ROLL CAGE MATERIAL

[muddydisco]

What's the size of the tube that they use for roll cages. Is it easy to bend

cheers

[datalas]

What's the size of the tube that they use for roll cages. Is it easy to bend

cheers

Err... no, not really, if it was then it wouldn't be much of a roll cage :D

[muddydisco]

What's the size of the tube that they use for roll cages. Is it easy to bend

cheers

Err... no, not really, if it was then it wouldn't be much of a roll cage :D

Will it bend with a 6 ton bender

[smo]

Dont make a cage yourself, it needs to be designed properly, braced properly and welded to an axcellent standard, the chassis mounts MUST be beefy and the tubing needs to be of correct spec otherwise you are wasting money and risking your life with somthing that could fail when you really need it.

[chris9119]

Do a search on here....., theres been loads on roll cages....

Look at the ARC/MSA sites, they have specs. for cages....

For what they cost already made, itr ain't worth doing it yourself.

Again, search on roll cages, theres some good bargains out there.

Chris

[rollazuki]

Proper Dom or better roll cage tube will tie itself in knots with a 6 ton bender. The dies are the wrong sizes. However, pipe, or structural hrew pipe will fit the appropriate dies, and can be used.

To be fair, can u weld? If you need to ask the question, Id say start on a bumper or something less structural, learn what bends/welds, and what doesnt, before embarking on a cage.......

[paul_humphreys]

Do a search on here....., theres been loads on roll cages....

Look at the ARC/MSA sites, they have specs. for cages....

For what they cost already made, itr ain't worth doing it yourself.

Again, search on roll cages, theres some good bargains out there.

Chris

I agree, I use to be a welder, I got a price of £700 fully fitted and painted from www.whitbread-offroad.co.uk for a roll cage for my 110. So I am not even bother trying myself.

Paul

[jjsaul]

i was looking at a 12ton bender with 2inch dies...im assuming that would be ok for 50mm seamless?
i have a mate who is an excellent welder (been doing it professionally for about 20 yrs)...

[Terranosaurus]

i was looking at a 12ton bender with 2inch dies...im assuming that would be ok for 50mm seamless?

No it will ovalise the tube even more than usual taking all the strength out of it. For instance the MSA sets a 0.9 ratio as max allowable ovalisation. Whilst you might not need your cage to be to MSA spec they are a good set of guidelines to follow.

Q1.3. Material Specifications
Specifications of the tubes used:
Minimum Material
Cold Drawn Seamless Carbon Steel
Minimum Yield Strength
350 N/mm2
Minimum Dimensions (Ø in mm)
45x2.5 or 50x2.0
38x2.5 or 40x2.0 (For roll cages/bars approved
prior to 1.1.95)
In selecting the steel, attention must be paid to obtaining good elongation properties and adequate weldability. The tubing must be bent by a cold working process and the centreline bend radius must be at least three times the tube diameter. If the tubing is ovalised during bending, the
ratio of minor to major diameter must be 0.9 or greater.

[rollazuki]

a 'pipe' bender with a 2" die, is to bend a 2" nominal bore pipe. This has an outside diameter of about 2 1/2" (just under).
Thus, if you dump 50mm tube(outside diameter) in the 2" die, it WILL kink.

Borrow/blag a bender, and buy some pipe(not tube) and practise. You might be a dab hand, I wasnt, and had to pack with gravel, make multiple bends, and all sorts of stuff, but after a while, you get to the point where you are happy to make something you might let your mates see.(without fear of derision and laughter!!)

On the flip side, pony up 900 quid, buy a JD tube bender, and some 50mm DOM tube, and create a masterpiece.(I know Id like to)

Like I said before, practise on easier stuff. You have net access, check out what the bender is meant to bend, check out how pipe and tube differ in dimensions and capabilities. Be amazed how expensive DOM tube actually is :shock:

Rolla

[jjsaul]

cheers sptb and rolla...will bear that in mind...i'm planning to start looking at options over the next month or so once ive finished for the summer and have time to work on the cars  :D

[rollazuki]

to be honest mate, theres a lot of bobbins spoken about metal tubes and pipes. Yes if you are making a competition high speed cage you need the best, but in a lot of ways, for a 4x4 a heavier thicker walled pipe will suffice. If its an external cage, then it dents less easily than a thin walled high spec tube. Problem is, if you lean your high spec tube cage on a tree and dent it, then you have created a point where it can fold, and suddenly its strength is much reduced.

We are usually talking about slow rolls and flops. Ive said before, an ally landy roof could be improved strength wise by pvc pipe, never mind steel. Id guess an improvement would be hard to avoid.

The exo I built on the zook was my first attempt. Its built using pipe, and a nasty 'ol bender, and Id do a few things differently if I were to go again, but Its soooo much stronger than the soft top zook it covers, and can slide along trees, and be leant on with impunity.
Like I said, practice, its worth wasting some pipe/tube to see how bends work out, wether you need to pack em with gravel/sand, wether you can actually make bends tight enough to build the cage you design. I know I couldnt, and redesigned to stay within constraints of my abilities/equipment.

Pm me if you want any ideas.

Rolla