Aries 3064 Full Brushguard Review - 2011 F250 Lariat

[IronCobra]

So I was able to install my new Aries 3064 Brush guard on my 2011 F250 this past weekend. Here are my thoughts on this.
I chose this product over the Ranch Hand Legend series because I prefer the open grill look of this Aries better. I’m not a big fan of the punch plate that covers the big shinny Ford grill. Also, I prefer the way the sides curve to match the headlight profile better than the RH. I was able to actually see the quality of both at the shop. They had a damaged version of each that had been cut in half to show the different. The RH definitely wins here. The steel is not as big in diameter but is thicker (probably around 16awg vs 18awg with the aries. The RH is much heavier as well and has several areas that are reinforced vs. the Aries. The Aries does offer better headlight protection in terms of actually protecting the headlight from brush that may scratch or damage it. The Aries is also more likely to deflect rocks because of the cage that offers more coverage.
I don't believe either will really offer much protection against a hard impact or a side impact. They both are designed to stop brush and bushes from damaging your front end. They aren’t designed to prevent a 300lb deer or another car from damaging your car.
I prefer how the RH's reinforcement mounts are attached to the bottom of the frame. Though they both mount to the front of the frame, the Aries uses reinforcement brackets that are installed at the top rear of the bumper (to the actual bumper). This causes more movement than the RH.

Installation notes: The Aries was very simple to install ONCE you get the brackets on. The reinforcement brackets were a PITA because the 2 bolts you need to access are on the back of the bumper and you only have about 1.5" of space to work with. You will definitely want to get under the front of the bumper instead of trying to fit your hand behind the bumper from the front. After that it is about a 30 min install.

Overall, I definitely prefer the look, fit, and design of the Aries but prefer the reinforcement mounting, structure, and tube awg of the RH.
Both are very nice and will do exactly what they are designed to do.
BTW, I will be LineXing mine to match the trim in the next few weeks.

What you should pay for each
Ranchhand Legend Full brushguard (Not bumper replacement): $495
Aries Offroad 3064 1-Piece Brushguard (Black): $399
Aries Offroad 3064-2 1-Piece Brushguard (Stainless): $699

[weymard]

Nice looking, I would prefer in chrome but like this it's better looking than mine.

[TrickTruck]

if they aren't designed to protect you from deer and other cars, what are they designed for?

[IronCobra]

Originally Posted by TrickTruck

if they aren't designed to protect you from deer and other cars, what are they designed for?

I'm not trying to be a smarta** when I say this.....but it's a "brush" guard.

brush - definition of brush by the Free Online Dictionary, Thesaurus and Encyclopedia.
brush: A dense growth of bushes or shrubs

Brushguard: Designed to prevent front-end scratching caused by driving through high brush, hence the synonym "brush guard". In recent years, however, the term "brush guard" has been repurposed to apply to the headlight-covering portion as well.



Other than a full bumper replacement, hitting a several hundred pound deer (or several thousand lb car) a brushguard won't give too much protection.

[fdchief]

Very nice cant wait to see it line x'd..