how to mount roll cage to chassis?

[BeardedBlues]

I will have my Toms Bronco Parts family roll cage installed in the next couple of weeks and I am wondering if there is a kit to mount the cage to the chassis or do I just need someone to fab it up?

 

[buckintone]

Fab it up, Cages are all different, so there is no "one size fits all" kit. Just don't do the bushing/bolt thing I've seen a few times on different threads. Hard mount em is the safest set up IMO. Good luck

 

[bmc69]

Mike sells some various 'kit' options for frame tie-ins.

http://extremecustomparts.com/c-69064-roll-cages-roll-bars-add-on-kits-tie-into-frame-kits-bronco-willys-jeep-cj-yj-tie-into-frame-kits-roll-bar.html

 

[360 4V]

http://extremecustomparts.com/i-593637-family-roll-cage-kit-66-77-bronco-6-point-12.html

I am getting a cage kit with seat racks. This way even if the cage separates from the tub and/or the frame I am still secured within the cage.

 

[buckintone]

http://extremecustomparts.com/i-593637-family-roll-cage-kit-66-77-bronco-6-point-12.html

I am getting a cage kit with seat racks. This way even if the cage separates from the tub and/or the frame I am still secured within the cage.

4v, connecting ur seats to the cage.is great, but If ur cage seperates from the tub and frame, ur cage installation was junk to begin with. This idea that its ok for the cage to seperate from the chassis is bad and dangerous misinformation

 

[360 4V]

bickintone,
are you saying that the sheet metal in the tub will not separate from the cage when enough force is applied?

 

[buckintone]

bickintone,
are you saying that the sheet metal in the tub will not separate from the cage when enough force is applied?

Ur Cage foot plates should cover good area( the bigger the better), with a matching plate under the tub, bolted to each other sandwiching the tub, and then tubed to the frame and welded. It will also add rigidity to the chassis and make ur ride feel awesome. It would take a plane crash to seperate the two.

 

[360 4V]

Ok, thanks for clairifying. Now is it better to mount the seats to the tub or to the rollcage having roll cage bars crossing the floor?

 

[Ethansdad73]

Ok, thanks for clairifying. Now is it better to mount the seats to the tub or to the rollcage having roll cage bars crossing the floor?

I am no expert so if my logic is wrong please correct me.....

i think your ok to mount them to the tub as long as its solid, but I think you need to mount the seat belts the same way you mount the seat. so if seat mounted to the cage so is the seat belt or if seat is monted to the tub then mount the seatbelt to the tub.... something about being cut in half if they seperate, and going different directions ?

 

[xcntrk]

Fab it up, Cages are all different, so there is no "one size fits all" kit. Just don't do the bushing/bolt thing I've seen a few times on different threads. Hard mount em is the safest set up IMO. Good luck

What's wrong with bushing tie-in's? It's the proper way to do it if done correctly. Unless you have a trail only rig, you can't directly tie your cage to your frame otherwise you render all your flexible body mounts entirely useless and will transfer all kinds of frame vibration right into the body and interior cabin. The most commonly accepted means of addressing this is to use bushings at the cage mount points. Now I've seen some ass backwards attempts at this (on this forum) where somebody used bushing at the frame side basically introducing a hinge (bad thing).

Here's a thread on Pirate about cage tie-in's, the bushing approach is widely accepted as the most desirable:
http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=840005

Here's a good universal bushing tie-in kit:
http://4xinnovations.com/p-RC1715.html

 

[KyleQ]

Thanks for linking that kit, I'm going to have to save that

I say go the bushing route - as others have said if you solid mount the cage you will transfer vibrations everywhere, my other thought with hard rolls or abuse the bushings will help dissipate the shock loads, possibly preventing widespread damage.

Beyond that, it's easier to fab up with a bushing there.

 

[patrickk1]

Here's a good universal bushing tie-in kit:
http://4xinnovations.com/p-RC1715.html

I just ordered that kit last week from them and should be getting it today. They were the cheapest place I found. Most everyone else wanted stupid money for their kits or even for just the poly bushings.

 

[xcntrk]

Good bushing part numbers are available on Pirate for 1.75" DOM too (Daystar, pro-comp, etc). I like that kit but don't like that they only use 1.5" tubing and even smaller inner-diameter bushing.

Also, anybody consider using a rubber sheet under the cage mounting plate? I was thinking maybe some 1/8" rubber sheet sandwiched between the cage foot plate and the body panel, then have the frame tie-in (bottom-plate) sandwich it all together with the bushing mount going back to the frame. I would think as long as the bottom and top foot plates are bolted together that adding this 1/8" of rubber wouldn't be a problem (structurally) yet would further help to reduce vibration?

 

[Greg_B]

I have a 1/4" rubber pad under my cage but it isnt tied to the frame and probably never will be. I have to think an impact powerful enough to seperate my body from the frame is one I wouldnt survive anyway without a helmet and a Hans device. My seats and belts are tied into the cage and I have enough tubing on the floor to keep it from going through.

It will also help if the mounting pates are not the same size on both sides of the body. If they are it will create a weak point along that edge where they sandwich together. Make the plates different sizes... maybe a half inch offset.

Greg

 

[asinor]

There is no perfect safety solution, there are always tradeoffs between safety, ease of use/entry, and comfort. It comes down to what you reasonably need.

I had a whole big long thing typed up because I was bored, but its more of a general roll cage / safety commentary. The above post by Greg sums it up pretty well, its going to take an unsurvivable hit to seperate a *well mounted* cage from a body. Your main concerns should be good mounting, and more than anything else head clearance and padding. You are more likely to get a good/deadly bump on the noggin than break the roll cage or floor pan.

For head injury information you should check out the Hurt report, it a motorcycle based report, and a boring read, but excellent information.
Other good helmet info can be found in the ECE 22.05 and the Snell Foundation. I generally use Snell rated automobile helmets (multiple impacts on 2" round objects in the same location, sounds like a roll cage to me) and ECE rated Motorcycle Helmets (one large hit, like an initial impact and slide from a motorcycle).

 

[Greg_B]

I think if I ever do it again I might mount the cage through the body mount bolts. That would tie everything together and still keep or utilize the body mounts anti vibration benifits. It would be very easy to do in the back and middle but the front would be a challenge.

Greg

 

[methcat]

I think if I ever do it again I might mount the cage through the body mount bolts. That would tie everything together and still keep utilize the body mounts anti vibration benifits. It would be very easy to do in the back and middle but the front would be a challenge.

Greg

bc actually has a cage that mounts this way. i've been thinking of adding the two bars to let me do the same. i also have sliders that come out from my frame, going right underneath my front cage mounts, so i'm thinking of adding an extra bushing mount there.



http://www.bcbroncos.com/InterriorRollCage.html

 

[TwoDalesDad]

When I flipped my 67bronco bronco twice.. the stock sport cage4pt. Was held in with 3/8. Bolts.the tubing. was 1the 7/8 The cage... worked..we both survived the crash...better than the bronc

 

[TwoDalesDad]

Ididn't mention two things..1 We flipped our 67 bronco 100 ft. From my property line. I had just spent weeks working on a 76 bronco for my sister. After the final drive..she left Happy...her's was running great....and had brakes too. My wife suggested we take our pony for a romp..I said ok..but.....as we made it down the 1/4 mile dirt driveway..the steering seemed Bad.....so we turned back and slowly made our way home...on the final turn...she kept turning...but the road went straight..We did 2 barrels and.....THE DEED WAS DONE......A BAD TIEROD END...COST US.....A SHINEY BRONCO

 

[jperry1290]

someone mentioned running box tube under the floor width ways then bolting the cage to the tube. if it floats free from the frame so there will not be any vibration transfer. this way it would prevent punch through and the cross tube would hit the frame in a roll. havent tried it, just an idea i heard