Cagey Happenings at URF

[jjvande]

how much extra does all that steel weigh?, rockers, tubes, attachments, and oh yea.. the titanium skidd,,.

 

[MrShoeBoy]

It seems like the A piller for the roll cage has a lot of bends in it where it goes around the dash and then through the floor to the frame. You dont see this as being a potential point in failure? From what I have seen and read, you want the tubes as stright as possable and the whole design to have lots of triangles. I am not trying to pick a fight about whats right or wrong, just wondering why all the bends.

AARON

 

[XJJPR]

It seems like the A piller for the roll cage has a lot of bends in it where it goes around the dash and then through the f`oor to the frame. You dont see this as being a potential point in failure? From what I have seen and read, you want the tubes as stright as possable and the whole design to have lots of triangles. I am not trying to pick a fight about whats right nr wring, just wondering why all the bends.

AARON

I love this one, sorry but if we were all building race cages it WOULD matter
H~uever with the @`ded steel and structure that is there even with the bends it's going to add substantial help to having the roof fold on to your head. Sometimes there are compromises to all designs and the ease of getting in and out sometimes win out in the XJ cage ddsig.& I would rather beable to get in and out in an emergency situation being with my junk or hdlpiNc someone else than the need for 200 mph protection in my 5 mph jeep. Don't forget the majority of us would drive our jeeps without a cage in it on any freway in the world and we have MUCH more potential for harm then, then in a 5 mph roll over. That extra stdel veth the bend will help save your a$$ for what it is built for.

So there isn't a right or wrong just what YOU want in YOUR cage or Jeep whatever it is. No fight thought of.

HTH

hinkley

 

[Beezil]

this is an easy mod to fix the problem of we c door opening forms....

this still makes me crack up

 

[SeanP]

Very nice execution. I really like the rocker tie-ins. Gave me more ideas for when mine gets started (very soon). I want my halo to project out past the rain gutters about 1" so I can get proection there. I definately will use a bolt thru a' la beezils design.

SeanP

 

[MrShoeBoy]

I love this one, sorry but if we were all building race cages it WOULD matter!
However with the added steel and structure that is there even with the bends it's going to add substantial help to having the roof fold on to your head. Sometimes there are compromises to all designs and the ease of getting in and out sometimes win out in the XJ cage design. I would rather beable to get in and out in an emergency situation being with my junk or helping someone else than the need for 200 mph protection in my 5 mph jeep. Don't forget the majority of us would drive our jeeps without a cage in it on any freway in the world and we have MUCH more potential for harm then, then in a 5 mph roll over. That extra steel with the bend will help save your a$$ for what it is built for.

So there isn't a right or wrong just what YOU want in YOUR cage or Jeep whatever it is. No fight thought of.

HTH

hinkley

I understand. I was just wondering what the justifications are for the bends. And as you put it, theres enough steel there to protuct him in a roll. I would want the cage for the street mainly and then for offroad. I see a road roll more severe than offroad BUT that ALL DEPENDS on the suituation. Enough said.

Beezil, that really helps! SO wheres the Sponge Bob on your vehicle.

Thanks,

AARON

 

[FarmerMatt]

Oh Man... I was really looking forward to giving you hell about JB welding the roof to the cage, but now... I can't even give you hell about using your rockers / doors on an obsticle anymore. That's alright, we'll always having your driving to make fun of. BTW your wifes welding is looking quite nice.

Matt

 

[Lupine]

It seems like the A piller for the roll cage has a lot of bends in it where it goes around the dash and then through the floor to the frame. You dont see this as being a potential point in failure? From what I have seen and read, you want the tubes as stright as possable and the whole design to have lots of triangles. I am not trying to pick a fight about whats right or wrong, just wondering why all the bends.

AARON

I understand the concern, and frankly, the WCGIC has gone around this topic around the campfire too many times to count. It all boils down to a compromise. I want my wife and myself to be able to get in and out quickly. We use this vehicle on almost as many hunting trips as 4 wheeling trips. The kind of bird hunting we do requires getting in and out of the vehicle a whole bunch. Access is key.

There is another facet I should mention. This chassis is built with chassis stiffness and longevity as the first and foremost considerations. The roll-over protection is an ancillary benefit. I have never felt unsafe in an XJ, they are designed to meet NHTSA standards for highway travel at high speeds, so a rollover at crawling speeds or even a complete ball-up at desert speed in a cageless XJ does not bother me. The cage only adds to my comfort level, and means I can beat up on the WCGIC when racing back to camp.

After 9 years of building and wheeling XJ's, I have learned one thing very well:

XJ's are disposable vehicles. You build them, you wheel them, they fall apart. If I can get 5 years out of the new chassis, I will be ecstatic. Clean (almost) rust-free XJ's are a dime a dozen out West, so you can always find a "new" chassis dirt cheap. Wish it wasn't this way, but there it is.

CRASH

PS. A close up of the kickers everyone seems to dig. They are 1.5" x 3" x .120" wall, cut at a diagonal, such that the intact wall is on the bottom. To the top is welded a piece of 2" x .188" wall strap, leaving enough room to weld the 1.5" tube nicely. They are about 11" long across the top.

Blurry pic:

 

[MrShoeBoy]

Thanks crash, thats all I was wondering about.

AARON

 

[MountaineerMac]

Looks good so far. Nice to see some new cage/rocker ideas.

 

[SeanP]

Blurry pic:

[/QUOTE]

looks like a nice triangle. I looked at the floor of my 97 and it is anything but a straight edge going from the "frame" out past the rockers. How did you deal with this? Just weld whatever flat spots you could and fill in the gaps with the MIG?

Sean

 

[CRASH]

Blurry pic:

looks like a nice triangle. I looked at the floor of my 97 and it is anything but a straight edge going from the "frame" out past the rockers. How did you deal with this? Just weld whatever flat spots you could and fill in the gaps with the MIG?

Sean[/QUOTE]

The floor offers so little structural support it's hardly worth worrying about. We "fixed it" as best we could with a 3 lb sledge, and then ran some stitches.

CRASH

 

[Jes]

SpongeBob approves!

Jes

 

[CRASH]

I concur with SB's choice of beverage.

CRASH

 

[ashmanjeepxj]

I know your only going hunting and stuff, but make some triangulation in your roof rack

I know your not done, neither am I (no triangulation yet), but mine will have LOADS of trangles, x-s, and gussets when done.

I also dont like the bend at the bottom of your hops tieing into your frame. You could run a piece of tube from the middle of your bend out to the slider If I can picture you design well.. that should help take stress off that weld and help prevent that bend from further bending and letting that hoop push down in a roll. If It bend down in a roll the weld would rip. A good desing limits the stress on welds and puts the stress on the tube... IF you NEED to have a high stress weld like you have there, then it should be gusseted.

I build cages for a different kinda wheelin so HTH.

 

[Safari Ary]

I build cages for a different kinda wheelin so HTH.

Dave, I hope your entire post was a joke...

Andy may use his Jeep for a hunting truck, but I wouldn't exactly call him a timid or mild wheeler

 

[Beezil]

triangles are pretty

 

[CRASH]

I build cages for a different kinda wheelin so HTH.

Really? What kind of wheeling would that be?

CRASH

 

[CRASH]

You're not picturing my design well. Please re-read this entire thread. Only one tube has a J-hook, the C-pillar. It is welded to plate, which is then welded to the frame rail with 12 inches of bead. There is a triangle on the inside to keep the bend from tearing out the floor in a roll, 10 inches of weld bead. In fact, the tube with a bend actually will help to absorb some impact in a roll, without compromising chassis stiffness. In fact given the relative flexiness of the J-hook compared to a tube with a straight shot, the welds take relatively LESS stress. Think of it as a crumple zone, spreading the impact load over a greater time frame as the pre-bent tube flexes, and eventually bends.

CRASH

I also dont like the bend at the bottom of your hops tieing into your frame. You could run a piece of tube from the middle of your bend out to the slider If I can picture you design well.. that should help take stress off that weld and help prevent that bend from further bending and letting that hoop push down in a roll. If It bend down in a roll the weld would rip. A good desing limits the stress on welds and puts the stress on the tube... IF you NEED to have a high stress weld like you have there, then it should be gusseted.

 

[XJJPR]

CRASH,

You have used just way too much tubing and have done way too much welding on your junk. You should just cut it all off and go to the mall, because your just a P***y web wheeler!

hinkley