Cage construction

When looking into the entire roll cage issue, it becomes evident there are a lot of schools of thaught.
The halo, supported along the pilllars.
The pillar hoops, connected by stanctions along the roof line.
Combos. A pillar loop with 'U' roof line supported with b and c legs....
Etc. Etc.

What were the issues you ran into building your cages?
My rig will be full bodied, well, almost full bodied.
At present I am thinking of building using a combo approach.
A hoop with a 'U' shaped roof, with supports on the b and c pillars then running angled supports to the above the rear leafs.

If it helps, I'm not new to cage building. I know how to build a cage that will allow for 360* welds along each section. Although I have never built a cage for a Cherokee.

Don't give me too much crap about searching, I'm a cripple for a few more days and sitting in front of this computer hurts my back!!


TIA

Rick

If you are familiar with cage building then this should be no different. the vehicle really does't matter. you just building a structure that will absorb and dispurse forces. strength is #1 and then looks. What other kind of work have you done and what type of work are you familiar with? Every body has there own style.

ROCKREADYXJ said:

If you are familiar with cage building then this should be no different. the vehicle really does't matter. you just building a structure that will absorb and dispurse forces. strength is #1 and then looks. What other kind of work have you done and what type of work are you familiar with? Every body has there own style.

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My background is in dune buggy fabrication. I'm not sure I could agree with the statement that the vehicle really doesn't matter. My sand car frames need to support everything. A cage installed on, lets say a truck frame, should be designed for roll over type impacts. Let the factory frame do the support work.

Now a Cherokee...
Different story alltogether.
But I supose I was asking 'Where were you running into problems with your design?'

Let me elaborate;
When using a halo. Did you find it difficult to locate the pillar supports? More so than building a 'pillar loop' type construction?
When building a pillar loop cage, did you run into issues with getting quality 360* welds?
How about Left and Right side loop construction?

I have seen many pictures of all three type cages built into Cherokees. Most threads just show 'What I have done.' photos. Not 'look how this one is built'
Or 'How this one is built.'

This is what I am thinking.
Since I work alone I need to keep the sections smaller, to this end I won't be building a Left/Right side loop frame.
I will be building an A pillar loop, using a 3/4 halo roof line hoop, tied into B and C pillar legs. From there I will run angled supports to the top of the rear shackle mounts....

Hmmm.....I guess I am set on this design....UNLESS someone has tried this and found it to be not compatable with a Cherokee.....

Rick

I did a combination design like you are talking about, and it worked out well. Here are some pictures of how it turned out. http://community.webshots.com/album/559055685quGgOs

i dont know if you are planing a dash forward section, but i can say that i have alot of cracks, some were quite large and that amongst other things kinda forced me to get drastic. the dash forward can get tricky but after seeing the hidden damage that the desert had put on my rig, i didnt have an option. ive bobbled thru the woops and i have gotten air, but i have never jumped this thing.
i also feel that tying the roof to the cage is important in some of our well beaten rigs.
These are things that are commonly pushed aside for what ever reason.
FWIW tying the cage to a unibody presents different challenges, the body is structural, and generally thicker, making tie ins more effective , and then of course the flimsy frame-ish thing......

This seems like as-good-a place as any to ask this (since it's mentioned in the initial post)... does a halo need to have 4 rounded corners to be effective? Can it have 2 round corners and 2 squared corners (meaning two tube ends are exposed), like a giant "U" shape with a cross piece across the top.
Billy

JeepFreak21 said:

This seems like as-good-a place as any to ask this (since it's mentioned in the initial post)... does a halo need to have 4 rounded corners to be effective? Can it have 2 round corners and 2 squared corners (meaning two tube ends are exposed), like a giant "U" shape with a cross piece across the top.
Billy

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I suppose as soon as you have an open end, its no longer a halo. U shapes work fine as long as they are properly supported. Even my design will probably have three U shaped sections.


I had some scrap tubing so I started working out the A piller.....or is that pillar? Now I'm thinking.....differently....I'll post up some pictures tomarrow.

Rick

Jump this (sorry don't know your real name)

As far as a rol cage goes its not really suposed to support the frame or the front end or the rear end the real and intended purpose is to protect the occupant in the event of a crash or roll over. I said the car dosn't matter because it really does not. The cage should be built so that if the vehicle was totally destroyed around it the cage would be intack and the driver/passengers ok. what you are speaking about and most people try to do is design the entire vehicle to be "a cage" or what is really referd to as a chasis. And when you are building a chasis like that I would take a different approach than building a cage. most guys here are building a cage to save thier truck but that only works to an extent. I like to put a halo over the front two seats a main hoop with no more than 4 bends and I also use the largest diameter dies for mor strength. I like to put an X behind the seat with the one piece going from top driver side to lower passenger side then a 2 piece going the opposite angle. then a 2 piece seat belt bar most of the time throught the middle of the X the 2 down bars from the top to the far back over the skackle then 2 more in a X over the top of the front leaf spring mounts. then I connect all post together with tubing along the floor 4 inches from the bottom.

ROCKREADYXJ said:

Jump this (sorry don't know your real name)

As far as a rol cage goes its not really suposed to support the frame or the front end or the rear end the real and intended purpose is to protect the occupant in the event of a crash or roll over. I said the car dosn't matter because it really does not. The cage should be built so that if the vehicle was totally destroyed around it the cage would be intack and the driver/passengers ok. what you are speaking about and most people try to do is design the entire vehicle to be "a cage" or what is really referd to as a chasis. And when you are building a chasis like that I would take a different approach than building a cage. most guys here are building a cage to save thier truck but that only works to an extent. I like to put a halo over the front two seats a main hoop with no more than 4 bends and I also use the largest diameter dies for mor strength. I like to put an X behind the seat with the one piece going from top driver side to lower passenger side then a 2 piece going the opposite angle. then a 2 piece seat belt bar most of the time throught the middle of the X the 2 down bars from the top to the far back over the skackle then 2 more in a X over the top of the front leaf spring mounts. then I connect all post together with tubing along the floor 4 inches from the bottom.

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AHHHHHH!! An informned opinion!
I'm sure you have noticed that Cherokees need a chassis 'enhancement' more so than most trucks. That is to say how many trucks are unibodies?

I'll be sticking with 1 1/2 .120 for all of the cage. I am curious about the comparison between 2" .090 and the 1 1/2" .120.

Don't read any sarcasim into what I say. I appreciate the input, and I agree with you on most of your ideas.

Thanks

Rick

Rick

I tend to use 1.75 dom on all cages and sometimes some 1.50x.120 or even 1.25x .130 or .090 for bracing only. I have used a combination of 1.75 and just the main hoop behind the seats in 2.0x.102 or even .090.

as far as the chasis stiffening I have been through a few XJ so far and there really is no great way to reenforce. I have been just plating and building an independant cage and then tieing it into the uniframe

This is an MJ I have been working on and I did something very similar in an XJ.

that is some nice tube work, what is the purpose of the rig? If I didn't see that you are in NY I would think it is a Desert racer, nice work!

It is stricktly a rock Crawling buggy.

Damn nice, and beautiful fitting!
I got some rock piles out by my place you might need to try.
You may have heard of Johnson Valley?

Rick

Jump This said:

That is to say how many trucks are unibodies?

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The Honda Ridgeline you're basing your design from? :laugh3:
(Had to do it)

Jump THAT said:

Don't read any sarcasim into what I say.

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I do believe that's a first.

Jump This said:

Damn nice, and beautiful fitting!
I got some rock piles out by my place you might need to try.
You may have heard of Johnson Valley?

Rick

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Someday I will make it out to Johnson valley.

GSequoia said:

The Honda Ridgeline you're basing your design from? :laugh3:
(Had to do it)

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You know that Honda has a cute little tool box built into the bed!

Jump This said:

You know that Honda has a cute little tool box built into the bed!

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Will it fit a wooden creeper?

I for one, would love to see how the tube work on that MJ looks. Maybe even a new thread for that truck?

GSequoia said:

Will it fit a wooden creeper?

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you have to burn it down to ash first

Hey rockready, got any pics of the rear part of the cage and what the bed looks like. I got my hands on a 91 MJ but the bed is shot and I am thinking of building it up with a cage and tube bed out back.

AARON