cage pics??

i've got an oppurtunity to get a cage bent up for me somewhat cheap, but i'd like to see what everyone else has done before i try and get it done. problem is, the guy is saying two down tubes and two spreaders. the down tubes will go from the sport bar down to the floor and spreaders will span the dash. i'm not too excited about the idea... would rather have a bar going across the windshield and then spreaders back to the sport bar.

anyone got some pics of their cages handy?? i'm just trying to get an idea of what everything looks like. i'm obviously biased, but have never seen the style the guys talking about on an early sport bar.

 

yeh i know what you are talking about. i have seen both done, but heres my 2cents. mine has the hoop around the windshield with three kickers going back to the main hoop behind the seats. it was done this way as the race rules here spec this type of cage. :?

 

The type of cage that your cage guy is describing works a lot better if you get near trees. Most of the cages that guys in my club are building now are like what you describe.

 

This is my setup. I used to have the rear bar that goes down at an angle in the rear (sports bar style). Since I have kids riding in back, I felt better about having the rear hoop. I really should add in front spreaders on each side too, instead of just the inside ones.HTH

 

The style that the guy wants to build for you is much easier to make, but doesn't look "normal" in an early '5. It also isn't as strong in a sideways roll, but it will take almost a fall off a cliff to really hurt it if it is built well witha good CREW or DOM tubing.

I run that style on my TJ, and it is much better for sliding on trees, but a good set of outer speaders that have kicks in each end where they hit the main hoops will work as well or better and give more room next to your head.

 

Here's a cage I did for a friend's '5. He wanted rear seat protction for his daughters, but I was able to convince him to put in a front hoop. Unfortunately, I could talk him into the outer spreaders, and he gets it caught on trees all the time, as well as having no protection for the side of his head.



This is kinda what I am talking about with the outer spreaders, but these go completly outboard of the windhield frame and top for a Land Rove D90 style exo cage.

 

This is my cage. 3 full hoops and the front and rear seats and 4 pt harnesses are part of the cage. The back is reinforced with a diagonal sinc ethe kids are always back there. It has survived several rollovers, my main complaint is the way the hoops catch trees when you are passing them off camber.

 

Chuck do you have or could take some more pics of your cage from different angles. your set up is the best I have seen in awhile. I like the idea of the seats tied into it. I will be installing a cage next year and I need to re-mount my seats. I would like to maybe do something like yours.

Thanks, Tim

 

ok stupid question? wouldnt the front hoop get caught on trees anyway?

 

The cage mentioned in the first post doesn't have a front hoop, just a couple of downbars with bends in them, tied together.

Here's one of my TJ with the windsheild off, it will give you an idea why it does well against trees.



This is how most TJ and YJ cages are made.

The front hoop doesn't usually catch too easily on a CJ cage, unless you are backing up while laying against a tree and don't have outer spreaders as shown on the Scrambler.

 

...and don't get me started on the passenger.

 

ok now i feel dumb, forgot new jeeps have serious rake in the windshield.

 

There's a few more shots here:
http://www.oldjeep.com/current.htm

It's set up like that because even if the cage separates from the rest of the jeep in a violent roll, the occupants shold be OK

 

the ideas is to finish up with something similar to chuck's, but i need to start somewhere. and since someone else said they would fund this part (within reason) it's time to start thinking about putting it in. i have to say though, i don't really want to go with the 2 downtubes. it'd have four spreaders anyway (two on the outside edges of the bikini top and 2 in the middle to keep the bikini top up during the rain... and hopefully keep the windshield off my head if it ever gets hit one day). i've already emailed the guy about getting tubing bent up that way and asked a pal if he knew anyone with a tubing bender... i would much rather do everything myself just to say i did it. i'm sure you guys would understand that.

 

a naive question but what OD and gauge of tubing does everyone recommend?

 

i believe the cages being built around here are 1.75" od, and if you really felt like safety was a must 2" od can be built... but that's jus tthe jist i get from the local guys around here

 

1.75 with a .120 wall is about right. Any bigger on the diameter, and you will have a harder time finding shoes with a small enough radius to make tight bends in the main hoop.

The wall thickness is a good balance between strength and weight.

 

Most of the cages we build in my club are 2" .120 wall. The main part of my cage is all 2" .120 DOM, the seat mounting structure is 1.5" x .180 HREW

 

thanks. i have a cage from the po but it seems a little "thin" to me. i'll measure it today.

 

Yes, but they are concerned about weight and have to replace those tubes in the event of a crash. If you look at a nascar cage you will see that they are running 20 times more tube than even my cage They will work fine once, but are likly to tweak.