Roll Bar / Brush Bars:
We had been toying with the idea of extra protection in the form of a roll bar in case we had a bad day. After some discussion with Rick, he suggested a separate internal roll bar (to stop us getting killed in a roll-over) and external brush bars (to take those everyday knocks, scrapes and bumps you get in supermarket carparks...)
So, now we have brush bars running from the bottom of the A-Pillar up to the roof, along the edge of the roof line and to the end of the C-Pillar.
... and an internal 4 point roll bar - remember us taking out the rear seats for more room? And for the more refined amongst you, it is painted daffodil yellow. A sort of colour scheme that started with the OME shocks/struts.
Also in this photo you can see the seat covers - made up out of heavy duty canvas.
Collectively, the different bit of armour have changed our driving. Instead of avoiding getting too close to trees and the like to avoid panel damage, we find we can now take better lines closer to such trees without fear of damage from tickling the tree itself. And that better line can mean you don't touch anyway - it is often a confidence factor.
And the skid plates - we actually pirouetted the truck on rocks with the skid plates in a few places on the Westport tracks to get a better line along the track, especially on Tailings. Front diff is protected. Gearbox is protected. Transfer case is protected. You plan on dragging the rear diff a little, but can usually avoid direct contact with the diff head.
