power wagon, and the ranch hand 1/2 ton model on my 1/2 ton gmc&chevy. All have hit deer. And all are still great. The ranch hands went on th half tons same scenario. Wife hits a deer, truck is smashed, use the insurance money that would go towards the oem bumper and put it towards the REAL bumper, and cash out of pocket to make up the difference.

Not having a real bumper and brush guard is a no go for me anymore. It’s the difference between being able to drive home, or be stuck in bumfugk Egypt and paying a million bucks for a tow.

Swerving to avoid deer is one of the stupidest damn pieces of advice I’ve read on here.

How much does the weight of an effective guard that far forward alter the ride and handling in slippery conditions?


mike r

I was given two longhorns as part of a land deal. Gave them away when the cow kept charging the pickup head on.

I've always called them cattle guards (just like the ones you drive over), but I also have been know to call sorghum, maize. Thinking of buying one because I do a lot of driving on country roads in the dark.

Doesn't seem to make much practical difference.

Be aware a lot of grill guards will interfere with the collision avoidance / automatic braking system - unless specifically designed for your model/year of truck.

In Australia, they are called "bonk" bars because of the sound made when you hit a kangaroo.

Yep. Slow way down as soon as you see a critter or shining eyes on the ditchbank.

And I like ARB bumpers, like others have already mentioned.

None in me experience. That being said, I splurged for the aluminum on my ram because the front end is weak anyway, and the 1/2 ton version of the ranch hands for my 1/2 tons because they are built lighter. I am not a huge fan of the ranch hands, as they rust pretty quick. But they offered a 1/2 ton model and after probably 4-5 deer or so between them now I’m not complaining.

I’ve no doubt hanging a homemade job welded up or a bigger commercial bumper in a 1/2 ton would have negative consequences at least in front end wear if not handling.

Added benefit if some [bleep] tourist break checks me or cuts me off I’m pretty confident I can fugk up their day.

I would never in my life own some piece of shidt that braked for me.

They actually do that at times though

Happened to my Tacoma..............................







Twice!


One came down a runoff ditch from the top of a road cut, smack dab into the right front wheel well. Took out the headlamp and turn signal assemblies too.

Second one came out of a ditch, same basic thing but busted out part of the grille too.

Yippy Skippy.

Didn't even get to bring them home for dinner either.

Lol I wish

I carry a high deductible.after I met that, wasn’t much to add to get a real bumper

This little guy ran into the driver side front tire of my welding truck. A dog was chasing him. The collision knocked him out cold, but my tire survived unscratched.

BP...

Good gosh! bolt something on the truck to protect the grill but buckle the frame rails if ya hit ...anything.

You can drive home with a bent frame. Not so much when the whole plastic shidtaree that is the grill caves in.

This is the one I put on my truck.

http://thunderstruckbumpers.com/

Yep, it takes a half ton of bulbus fab to do that.

Sorry, I forgot.

Can’t find one to fit your Prius?

Bumpers link

Have one of these on my crew cab 350 Ford and was center punched by an oncoming van driven by a texting mom. Absolutely totaled the van taking her bumper almost to the windshield. Put a bend in my roo guard but not a dent in my truck. With the stock bumper, I likely would have had an 8 to $10,000 repair bill. Hence forth, I will always be so armed. Especially since there's a lot of plastic and aluminum on today's rigs.

Lots of spiffy light metal chrome versions available, but they don't ring like a bell when one gives them a knock with his knuckles.

Many moons ago I was quite impressed with the Australian's rigs. Little English Fords with huge roo guards on the front.

.

A guy here built one for his Prius.

There was a minivan I used to see around some, I think it was from the Rez, had a square tubing cow catcher all welded up. Very mad max, often wondered how it would hold up on a deer. Necessity being the mother and all I bet it did fine.

I did that in a Camry in the Coast Range at about 60mph at night. Still don't know how I didn't hit one.

Gosh, a poor pic, but all I've got. My first 4x4, about 75 or 76.
[url=https://postimg.cc/FY7q82DD][/ur



Grill guard maybe visible. A copy of one seen in a Californy magazine. Cut out of plate with an oxy/fuel torch & finished with a Black & Decker Wildcat grinder.

Prius LMAO, but then again, the Duke boys did have one on a car. I approved.

The only downside to the cattle guard is that they tend to stick out a little too far.

Which isn't an issue until you hit the bottom of a sharp dip.

A non issue for most.

Case in point.

Frontier.



Ranch Hand.






The RH sticks out more, enough so that you can actually stand(sorta) between the grill and the grill. Handy for working on the engine.

And setting down beverage containers.

That’s a badass truck. Details?

Boy....either that was a tall pickup or you are short as hell....

I thought about putting a ranch hand on my 2wd Nissan Frontier pickup, I was advised I’d have to upgrade the front suspension to handle the weight.

If you use it to hit pedal bikers we could probably start a go fund me.

I'll put in the first hundred!

I’ll match it.

But require gopro footage from at least one target strike.

1970 on 14-36's, with a home made lift, & a 327 out of a 64 Impala SS. In dash AM/FM 8 track. Cutting edge.

I luv bumpgates but cattle guards are even mobetter. Sob i hate getting out opening and closing gates 10 or 20 times a day quail hunting.

The beverage holders are going up in price.


We bought the Ranch Hand for that white pickup Spring of 2020, think it was around $1200?

Just priced one today, $1600.

Lets Go Brandon.

No kidding. First one was about a grand, second one couple years ago was 1200ish I think. Ordered it online and had it delivered freight. And that’s the lighter 1/2 ton with less steel.

I understand this. When I built this bumper I tucked it back as close aa I could get it, the winch touching the grill. The bumper killing the approach angle got me into about a much trouble as the winch got me out of.

But I do understand cattlemen needing such a thing. I've seen several trucks around here that have been destroyed by a bull, or even a momma protecting her baby.

Jag and Gruff, it's getting ridiculous.

See.....

https://getyarn.io/yarn-clip/embed-test/8cbbc300-a8ef-4358-aeb3-c5d6805a6788

How long you lived athwart the Geat Northern Trans Continental Bicycle trail now, with them cow catchers on your trucks?

Nary a cyclist down.

How do people hit so many deer.
We used to have one of the highest population densities in the country.
And we're are here in farm country, had tons of them.
Farmers plant corn to within a few feet of the road. Not even a cars
width shoulder.

Don't drive those roads as much now, but did for 20 some years.
Hit, 3 deer that i can recall. One did damage.

I know guys that hit that many in a year or two.

I don't drive slow, dam sure didn't when we had more deer.
And I keep my eye out, but don't worry about it too much.


PS Have dodged them.

Personally have no issue with evasive maneuvers under hard braking.
Common sense and controlled reactions need to apply.
Advised our daughter to just hit them.

As to losing control.
Ever look at single car wrecks in the winter?
We have several bad turns that play into snowy wrecks.
Almost never see a car that couldn't turn. Or one that lost its ass
and spun.

Most actually wreck well past the turn.
Because they had a skid, and over reacted.
There's a tidbit in that.
And another thing we taught our daughter.

I think a lot of it is the cosmic lottery. I know people who drive the same roads I do that have never hit a deer, and others who hit several a year.

If the road is dead and I’m solo and going slow enough or have a chance to brake yes, I’ll juke to miss a deer. Outside of that fugk and now. Also, best way to get a deer in the road to move is to drive straight at them like you want to spill their guts. If you doubt me try it.

SOP here is to lift the truck and install a brush guard. Deer hits the guard and goes under. Lifted also helps keep it clean if you drive slow on muddy roads. If you're cheap just get a bull bar and center the deer on it.

Kinda funny how different locales have different names for them.

this is actually.......

a deer/elk guard........

encourages deer/elk to jump low fence.....

instead of going across the ATV crossing

but look close at the elk tracks tip/toeing through the re bar