Rev Den said:
Not to start anything......but this is 180* from what everyone else has been telling me for a month. I am in the proccess of fabbing up a A hoop for mine because of the suggestions those who have rolled them and seen them roll. So, my question is......whats the deal? I had thought that my XJ without a front cage is abouot the same strength as a CJ windshield frame.
Rev (sorry to hijack your thread) Den
Well, I think you've posed a very good question, and I'm surprised no one else has commented yet. To me, the issue is adequate verses ideal, and what the intended goal really is. I think it's very easy for conversations on forums like this to lean towards the ideal, which is more fun and interesting to talk about.
I know people can show pics of caved in roofs, and if you want the perfect cage that will protect you in a hard, 80 mile an hour multiple rollover, you'll need a very well built cage. You'll also need five point harnesses. To me, the truth of the matter is that the XJ does a better than average job of holding together in a roll all by itself. I have seen pics posted of some rolls, I've walked through wrecking yards and seen plenty of rolled XJ's, and my son-in-law rolled his twice at 50+ mph. I've seen amazingly little distortion of the roof structure and pillars in all of the XJ rollovers that I've seen. To me, this means that adding just a B pillar hoop, tied into the shoulder harness bolts, would add a fair amount of saftey. From there, the more that is added, the safer it becomes.......as far as maintaining the integrity of the structure in a rollover is concerned. We have to remember that the real danger is the people inside hitting the inside structure of the vehicle. So, if we're really talking safety, we have to talk about the loacation of the cage bars, how they are padded, and the seats and seat belts/harness that are used.
The other thing that's important to talk about is exactly what type of rollover are we building for. It would take little extra structure to adequately protect in the typical, slow speed trail rollover. It would take more to protect in a violent roll down a steep hill that meant multiple, backwards rolls. Are we talking about a roll in the desert or woods going 40 to 50 mph on the way back from running a trail, or are we talking about a 70 mph roll on the highway.
Then, are we talking about the passengers surviving, or are we talking about the whole rig surviving with minimal damage. Do we want the rig to be able to survive a slow trail roll with little or no damage, or do we want it to survive a violent, downhill roll with little or no damge.
These are questions that we have to answer for ourselves when we're deciding on how elaborate, and strong, to build a rollcage. Those posing concerns or making comments need to allow for what the owners intended purpose of the cage really is.
There is also the concept that if you're going to do something, you might as well do it right.......but right when it comes to modifying vehicles again comes back to what's adequate and what's ideal, and to the goals and budget of the builder.