Cage tubing size?

[Geargrinder]

So..... what size tube is your'e cage/roll-bar made of?
I was told that smaller dia. tube is stronger than than biger. If that is the case why not make the cage out of 1" or 3/4"?

 

[Hossbaby50]

2" is what the main parts of my cage are made out of. Gussets are made from 1", and later I will be adding in some spreader bars of 1.5". Fullsizes are heavy trucks and there cages should be built from 1.75" or 2" tube. 1.5" would be ok if the engineering was good. I would not build a cage with anything less then 1.5" tube, especially for a fullsize.

1" tube is not that strong. It wold not hold up the the abuse of a rollover. I have kicker tubes on my rock sliders made from 1". I have bent those tubes already and they are supported about every 15" or so.

Harley

 

[towdriver80]

what wall thickness do you use?

 

[Hossbaby50]

.120 wall

 

[Geargrinder]

Well, the guy that told me that smaller was stronger is in the roundy-pounder field. So I asked him whay he didn't make his chasie out of 1" if it's soooo much stronger than 2" and he said that it "would just look stupid".
So I'm not crazy for planing to make my tube bed and cage and bumpers out of 2"?
I'm geting a bender next week and I can only get 1 set of dies for it to start with so I had planed on geting the 2" set 1st.

 

[az-k5]

2" tube is easier to get too. All of my main tubes in my cage/bumpers are 2" and you can see pics in my sig.

 

[79Beast]

I bought a 1.5" die with my bender. I'll be building pretty much everything on my truck, cage included, out of .120 wall 1.5" DOM.

 

[Greg72]

Well, the guy that told me that smaller was stronger is in the roundy-pounder field. So I asked him whay he didn't make his chasie out of 1" if it's soooo much stronger than 2" and he said that it "would just look stupid".
So I'm not crazy for planing to make my tube bed and cage and bumpers out of 2"?
I'm geting a bender next week and I can only get 1 set of dies for it to start with so I had planed on geting the 2" set 1st.

Interesting....

Most people with that kind of "advice" are dead already.



Glad you asked here first.


.

 

[ntsqd]

Interesting....

Most people with that kind of "advice" are dead already.



Glad you asked here first.


.

Could NOT have said it better myself.

Bending strength increases with an increase in OD.
Tensile strength increases with an increase in OD.
Compressive strength increases with an increase in OD.

He's flat wrong.

I would venture that 1.75" x .120 wall is the minimum size for cage structure in a K5. Stuff like shock hoops etc. can be smaller. 1.25" x .120 wall is the local favorite size for stuff like that.

 

[TWISTEDJACK]

I am going to use 1.75 x .120 for my cage since mine is stripped down to nothing. The design is critical more than if 1.75 or 2" is best

 

[jekbrown]

1.5" DOM is pretty much a minimum, i wouldn't use 1.5 HREW personally on a fullsize rig. Anything between 1.5 and 2 would work fine assuming its well designed and assembled. For my bender the lone die I have is 1.75. If I need something stronger, I'll just have to suck it up and pay more $ for thicker wall stuff.

j

 

[Poohbair]

Mine is 1.75 .095 wall HREW... that is what is required at the local speedway, so I figured I should be good to go. I have had it on its lid, and it does hold up fine...