building a roll cage???

[broncosport]

So Ive built a tube bumper with a hydrolic pipe bender but can a guy build a decent DOM tube roll cage with a pipe bender?? I need one bad but cant afford to have one made or buy what I want!! I have everything I need to build the cage except the bender!! What do you guys think??

 

[madness]

Your not gonna be able to bend DOM with your standard tube bender. You might want to consider purchasing a kit through someone like moabmike of extremecustomfab(he has a mass buy here and auctions on ebay). The kits are pretty reasonable if you can do the welding yourself, and it will save you a ton of work.

 

[broncow72]

Uh, yes you can bend DOM with a standard tubing bender. I would not recommend a pipe bender though. The shoe sizes are different and the radius is too large on the pipe benders. You can get a basic bender for a couple hundred bucks with the right size shoes and have it for other projects like builing bumpers, engine cages etc.

http://www.jd2.com/main.html

 

[67Stallion]

I built a roll cage for my race bronco 15 years ago out of 2" OD schedule 40 pipe, double plated the bottoms, its solid as a rock. I found a guy with a old manual hydrolic pipe bender, towed my bronco to his place with my pipe, i wanted it bent and to look a certain way, the guy bent every pipe perfect the first time, i was impressed to say the least, i tried to buy it from him, but he just wasnt going to part with it, i still want that bender! It still was a lot of work putting it together, i used a 1/2' drill with 2' holesaw to notch all my pipe, with schedule 40, that was work, hand drilled out all my matching plates, held and welded the pipe, myself, did the whole cage myself,besides bend the pipe, and i can say it was a job and a half!

 

[1sicbronconut]

The pre cut cage kits from Mike Kirkus are fairly cheap, might want to check his out.

 

[dnewman9]

I built an add-on front to a Smitty Built roll bar using a harbor freight bender a few years ago and it worked ok. Not DOM, just HREW and a couple of the bends were a little more flat than I would have liked. That would be about as far as I would go with a pipe bender.
I was in the same boat as you on my current cage and found a nice used bender in craigslist that I was able to make my own custom cage. It could do DOM fine plus you can build your cage how ever you want. Once I am done I am sure I can get 90-100% of the cost of the bender back out of it. I figured by the time I buy any cage and have it shipped I am into the whole thing for 1200-1500. I probably only have 400-500 in steel on my current cage.

I also picked up a 1.25 die and built a bunch of other stuff. My initial plan was to sell the bender when I was done to get a new set of seats but I have found so much I want to make that plan will be changed or delayed a while at a minimum.

Dennis

 

[1sicbronconut]

Not pimping his products but I really don't know how you can beat Mike's prices, looks like he even has free shipping on a few of the kits. http://extremecustomparts.com/c-69053-early-bronco-roll-cage-kits.html

 

[bax]

Not knocking mike by any means, his prices are good but shipping is a killer. I tried to buy a kit from him last week. The kit was 250 and the shipping was 250 plus. So no deal when mike ships. He also cuts his hoops in half to make shipping feasible by UPS. I just got 4 sticks of DOM and a friend of mine has a bender. So I will soon be making a cage for dads truck.

 

[broncosport]

Not pimping his products but I really don't know how you can beat Mike's prices, looks like he even has free shipping on a few of the kits. http://extremecustomparts.com/c-69053-early-bronco-roll-cage-kits.html

Looks good!! I really want to make my own but if I cant afford to make what I want this would be the way I would go!! I could drive their and pick it up for less than $250 its only 450 miles for me and It would be less than 200 out of my way if I made a detour on one of my trips to MN!! I would rather spend the $300 on a used tubing bender if I could find one! Thanks for all the feed back this is gonna be one of my first projects for this summer!! Ive used pipe for some bumper applications but I didnt think it was a safe sub for tube when it comes to building a cage???

 

[1sicbronconut]

Not knocking mike by any means, his prices are good but shipping is a killer. I tried to buy a kit from him last week. The kit was 250 and the shipping was 250 plus. So no deal when mike ships. He also cuts his hoops in half to make shipping feasible by UPS. I just got 4 sticks of DOM and a friend of mine has a bender. So I will soon be making a cage for dads truck.

He has free shipping on some of his kits, maybe he dosen't do this anymore and hasn't changed the website. I'm with you on doing it yourself but for some folks that's not a option. If done right two pieces with plugs are just as strong as straight tubing.

 

[bax]

Here is an e mail from mike. You can see how the shipping falls into place.
( No such thing as free shipping. ) IMO.

On May 10, 2009, at 7:23 PM, Extreme Custom Fabrication wrote:

Cage kit as shipped will yield 43" rear floorboard to centerline of tube hoop, See attached photo, Our free shipping kit (Split Hoops),
borders right under UPS Oversize class 3, any "Taller" will add $45.00 to the price of the "Free Shipping" cage kit ($509.00 delivered) /

Full Hoop Kit (non free shipping) is $299.00, plus $229.00 shipping to a commercial address w/ loading dock or $297.00 shipping direct to your home,


Mike


Extreme Custom Fabrication

The Best Roll Cages & 4x4 Steering Components

www.ExtremeCustomParts.com

www.ExtremeCustomFab.com

 

[broncosport]

Thanks for all the input!! I'll let you know what I come up with!!

 

[trailpsycho]

Here is an e mail from mike. You can see how the shipping falls into place.
( No such thing as free shipping. ) IMO.

On May 10, 2009, at 7:23 PM, Extreme Custom Fabrication wrote:

Cage kit as shipped will yield 43" rear floorboard to centerline of tube hoop, See attached photo, Our free shipping kit (Split Hoops),
borders right under UPS Oversize class 3, any "Taller" will add $45.00 to the price of the "Free Shipping" cage kit ($509.00 delivered) /

Full Hoop Kit (non free shipping) is $299.00, plus $229.00 shipping to a commercial address w/ loading dock or $297.00 shipping direct to your home,


Mike


Extreme Custom Fabrication

The Best Roll Cages & 4x4 Steering Components

www.ExtremeCustomParts.com

www.ExtremeCustomFab.com

Thats still a full cage kit, delivered for under $550. Figure there is probably $250-300 in steel alone--at least for your average guy trying to buy it from a local supplier (unless you buy ALOT or have a connection) and for it to be pre-bent (you will have to do some notching, I realize that), plates drilled, etc... thats a good price and saves alot of work and labor...

 

[GrillMaster]

http://www.jd2.com/m3b.htm

Are these good enough to build a roll cage with? Do they collapse the tubes at all? I was told you need a mandrel bender. What are your thoughts on using a shielded 110 MIG welder to weld a cage?

Kirk

 

[bax]

Thats still a full cage kit, delivered for under $550. Figure there is probably $250-300 in steel alone--at least for your average guy trying to buy it from a local supplier (unless you buy ALOT or have a connection) and for it to be pre-bent (you will have to do some notching, I realize that), plates drilled, etc... thats a good price and saves alot of work and labor...

Think about what you just put out there. First off it's not a full cage. it's 3 hops cut in half and 4 ceiling bars. $300.00 dollars worth of steel? But he is willing to sell it for $250.00 and charge another $250.00 for shipping. So he is working at a loss? I hope not. I have one of Mikes cages. I like it. But I dont like the free shipping VS not free shipping, price changes. Sell it for what you need and ship it for what it cost to ship. I don't like the game. How do you know what shipping will cost when you don't know where it is going? I guess if you figured the highest shipping cost you could have and charged that price to everyone then you would be covered. Something like $ 250.00 from UPS?

 

[Steve]

http://www.jd2.com/m3b.htm

Are these good enough to build a roll cage with? Do they collapse the tubes at all? I was told you need a mandrel bender. What are your thoughts on using a shielded 110 MIG welder to weld a cage?

Kirk

Those are great benders for tube for cages and other stuff, no they don't collapse the tube. The last cage I built I used a 110 MIG welder. Turn the heat up and go slow to get good penetration and you'll be fine.

 

[allenfahey]

http://www.jd2.com/m3b.htm

Are these good enough to build a roll cage with? Do they collapse the tubes at all? I was told you need a mandrel bender. What are your thoughts on using a shielded 110 MIG welder to weld a cage?

Kirk

That's the correct bender for a cage. To make it hydraulic you can get a ram from Harbor Freight for around $80 and get a bracket from Copperhead http://copperheadfab.com/index.php?action=catview&cat=Tool Accessories

 

[RajinCajun]

http://www.texasoffroad.net/galleries/ohv/album223

Pro Tools HD bender, degree ring, stand, handle, 1.75 die, Industrial Grade Notcher, and BendTech-EZ software. Will bend HREW or DOM like a champ. There is a pic of the first bend with the new bender in that album. Works like a champ. Practically same as the JD2 bender.

My cage after floor drop:
http://www.texasoffroad.net/galleries/ohv/Roll-Cage-Front

Buddies Cage, SORRY it is a Heep, it was our first one, but a nice cage if I don't say
http://www.texasoffroad.net/galleries/ohv/album227

 

[broncosport]

http://www.texasoffroad.net/galleries/ohv/album223

Pro Tools HD bender, degree ring, stand, handle, 1.75 die, Industrial Grade Notcher, and BendTech-EZ software. Will bend HREW or DOM like a champ. There is a pic of the first bend with the new bender in that album. Works like a champ. Practically same as the JD2 bender.

My cage after floor drop:
http://www.texasoffroad.net/galleries/ohv/Roll-Cage-Front

Buddies Cage, SORRY it is a Heep, it was our first one, but a nice cage if I don't say
http://www.texasoffroad.net/galleries/ohv/album227

Whats this setup cost??

 

[dnewman9]

FWIW, I did my cage with the parts above minus the tube notcher. I probably spent a tube notchers worth in grinding disks plus a lot of time doing my radius on each cut.
I guess I am saying I would buy one now if I had it to do all over.
Dennis