• Bull bars are an addition to any vehicle (usually a 4-wheel drive truck or sport utility vehicle) that's meant to offer extra protection to the front of the vehicle. Bull bars come in a variety of styles and types, and they add a lot of versatility and protection to a vehicle traveling over rugged terrain.
  
  

Bull Bars

• Traditional bull bars are different from other sorts of protective devices used in Australia. Bull bars tend to cover the entire front of a vehicle, with the bars looping around the bumper, headlights and front grill, and providing an additional shield made of steel bars. These types of bull bars may be given a design similar to the horns of a bull or some other fanciful shape that doesn't take away from the safety it provides to the front end of the vehicle, as well as to the driver and passengers inside.
  
  

Nudge Bars

• Nudge bars are much simpler than bull bars. Nudge bars usually are only two angled bars at the front of the vehicle that may curve around the grille, but more often the nudge bars are installed over the grille. When seen from the front, nudge bars look like nothing more than two, parallel lines. Nudge bars, as the name implies, are for urging large animals or heavy objects out of a vehicle's path. They work similar to a cow pusher that was installed on the front of old steam engines when going cross country.
  
  

Tow Bars

• Tow bars are installed on the rear of a vehicle. The tow bar is like a solid steel bumper that goes over the existing parts of the car. Tow bars provide rear protection as well, in case something bumps into the vehicle or in case the driver has to push something in reverse. The additional benefit is that a tow bar makes it easier to tow a crippled or stuck vehicle, or to winch it out of a ditch or other inescapable formation.