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TOTM: Rollcages

can we talk materials? without digging up the endless dom vs crew vs hrew debate PLEASE

what would you guys consider a must for tube size and wall thickness? I am planning my cage right now, and would like some advice. I was thinking of going 1.75 for the main parts of the cage itself and the x bars of the b pillar bracing, and using 1.5 for the bracing, engine cage, and bumpers... along with any additional tube that is not a part of the passenger protection.

basically creating a section of 1.75 around the "cockpit" and using smaller tube elsewhere to save weight. What are the advantages/disadvantages of doing something like that?
 
GrimmJeeper said:
...,basically creating a section of 1.75 around the "cockpit" and using smaller tube elsewhere to save weight,...
Click to expand...
nothing wrong with that. Even the sanctioning bodies don't spec. tube size for the ends of the car. Just the passenger cage structure.
If you're not planning on competition, 1.5 throughout would be OK. Until a rule change a few year ago, 1.5" tube was Score-legal for a Cherokee.
 
tbburg said:
nothing wrong with that. Even the sanctioning bodies don't spec. tube size for the ends of the car. Just the passenger cage structure.
If you're not planning on competition, 1.5 throughout would be OK. Until a rule change a few year ago, 1.5" tube was Score-legal for a Cherokee.
Click to expand...

good info, thanks!

I'm not planning on fitting into a class or racing, but i do like to go fast and am getting old enough that I am starting to think about being safe while I do it ;)
 
A couple years ago I bent a 1.5 OD tube for the B pillar hoop of a Cherokee cage and I scrapped it because it looked too small. I have seen a Jeepspeed or 2 that are built of 1.5 OD but I think 1.75 is the standard.

Fwiw my central 4 point cage is 1.75 OD as are the winshield tube and harness bar. My "X" brace above and behind the seats are 1.5 OD. Door bars and engine cage are 1.25"
 
I wouldn't worry about doing it in 1.5 .120 if it's not going to race. My buggy is built out of 1.5 and it's been over a number of times, once pretty hard, though never at speed. Many rock buggies are 1.5, though with KOH there is a trend to go with 1.75 in the main passenger areas to meet race sanctioning body rules. The XJ already has a body, so you're adding to that existing structure which helps. I think using DOM over HREW would add more strength than going 1.75 over 1.5. As you know, design and triangulation mean more than tube diameter. I'd use 1.5 DOM over 1.75 HREW. Straight bars won't collapse, so it's a matter of a tube bending in and causing deflection of the tube around it.

The only way you'll really know is to build two of them and then go crash them hard and compare. :D
 
I agree with what Goatman is saying. A poorly designed 2" OD chromoly cage can fail where a properly designed 1.5" OD mild steel cage won't.

I generally tell people if you are building Jeepspeed-type vehicle/cage to use 1.75" OD tube in case you someday want to race SCORE or you sell your car and the new buyer wants to race SCORE.
 
chris_amrein said:
I agree with what Goatman is saying. A poorly designed 2" OD chromoly cage can fail where a properly designed 1.5" OD mild steel cage won't.

I generally tell people if you are building Jeepspeed-type vehicle/cage to use 1.75" OD tube in case you someday want to race SCORE or you sell your car and the new buyer wants to race SCORE.
Click to expand...

X2.

If your racing I would not go smaller then 1 3/4" .120 DOM tubing. But like stated above, a well designed cage is key no matter what size bubing you use.
 
I'm planning on DOM, leaning towards 1.5 now. It should come out pretty well built, the guy building my setup used to build CORR chassis for a living. maybe I'll still do the A pillars and the B hoop in 1.75 just for some added beef. Now I just need to sell off some things i won't be able to use on the new build and start spending every dollar I've got on metal, haha. Not worried about fitting into a class at any later time, I have no interest in racing. I think planning the cage will take more time than the build anyway.

Thanks for the advice guys!
 
Like we've talked about before, make sure you have plenty of head room.
 
chris_amrein said:
I have seen a Jeepspeed or 2 that are built of 1.5 OD but I think 1.75 is the standard.
Click to expand...
Jeepspeed follows the SCORE rule book. A couple years ago(more like 3 or 4), SCORE upped the min. tube size to 1.75, but all the cars built before the rule change were grandfathered in. The Jeepspeeds you see with the 1.5 cages are older cars built before the current regs. were introduced.
 
tbburg said:
Jeepspeed follows the SCORE rule book. A couple years ago(more like 3 or 4), SCORE upped the min. tube size to 1.75, but all the cars built before the rule change were grandfathered in. .
Click to expand...

Cars that raced SCORE and where SCORE tagged where grandfathered. I think the new rule is 1.75 chromolly.
 
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