advice for bender die sizes

[1BEATK5]

my awesome wife bought me a jd2 model 3 bender a while back, and now i'm ready to get a die for it.
i'm need to build a cage for the k5, so i was thinking 2"
but i also want to build a rear exo from the rear bumper to the sliders just to protect the quarter panels. (need to build the bumper and small boatside/sliders too, at the same time) so maybe 1 1/2" for that? i'm not really sure yet.
i'm only getting 1 die for right now. i'm putting a clutch in my friends moms comanche, and converting it from internal slave to external slave, and in trade she is buying a die for the bender, by my buddy's suggestion of course.
i think 2" would be too big for the exo, and that 1 1/2" would be too small for a cage.
suggestions?
here is a pic of the junk in question

 

[MTBLAZER89]

My research showed most cages are 1 3/4 and most tube bumpers, sliders etc are 1 1/2-1/3/4 so those were the two I bought.

Some guys use 2" for portions of the cage, but it was hard to justify a $400 die to bend a few pieces of a cage.

 

[1BEATK5]

maybe i only need 1 then. i havent really looked into it too much yet.
smaller tubing would be nicer for fitment and for getting in and out of the truck.
then i have to consider radius. maybe just get one about in the middle of the pack.
i read your whole build the other day, awesome, looks like the trails up there are the same as down here. really tight with the trees and stumps.
i'd like to come up there and go wheelin where you guys are at. looks nice. how is the snow season? thats the best down here, except this year. cant find my trail pics right now.

 

[4X4HIGH]

I would go with a 1.75" die with the smallest radius possible and also make sure it will bend 180* (240* die).

 

[MTBLAZER89]

I would go with a 1.75" die with the smallest radius possible and also make sure it will bend 180* (240* die).

Yup



Yeah the trails are pretty tight up here. I havent done a snow trip yet, but would love to!

Are you in Northern OR? My local club has been talking about a Tillamook trip later this summer.

Also talking about Elbe or Evans sometime this summer which is down south.

 

[1BEATK5]

Yup



Yeah the trails are pretty tight up here. I havent done a snow trip yet, but would love to!

Are you in Northern OR? My local club has been talking about a Tillamook trip later this summer.

Also talking about Elbe or Evans sometime this summer which is down south.

yep northern. 40 minutes to tillamook forest from my house. i'd be up for some wheelin, but it would be in my rubicon. k5 needs an engine. and i want to change some suspension stuff. it steering like poop. need front upper hangers, and i'm lowering it an inch or so. losing those long ass front shackles. then maybe some 39"-42" iroks/tsl/ltb's. i like those 40s you have. forgot they made that size in the ltb.

 

[blazinzuk]

1.75. the tightest bend.

Rarely do folks want 2" stuff done and 1.5 stuff we only do for samis or other very small rigs.

Some sliders we do some 1.5 on but the vast majority of stuff I do is 1.75

 

[1BEATK5]

thanks guys. i think that solves this mystery
i think i will get the 5.5" radius 1 3/4" tube 180 degree

 

[MTBLAZER89]

Sounds like a good choice! Thats what I was going to do as well, but Pro Tools was doing a special with two dies when I bought my bender so I added the 1.5 cause I have a lot of friends with Samis and jeeps and Yotas.


I will definitely let you know if we do a trip down that way.

 

[rdn2blazer]

I bought 2", 1 3/4" and 1 1/4 for grab bars. My cage is mainly 2" for most of the main structure and 1 3/4 for all the seat mounting and seat belt tie ins. And gusseting is mostly 1 3/4. I would go with 1 3/4 on a budget aswell.