Metal Bumpers - What is "road legal"

And I so wanted to fit it as well!
Not the same without the A-bar and the lamp hoops.

If I had a plate etc welded in so I could fit a winch, what then?
It's not a winch bumper at the moment, no mounting plate in it but if I had it beefed up to take one??????

Gromit wrote: Got an A bar on mine and it sailed through the MOT !. Also have a traffic cop that lives 2 doors away and he was admiring the Jimny the other day, never said anything about the A bar !!!!

The MOT inspectors don't care what's fitted ! As long as it's securly fitted that's there job done, and most police arn't up on regs ! There more interested in how your driving but you will get the odd one that's in "the know"
It comes under construction and use and it's vosa that police that ,

Winch bumpers are fine but you may be asked to prove that you need the winch permanently fixed to the vehicle ! IE a "working vehicle"

bumpers after the said year (to simplify ) must be impact absorbing and present with no sharp or protruding edges, the later rule was was around long before. So protruding reccy points have been a no no for many years.
is it a silly rule ???? Ask yourself if you were crossing the road and the unthinkable was to happen, would you want the vehicle to have a modern soft impacting bumper or a big heavy lump of steel plate ??
and for a 5 year child old a jimny bumper would be nicely at head hight !
That's where this silly rule comes from ! Not so silly really is it.

Why not make a bumper that's good and solid and then make some soft clipon covers out of the old bumper ! That keeps everybody happy.
Even bull bars are legal if they don't patrude beyond the bumper/outer limits of the vehicle, and have an impact absorbing covering,

Iv'e fitted an A BAR to my Jimny as I drive throw Cadmore common every day on the way to work



Cadmore Common
KANGAROO
Milkman caught on the hop by Kangaroo
An astonished milkman was caught on the hop when he spotted a kangaroo while out on his rounds.
Alan Doughty was making deliveries near Cadmore Common on Tuesday morning when he caught sight of the massive marsupial hopping in front of his milk float. He said: "I had to do a double take. I've seen badgers and deer, but never expected to see a kangaroo in Bucks. "We sat looking at each other for about ten minutes. It was definitely too big for a wallaby. I'm sure it was a kangaroo. "When I eventually started the milk float up and drove down the road, he carried on hopping in front of me, about 20 feet away from the float. "I don't think he was expecting to see a milkman at that time of the morning."

Mr Doughty said he had been talking to a gamekeeper near Cadmore Common who also claimed to have seen the animal. Animal expert Trevor Smith, of Animal World, an animal filming company based in High Wycombe, warned people not to approach the marsupial as kangaroos can be dangerous when cornered. He added: "I would be very surprised if this is a kangaroo and not a wallaby. Wallabies are actually very common in this country these days. I caught one only last year. "There are a whole range of animals that are not indigenous to England living here at the moment. "If anybody sees the wallaby or kangaroo they should watch where it goes and call me immediately. A kangaroo would stand as tall as a person."



homepage.ntlworld.com/chris.mullins/Buckinghamshire.htm

Our kit car has front and back bumpers made from 4" x 2" box section as they actually close the ends of the ladder chassis, of the 19 that we have had quite a few have arrived complete with various style of bull bar fitted or tossed inthe back, most of these we have removed, mostly for safety and fuel consumption purposes; the occasional one we have chopped down into a A bar for mounting big spots on.
As the cars were designed and built inthe 70's and 80's they predate the soft impact bumper legislation. While nobody wants to hurt anyone with their car it is amazing the difference adding a bull bar makes to a relatively small car driven around rural lanes- people coming the other way tend to move over rather
than trying to run you off the road.

atb
Mike

I dont think i put what i meant across very well . When i said A-bar i meant when fitted to a steel bumper. In other words, it sits at bonnet height.

We do have some bloody big pheasants round here too

Nobby

Like all these laws you can probably get away with it until someone gets killed by a car with a steel bumper fitted and then the press whip it up into a firestorm. After that the police will be all over the situation.

Carnt someone make a cool looking winch bumper that has a bull bar made of something that looks solid but gives and actually would help protect a pedestrain if hit?

Nobby

Thanks for the Input guys.
Given the uncertainty in the laws i may take the opion to trim the current bumpers for a little more clearance, and mount recovery eyes where suitable.
One day there will be pics.