sched 40 pipe for rollcage??

[golddigger79]

one other facet of my build is getting a good cage on my choptop. i was asking a buddy of mine that i respect his fabbing skills very much about this and he said to use 2" sched 40 pipe for it. this kinda caught me off gaurd cause i was half expecting to hear 4340 dom or the like. i asked if he thought it would be strong enough and he said that is what he uses to make his sandrails with.

when i do my cage it will be in his garage using his bender. its the same one he uses one his sandrails etc. its a $3000 elec pipe bender . its older but the thing works awesome. it has a big drum of dies on the front that bend the pipe as the die rotates. the dies get smaller for the tighter bends. its a neat litle setup.

anyways i figured if he has a bender that woks that good on pipe why not go with it. or just how big a no-no is using pipe for a cage? i guess is m
my main question.

any comments on using pipe fir a cage? min size and thickness to use?

[bigun]

I would suggest you do some reading over at piate note I say to read not post the questian!!

[KaiserMan]

Personally, I would not use pipe. I would go with 2x.120 or .156 210 DOM. Tubing is superior for use in a structure like a cage. Pipe was never meant for that.

The wall thickness also varies to much on pipe, especially on the cheap Chinese crap.

[Michael]

You can spend the big $$$ on Dom or you can go HREW....and save some $$$ I would not go with pipe. 1.75 x .120 will work fine that is what I used on mine.

[Stuka]

Do NOT go with pipe. HREW or DOM.

Pirate has a lot of good info on this, but as bigun said, read, dont post.

[malodin]

i think the main reason your buddy gets away with it for the sandrails is both the lightness factor of the sand rail and the softness factor of the sand its self.

increase the weight of said machine by 2000 lbs and you are nearing a chop top fsj.

i would go with michael and stuka on that one.

[KaiserMan]

HREW is a good substitute for DOM. The welds are a weak point, but it's almost never an issue from what I have seen. Cheaper then DOM for sure. 1.75x.095 HREW is a good choice.

[skeletor]

unless your plumber, dont put pipe in your jeep. dont cheap out on something that can save your life.

[FSJ Guy]

STAY FAR AWAY FROM PIPE.

Also, if your buddy regularly bends pipe, you'll need different dies to bend tube. Best bet is to find a local cage maker in your area that uses tube.

HREW (welded seams) is fine for our old trucks. DOM is for high $$ race vehicles that need lightweight strength. Our trucks are heavy to begin with, so it's silly to spend extra $$ for cage that is 100 lbs lighter.

Heck, that's less than the weight of most passengers. When's the last time you noticed a big performance diference when someone jumped in your truck? Save your pennies and go HREW.

[rustywagoneers_com]

1-1/4 sched 40 pipe exo on a yota.

http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=342992&highlight=sprinkler+pipe+exo

recent thread on pirate

http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=605639

and the 27 page saga of the finest truck ever built from pipe.

http://www.alaska4x4network.com/showthread.php?t=4639

peace
Dave

(imho, pipe is ok for exo, but inside i would want HREW. main difference being the chances of passenger area intrusion. contrary to popular belief, pipe is a structural member, there are many published standards for it's use. the simple reality is that most pipe is made of steel which is better than A36 plate or angle iron, but not as good as most rect/square tubing, which is often A500 most grades of pipe - ASTM A53 - have a yield strngth at about 48,000 psi. DOM will run up near 70,000 psi, and HREW will fall in the middle 50's)

[Rhino Racer]

2" pipe is 2-3/8" dia and too heavy. It would be a waste of your time and $$ to build a cage from pipe. Pipe will bend and flex very easily and for the same reason will work harden and crack.

SCORE rules:

Up to 2000 lbs.

1.500? x 0.095? CDN/4130/Seamless or ASTM 1018/1026 CDS/DOM

2001 - 2500 lbs.

1.500? x 0.120? CDN/4130/Seamless or ASTM 1018/1026 CDS/DOM

2501 - 3000 lbs.

1.750? x 0.095? CDN/4130/Seamless or ASTM 1018/1026 CDS/DOM

3001 - 4000 lbs.

1.750? x .120? CDN/4130/Seamless or ASTM 1018/1026 CDS/DOM

Over 4000 lbs.

2.000? x 0.120? CDN/4130/Seamless or ASTM 1018/1026 CDS/DOM

[Desert Beast]

pipe is for poop.


that said it can be done if executed properly. but still not recommended. there?s a few things that should not be half-assed, one of which being safety equipment (including but not limited to cages, seats and harnesses).

[jeeping1974]

and the 27 page saga of the finest truck ever built from pipe.

http://www.alaska4x4network.com/showthread.php?t=4639

i like those tires. i wonder where he got them from and what size they are.

[scotty]

pipe is structurally sound,and will keep you from getting squished,but it will weigh significantly more. if you can live with the extra weight of a pipe cage go for it.

lots of folks will use pipe for places that contact trees and/or rocks(sliders,nerf bars,bumpers),and something else for the rest of the cage.

i personally am a fan of as little sprung weight as possible,so i would try and get HREW or DOM to keep weight down.

i get HREW tubing at the local metal recycler for $.50 / pound. its a good price,but i have to spend days with the wire wheel in my grinder cleaning up the surface rust

[golddigger79]

thanks for all the reading material guys! it has been very informative. just have to sift through 90% flaming to find the 10% tech over there at pirate. sheesh what a rough crowd. i have actually spent all night reading through the posts.

but it looks like i will be using a good grade 1.5" sched 40 pipe to make my cage. most of the stigma seems more related to bad design and fab work than the actual material being used. it is heavier and slightly weaker(just a generalization) then tubing but i will just take that into acount during the whole design half of the process. and honestly if i was overly concerned about excess weight i dont think i would be wheeling a FSJ. the turbo'd v8 should provide plenty of grunt to overcome the extra heft.

dont get me wrong i would love to "do it right the first time" but i just dont have that kind of initial cash outlay to purchase a decent quality bender and dies. like i said my bud has a really nice pipe bender at his shop. i'll have to post up some pics of the 'rail he is working on lately. really a cool/unique shape to it.

i do plan on buying a nice bender soon as i can though. i have a lot of people look at my rig or my bike for that matter and they always ask if i have so much money in them how can i not afford proper tools etc. but its just like anyone else here. i dont often have a spare couple grand to spend but i can usually spare 200-300 dollars for a mod or part at a time. actually in my trucks case there is a whole lot of horse tradin and doin favors for friends involved there. i think thats part of whats makes moddin a rig fun though. hell i dont think i will have more than $300 into my turbo sytem if the two T3s i have in my storage unit checkout ok.