what size pipe
Lead Driver
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 9,236
Likes: 12
From: Senoia, GA
NEVER USE PIPE!!!
HREW will work but DOM is by far the best. .120" wall thickness is what comp rigs run and is highly recommended. if you are going for utmost safety then the best you can buy is encouraged. now if its just for show like a light bar thats a wholllle differnet story.
if you wanna use HREW then you might wanna step up to something like .25 wall thickness. like i said safety is number one in my book and a rollcage is not something you want to skimp on!
also just to clarify things dont use a PIPE bender, use a TUBE bender. the difference is the pipe bender will pinch and flatten the bends and cause the structural integrity to be compromised
thats my .02, i'll be constructing mine from 2" (in diameter) x .120" wall thickness using DOM and i will be including front and rear seat mounts, 5 point harness mounts and fuel cell mount as soon as i get a rolling chassis (hopefully extremely soon since i am almost out of skool for a month)
-cutts-
HREW will work but DOM is by far the best. .120" wall thickness is what comp rigs run and is highly recommended. if you are going for utmost safety then the best you can buy is encouraged. now if its just for show like a light bar thats a wholllle differnet story.
if you wanna use HREW then you might wanna step up to something like .25 wall thickness. like i said safety is number one in my book and a rollcage is not something you want to skimp on!
also just to clarify things dont use a PIPE bender, use a TUBE bender. the difference is the pipe bender will pinch and flatten the bends and cause the structural integrity to be compromised
thats my .02, i'll be constructing mine from 2" (in diameter) x .120" wall thickness using DOM and i will be including front and rear seat mounts, 5 point harness mounts and fuel cell mount as soon as i get a rolling chassis (hopefully extremely soon since i am almost out of skool for a month)
-cutts-
Post Fiend
Joined: Jan 2004
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From: Elkhart IN
im not sure where i read it, but there was a whole write up on cage building, i think it might have been pirate, but they had some very good points on building one, like where ever theres a bend, there needs to be a support for it, as the bend will collapse first.
Post Fiend
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 11,945
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From: Spokane, WA
Originally Posted by fishmanndotcom
NEVER USE PIPE!!!
Yes, DOM is stronger and if cost weren't an issue I'd say that's the way to go. But if you look at some of the rollovers and falls in that thread many of those guys have endured with relatively light pipe I'd say it's plenty safe for most applications and it's a fraction of the price. You can expect to pay anywhere from $500-$1000 in materials for a DOM cage depending on the kind of cage you use and the size tubing you go with.
The general concensus in that thread is that the strength of the cage is far more dependent on the design of the cage itself rather than the material used to make it. Lots of guys have destroyed DOM cages due to poor construction or design.
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Post Fiend
Joined: Jul 2003
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From: Spokane, WA
Originally Posted by fishmanndotcom
NEVER USE PIPE!!!
I typed a reply to this a while ago and it wouldn't post. I think it's because I had a link to a Pirate thread in it. Anyway, go do a search there for "+rollcage +pipe" in the general 4x4 forum. There's about 100 posts on this subject in a thread titled "Schedule 40 pipe for rollcage?". Yes, DOM is stronger but guys have broken DOM cages. A LOT of guys are running pipe cages and giving them terrific beatings and they're holding up fine. The gist of the thread is that pipe is plenty strong enough for a roll cage. The strength of the cage has FAR more to do with the design of it than with the materials used to build it. A poorly built DOM cage will still colapse . . . only it can cost you $500-$1000 to build it. I was always of the "DOM only" school of thought for roll cages until I read that post. There's a lot of good PRACTICAL info there from people who have done it and tested it, endo'd on rocks, you name it.. Then you have your SnoMan posters who will come in and complain that pipe has "X" amount of strength and therefore could never work safely in a roll cage. But those who have put it to the test proved it works fine.
Elder User
Joined: Nov 2005
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Originally Posted by 74 F100 351m
A tig and purg the pipe.
Post Fiend
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 11,945
Likes: 3
From: Spokane, WA
Originally Posted by timberwolf-man
what is dom??
Originally Posted by The SnoMan
A plain wire welder without the gas can do a lice job on pipe/tubing too. If you are going to build a cage out of it and do not have a wire welder, buy one because a arc welder is not the best choice here to weld it with.
Maybe w need to recall all the refineries and tankers out there that used ARC welding on their high pressure plumbing. 
So you suggest that people use a flux core wire feed with **** poor poor penetration over a proper arc wrlder? HIGH amp gas shielded MIG welders are a great choice for the job if available. If not, a proper arc weld is going to be far more reliable and get far better penetration than the flux core wire feed welders. Once again, your misinformation is going to cost somebody dearly. 
Last edited by ivanribic; Dec 5, 2005 at 02:46 PM.
Its Comin Right for us!
Joined: Feb 2005
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From: GA
Originally Posted by ivanribic
Tell this to the guys on Pirate.
I typed a reply to this a while ago and it wouldn't post. I think it's because I had a link to a Pirate thread in it.
I typed a reply to this a while ago and it wouldn't post. I think it's because I had a link to a Pirate thread in it.
whats the deal, we not allowed to link to pirate anymore??
Post Fiend
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 11,945
Likes: 3
From: Spokane, WA
I *think* the reason they do that is because of all the naughty no-no words used on Pirate. I can't tell you for certain but I'm pretty sure that's it because you can link most any other forum with no problems.
Now if they could only do something about the crap SnoMan posts here this forum might once again be wholesome!
Now if they could only do something about the crap SnoMan posts here this forum might once again be wholesome!