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Thread: What tubing size for roll cage ?

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Dec 2006
    Location
    Oxford, Ohio 45056
    Posts
    175

    Default What tubing size for roll cage ?

    What wall thickness and diameter tubing have the guys been using for a roll cage in the M715 cabs ?

    Thanks
    Chris

  2. #2

    Default

    I made mine out of 1-3/4 .120 wall DOM
    Fogot the material, think its 1018. Mine isn't completly done but the main cage is mostly there, I have the sandwich the body and then go to the frame approach. I bought 4"x4"x3/16" plates with holes drilled in the corners for like 2 bucks a piece. Mine also bolt to the frame rather than welding so it can be removed.

  3. #3

    Default

    I was going to ask the same question, as I'm currently building my bender and going to order the die and tube. It appears that the most commonly used is 1-3/4 x 3/16" wall. Does anyone think 3/16 wall is too much? Will 1/8" be adequite?

    I also have not decided if I'm going to go with ERW, DOM, or Chromoly. I'm getting a price quote on the various types right now to see which one I want to go with (I mean which one I can afford).
    68 M-715
    67 M-725

  4. #4

    Default

    I think my 1-3/4x.120 was 4-5 bucks a foot, Chromoly is about 3 times the price. Also bending my tube with a manual bender was workout and a half, I have bent a lot of smaller/thinner tubing in the past and this stuff was stiff. My die set cost over 300 bucks, stuffs not cheap. I bought 5 20-footers I've only used about half of it, Im going to make rock rails out of the rest.

  5. #5

    Default

    This pic is from a few months ago before finish welding/paint.


  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Location
    China Lake Naval Base, SoCal
    Posts
    222

    Default

    1 3/4" is popular. I help build the baja race frames, and most are built from 1 1/2" diameter DOM. I bought a hossfeld bender that has the hydraulic ram with a manual control. I have die sets for 1, 1 1/8, 1 1/4, 1 1/2 and 2 1/2" dia tubing. All but the 2 1/2 die set cost around $300 each, the 2 1/2 was $1000.

    I don't know what style bender you are building RP, but I would pattern one after the hossfeld so you can use premade tooling. Check their site out. You can you it like a brake for flat, bend square tubing, angle channel and solid bar.

    http://www.hossfeldbender.com/

    Most praxair weld supply stores are dealers for the tooling. Back to the thread....

    I will build mine from 1 1/2" DOM, .120 wall it is great for the benders, it doesn't crack at the welds, (like welded tubing) when the truck is rolled or while being bent. CroMo is strongest and most expensive, and is getting harder to get.

    I would like to build mine to bolt into the frame so I can use the stock soft top without pulling the roll bar off and putting the window frames in. Don't know if it is possible, but that is the plan.

    I like some of the other trucks designs I have seen... Pictures would be great of those that are done.
    Go Ahead, Make my day

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Dec 2003
    Location
    Lone Pine, CA
    Posts
    451

    Default

    Mine is 2x.120 DOM. Before adding tubes into the bed, mine would fit inside the stock soft top bows and canvas. With the top up, you wouldn't know the cage was there. It'll still work with stock stuff with some modifications to the soft top, which will be done when I get a new top.

    Chris

  8. #8

    Default

    2" 120 wall DOM is what I used.

    In years past there's been a few disagreements over the necessity of DOM...some guys think ERW is "Good enough" and have had good luck with it so far.

    I was recently over at a friends house to look at his "new to him" CJ5. First thing he showed me was something I've preached about in the past. One piece of the ERW tube had split full length right along the weld from the twisting of the chassis while driving/wheeling the Jeep. This is an older cage, and it's on a 79 CJ5 which was wheeled extensively by it's preivious owner...so it's been around the block and abused. ERW may do the trick short term, but what happens if you make it 8 years before you roll over.

    It does cost roughly 25% more for the tube...maybe another $100 for a simple in cab cage.
    This post is closed-captioned for the hearing impaired.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    Atlanta, Ga.
    Posts
    369

    Default

    As already stated... 1.75" .120 wall DOM is the way to go. I've built a lot of cages (none in 715's yet though). It's the standard out there. You can go 2" in the bed but I personally thing inside the cab it looks goofy.

  10. #10

    Default

    I really question the ERW splitting down the weld, there would have to be a shearing load on opposing sides of the weld which is very difficult since its a tube. I bet there are some failues with ERW when its used as a pressure vessel like a high pressure water pipe or something. When I have used ERW for small buggy cages I usually put the seam on the inside of the bend so I'm not strectching the welded area. Also if your using tubing inserts/bungs its a pain since you have to grind down a little bid of the ID of the tube.

    For those who are wondering:

    DOM - Drawn Over Mandrel (Tubing is drawn through a Die which helps to work harden the tube also, no seam)
    ERW - Electric Resistence Weld (Either Hot or Cold Rolled flat stock which is welded)

    Some racing classes to require slightly thicker tubing which is ERW since the cross section of an ERW tube is not as consistent as other seamless processes. Id agree with Strong Enough unless your making them Torsion bars or how ever this one guy got one to split down the seam.

    -Scott

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