NowForThe5th wrote:I can't believe I found a picture that shows those holes....but I did. In about 60 seconds.
Look at the brackets in this pic. You can see the slotted holes, which are mirrored in the brackets on the bar. That's obviously so that the bar can be moved around to align with the body. Now look more closely and you'll see two smaller holes, with shiny surfaces where they were drilled. Those holes are 8mm and take an M8 high tensile bolt. (M8 is a metric sized bolt that is 8mm in diameter, not necessarily your friend, although, in this case it could be )
The holes are drilled after the bar is positioned and once the bolts are inserted and tightened up, prevent it from moving in the slots. They also make re-alignment when re-fitting the bar, a breeze.
They don't have to be in any particular spot, location is largely dictated by where you can position a drill. Obviously, though, not too close to any other holes, slots or to an edge.
This pic was taken after I hit a roo and the locating bolts really did their job of stopping the bar from moving. Instead, the force was taken by the bar itself which just bent a wing a bit.
I think that the idea of using M8 bolts is that in a really big collision they would eventually shear off, but would have absorbed a lot of the impact to do so.
My TJM bar has hit numerous kangaroos in my trips to NT and Cape York and as I said before a Toyota Kluger and my bar has not bent or deformed anywhere at all. No need for any repairs at all, so I have to be more than happy with a TJM bar. I also reckon the way the side bars and steps fit makes the whole lot even stronger.
I also knock a hell of a lot of trees over when making tracks where there is none.