Roll Cage Design

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KrazyKarl

Dents are cool right?
Location
SLC
Yea if your rig is multi use at all, an x on the b pillar to the floor is supper sucky. It makes it impossible to use the back seat and your passengers are going to bang their legs all up if you did roll. On a recreational crawler the behind the seat x is completely unnecessary. Imho
 

RockMonkey

Suddenly Enthusiastic
Yea if your rig is multi use at all, an x on the b pillar to the floor is supper sucky. It makes it impossible to use the back seat and your passengers are going to bang their legs all up if you did roll. On a recreational crawler the behind the seat x is completely unnecessary. Imho

I'd also say this is a really good example of a concession that is often made in recreational rigs to keep the rig useable. Many of us (including me) are rolling around with verticalish B pillars and little or no triangulation between them. That's the reason my cage is welded in so many places to the roof. In order to push it sideways it would have to bend the a, b, and c pillars (including the X in the C pillars), as well as all of the factory pillars. It's not that I have "no clue" about proper design, but rather I made a decision to have a marginally weaker cage in order to maintain usability of the rear passenger area, and the ability to recline the front seats.
 

cheepin

Active Member
Location
Parachute Co.
In his pics earlier in this thread,Eric shows his dash bar is bent down.He was talking about tying the dash bar to the frame.But where do you run it without being in the way of the passenger's feet and legs.In a buggy it would be a little easier,but in a fullbody rig like my CJ.There is just no where to run it.

A X behind side to side at the B pillar is best for sure.But a even just a straight bar side to side helps.Mine will have a X of sorts.

I was asking about the X's in his roof above the front seats that he has running side to side.He said he was having problems bending the upper spreader that runs between the A pillar and B pillar.

Edit:I was answering SLCpunk74's question in post #60.
 
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Erik d_lux

Registered User
Location
Murray, UT
In his pics earlier in this thread,Eric shows his dash bar is bent down.He was talking about tying the dash bar to the frame.But where do you run it without being in the way of the passenger's feet and legs.In a buggy it would be a little easier,but in a fullbody rig like my CJ.There is just no where to run it.

A X behind side to side at the B pillar is best for sure.But a even just a straight bar side to side helps.Mine will have a X of sorts.

I was asking about the X's in his roof above the front seats that he has running side to side.He said he was having problems bending the upper spreader that runs between the A pillar and B pillar.

Edit:I was answering SLCpunk74's question in post #60.
Yeah, the X's above my head have made a big difference.

As for the dash bar... you just have to get creative. Go down and back and have it double as a middle console and then take it up front through the floor boards to the frame??? Depends on the rig. Also I dont think its necessary, neither are the X's above my head. If you roll your rig less than 5 times a year, a basic roll cage will last you a long time. The only reason I did the x's and want to tie in the dash bar is so I dont have to redo my cage all the time from fatigue.
 

slcpunk74

Original Saboteur
Location
WB,UT
In his pics earlier in this thread,Eric shows his dash bar is bent down.He was talking about tying the dash bar to the frame.But where do you run it without being in the way of the passenger's feet and legs.In a buggy it would be a little easier,but in a fullbody rig like my CJ.There is just no where to run it.

Edit:I was answering SLCpunk74's question in post #60.

In most desert(dirty word) rigs they usually go through the dash. If you have the option I say it is a win win.
 

jsudar

Well-Known Member
Location
Cedar Hills
Theory is good in classrooms, books and internet forums, but when it comes down to building an actual cage, most of it goes out the window. If you are building a buggy from scratch, it is a lot easier apply the theory behind building a perfect cage, but you will still have to compromise on some things. Ask anyone who has built one. To retain any functionality in a production vehicle, lots of compromises will have to be made to fit a cage to it.

You have to face the fact that as long as there are rednecks, we are going to see rigs with schedule 80 pipe cages that are JB welded together in all the wrong places. This is ok. It's part of the natural selection process. 4000 years from now, all the people who can't fab a decent cage will have removed themselves from the gene pool.
 

Matt Stevens

Member
Location
Lehi, UT.
I didn't read this entire post but one very important thing to remember is proper tubing size for weight and gussets. also important is proper tube sleaving.

vehicle weight tube dia. wall thickness
upto 2000 lbs. 1.5" .095

2001-2500 lbs. 1.5" .120

2501-3000 lbs. 1.75" .095

3001-4000 lbs. 1.75" .120

over 4000 lbs. 2.0 .120

cages must be made of 4130 chromolly or 1018/1026 CDS/DOM
 

benjy

Rarely wrenches
Supporting Member
Location
Moab
Apples and oranges..? Well as long as the seed it still a live person and the loads are extremely similar why not build things right? Im going to say most and until I see load path being recongnized in 3/5 wheeling style cages I will never say some.

On that note, I'd love to see some pics of cages you've designed and built, show us how its done.

I'm a little confused here, slcpunk... Would you mind expounding on the load path on this project?

slcpunk74 (originally posted on U4x4C) said:
Just finished this for a customer.
DSC01136.jpg


Most of the cage was his design FYI...

DSC01139.jpg



DSC01135.jpg


It is as I said, very intersting. Should be a fun vehicle for him.

Never even said I was a fabricator did I..? There is a right and a wrong way to do things and just because most wheelers flop and don't cartwheel does not mean they shouldn't build something that can actually save a life if something really bad happens. Dead tubes and lack of load path are no harder to avoid then they are to create...

I realize this design was per your "customer's" request (until you are working at, or own a reputable shop, I will continue to use the quotations). However, this cage design does not seem to appropriately represent load path and triangulation that you are so insistent upon using in every cage design.
 

SAMI

Formerly Beardy McGee
Location
SLC, UT
^Holy....

Um, that front bumper design is a major fail. The corners are protected a whopping 0%... Hope he has extra green for a stock pile of extra headlight assemblies, cause there is NO coverage.

I don't really even want to comment on the cage..
 

cruiseroutfit

Cruizah!
Moderator
Vendor
Location
Sandy, Ut
I think this is a prime example of the 'compromises' were were harping about earlier in the thread, in some case the compromise is budget, could be mounting restrictions, could be aesthetics, in this case the compromise was the customers build criteria and pre-conceived design ideas. Your proving my point that while in the 'ideal world' every 4x4 would have a race ready cage.... but in the real world compromises are made to satisfy the variables that exist.
 

slcpunk74

Original Saboteur
Location
WB,UT
^Holy....

Um, that front bumper design is a major fail. The corners are protected a whopping 0%... Hope he has extra green for a stock pile of extra headlight assemblies, cause there is NO coverage.

I don't really even want to comment on the cage..


Hmmm arent you on that team that is racing this weekend?:greg:
 

slcpunk74

Original Saboteur
Location
WB,UT
Does nobody realize that this thread was started by a mod and not me? I did not design that cage, attack me if you will and I will consider the source but times are rough and when I can swallow my pride and make money I will do it. It is just a mall wheeler that he wanted to look the way it is. He loves it and I have told him more times then I can remember that it is unsafe. get off my ass, or ask a couple guys where I live and I will set aside 5 minutes so we can talk...
 

SAMI

Formerly Beardy McGee
Location
SLC, UT
Hmmm arent you on that team that is racing this weekend?:greg:

And?

The bumper design is fine.. except for the fact that it doesn't protect the headlights which i'm sure cost a ton of money to replace.. What does that have to do with Rob's 4runner?
 

slcpunk74

Original Saboteur
Location
WB,UT
And?

The bumper design is fine.. except for the fact that it doesn't protect the headlights which i'm sure cost a ton of money to replace.. What does that have to do with Rob's 4runner?

Its best not to make enemies with other racers faster then yourself...:rofl: Dont address me, on the net, in person, ever.
 
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