Do you like exo cages and why?

Stumpalump · Mar 26, 2008

I have an oportunity to get a nice exo built and was wondering who has one and likes it or who has one and feels they could do with out it. Pros and cons. I like the fact that the rain gutters can be leaned on trees with one but I'm worried all the tubes will do is get hung up, give me over confidence and add weight. What do you think one would weigh? I all ready have a bar inside but it needs more bars to be safer.

SgtJCJ · Mar 26, 2008

Some of the ones I've seen here with the top exposed and the rest hidden inside, I really like. I don't have the experience or the tools to do anything that extensive, but if I did, I would absolutely do one. This is coming from a guy who twisted his unibody on the first time out with an XJ though. If I had a chance, I would.

Goatman · Mar 26, 2008

I don't like exo's, I think most are seriously ugly. On the other hand, I think cages that are just inside the rig don't do enough to protect the rig itself. In a roll, the rig can still get totalled, and many inside cages are too close to the occupants heads which then decreases safety. But, inside cages generally add more chassis rigidity than exo's do.

I'm a big fan of cages with inside down bars and outside roof halos. This gets the best of both worlds, good interior head room, body/roof protection from rocks and trees and rolls, good rigidity, and is better looking without all the tubes on the outside. I also like the A pillar bar on the outside and running down through the fender, which protects the A pillar and windshield and helps with rigidity by moving the A pillar hoop further forward, and you don't have to mess with the dash like on a good interior cage.

gorp · Mar 26, 2008

I like mine. It is not a d/d. It is street able and i do drive it to the trails. I am a big guy and need all the room I can get. I run tube doors with no windows. The family feels safe.

vetteboy · Mar 26, 2008

Goatman said:
I don't like exo's, I think most are seriously ugly. On the other hand, I think cages that are just inside the rig don't do enough to protect the rig itself. In a roll, the rig can still get totalled, and many inside cages are too close to the occupants heads which then decreases safety. But, inside cages generally add more chassis rigidity than exo's do.

I'm a big fan of cages with inside down bars and outside roof halos. This gets the best of both worlds, good interior head room, body/roof protection from rocks and trees and rolls, good rigidity, and is better looking without all the tubes on the outside. I also like the A pillar bar on the outside and running down through the fender, which protects the A pillar and windshield and helps with rigidity by moving the A pillar hoop further forward, and you don't have to mess with the dash like on a good interior cage.

I agree...especially after wheeling last year without an exo. I don't like them either but if you want to wheel and keep decent sheetmetal there's really no alternative.

I think yours might have been the first one I saw with the bars through the fender, which I also like...I'm trying to keep the exo bars to a minimum, both in quantity and distance from the body.

If I were to do the whole thing over again, I would have done a mix of exo and internal bars. I'm going to have a little bit of redundancy on mine, which is another reason I'm minimizing the exo-ness...but for those who don't already have a lot of time and money invested in cage work, it's definitely something to consider.

Stumpalump · Mar 26, 2008

I love the roof protection that provides. How, or do you tie the roof bars directly to the A piller or rain gutters?

FordGuy · Mar 26, 2008

After my last wheeling trip, I would love to figure out a killer clean way to build a simple int cage and have a halo or upper rail running down the gutter. It seems like a lot of damage is in that area.

ddeadserious · Mar 26, 2008

The thing that's cool about exo's, is that you can roll, and if it's a well built cage, you can continue wheeling and the vehicle isn't totalled necessarly. Whereas with interior cages, it protects you, but your rig is pretty much toast afterwards unless it's a total trail rig, or if it's not previously, it will be after which sucks. The cherokee body doesn't really hold well against body damage.

Exos generally look awful, there's only a few I've been impressed by. But I do like half interior/exterior cages like Goatmans and what Vetteboy's got going on.

ktm racer 419 · Mar 26, 2008

i like what has been said so far. a nice subtle exo tied close to the body only in the critical areas such as the roof and fenders, something solid slides through trees and rocks easier than mangled sheet metal. of course tied into a interior cage. I havent built one yet but i fancy these setups:

mattyj · Mar 26, 2008

I have an exo, but i do agree that most are ugly as hell. ( i have moments were i feel that way about mine.) They need to be kept extremly close to the body as so they dont have that jungle gym effect, and to keep from getting hung up on. They also need to be tied into some kind of internal lateral support to avoid being pushed sideways in a roll or flop.
I started mine with the idea of running through the fenders up front, like goatmans, but during the build process i changed my mind and went outside.
So far im happy with how it came out & how it has performed.I kept it super tight to the body. It definately works well sliding off rocks, regardless if that point is your front fender or rear c or d pillar area. I havent tested it in a flop or roll yet (touch wood) but the rigidity increase throughout the whole jeep is amazing.

garomy · Mar 26, 2008

I like the protection on the body from the exo, on mine I have a roll bar on the inside connected to the exo, tubes outside of the windshield and under the fenders connected to the sliders and front bumper "Goatman style". The idea is to protect the body without making it wider.

aparke4 · Mar 26, 2008

i like a good exo - i think for xj's there needs to be one or two hoops inside for the cage to tie into to provide more protection for driver and passenger and more lateral support - all the good ones i have seen have a combo of some inside work tied into exo work

Do you like exo cages and why?

Stumpalump

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SgtJCJ

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Goatman

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gorp

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vetteboy

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Stumpalump

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FordGuy

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ddeadserious

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ktm racer 419

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mattyj

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garomy

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aparke4

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