Grill Guard - Why You Need One

[Houston54]

I had thought about installing a guard on my 03 Suburban for some time but kept putting it off. This lack of decision cost me last week during a Kansas hunting trip when a large doe ran across the highway and I t-boned it at 65 MPH.

With a guard the truck probably could have withstood the impact but without it the results were terminal. Grill and lights gone, Radiator, condensor, oil cooler, core support wiped out, bumper creased, hood dented by the pelvic and shoulder bones, right fender buckled, trans cooler lines sheared but the truck absorbed the impact with hardly a shudder.

Did not have a chance to go back and inspect the deer as I had to go 1/4 mile before I could find enough shoulder to get out of the way of the cattle trucks.

If you have a truck and drive in open country with large deer population you should have some protection up front. Do not waste your money on a cheap style grill. The $500 you spend now will save you plenty should you meet a deer or other four legged animal by accident.

[bpeters5814]

I agree. My cousin, who is an idiot, was driving his Dad's truck and rear ended a parked pickup at 40mph. Luckily, no one was hurt. The truck my cousin was driving had a heavy duty grill guard. The truck he was driving only needed a new front bumper and grille. The other truck was totaled.

We have a lot of deer out here, so I've been looking into a grill guard. Then again, with 165000 miles and the title in hand, maybe I should be looking for deer to hit...

Glad to hear no one was hurt, though. Hope everything works out ok for you.

[bwood]

A guy I used to work with hit a deer going 70 in his Jeep Cherokee. It had a guard on it when he got it and he removed it because "it was ugly" (it really was). It was a glancing hit, so he kept driving. He figured he was ok, it only knocked out the headlight and "splashed some water on the windsheild". The water was coolant and refrigerant. He drove 3 more miles with the coolant light on and only stopped when the temp shot up and the engine died. The insurance worked him over pretty good as he didn't stop, they claimed the engine damage was his fault for not stopping. With the gaurd, he might have been ok, who knows?