So the wife played turtle in the jeep this weekend, and bent the roll cage a little. This is the second time that the cage has been used and bent, so I am wandering how many hits before I should replace it. I am planning on adding some support to get me through the season, but I don't know about long term.
What should I do:

A) add numerous supports and basically beef up the existing cage, and wheel the piss out of it. Or......

B)do the above to get me through the season and start looking for a replacement.

How many bending hits before tossing?

Joe

If mine ever bends I'll replace it the following weekend

How much to you like your wife? :flipoff2:

Now I'm no tubing expert... but.


Seems to me after the first bend the integrity of the entire cage has been compromised. It needs to be repaired/replaced ASAP.

damn you guys must be made of money and have more spare time than anyone i know. hell i have bent mine at different times and never thought about replacing it. hell even when we raced dirt track cars we didn't replace cages just because they are bent. yea sure cut out and remove a damaged section, that was unless the cage was total junk which is very rare. just my 2 cents mike

So.... Out of all the replys I got how many have actually bent a cage? I'm not trying to be a jerk but it's not that bent that its deformed but is a little out of whack. I was just going to support the cage so it's taken care of in the weak spots and call it good for a while. I don't have the money to replace it, so I would like to make it last as long as possible. Anyone out there have any other insight?
Joe

Like I said. depending on the amount of damage.

I would first cut out the bent section and replace it. If the ENTIRE cage got tweaked, I would yank it and replace it.

Never fawk with your safety. ;)

Originally posted by Rokmycj
Anyone out there have any other insight?

Yes, several:

1) Not only does your wife "get it", but it appears she "gets it upside down". You may have a keeper.

2) You have a superior cooler design. You may be able to sell the secret gyro design and fund your wheeling habit.

3) The place to check for issues on the cage is in the tubing walls themselves, and the weld joints. As long as there is no flattening, or serious dings/kinks in the tube walls I would keep wheeling it. If the joints look stressed, I would grind them out and re-weld. I would be EXTREMELY conservative (in respect to your personal safety and that of your family) in your estimation of the cage's remaining integrity.

4) It sounds like you may be looking for validation to say it's ok to wheel with a fawked cage. Never seen it personally so I don't know, but remember it's not a question of money, it's a question of your life. You are the only one who can make that call, and you shouldn't make it based on what you see here from folks who are unfamiliar (visually and structurally) with the problem.

Yes, several:

1) Not only does your wife "get it", but it appears she "gets it upside down". You may have a keeper.


She is definately a keeper!!! :D


2) You have a superior cooler design. You may be able to sell the secret gyro design and fund your wheeling habit.


There you go and I was going to throw that cooler out. It just redeemed itself.


3) The place to check for issues on the cage is in the tubing walls themselves, and the weld joints. As long as there is no flattening, or serious dings/kinks in the tube walls I would keep wheeling it. If the joints look stressed, I would grind them out and re-weld. I would be EXTREMELY conservative (in respect to your personal safety and that of your family) in your estimation of the cage's remaining integrity.

that is what I was looking for I guess. more on how to tell rather than just trash it. I think that if I add some support I could probably hit it a couple more times. It's not that hammered, but it looks like a hardtop viper sort of. it took the hit right in the middle of the front hoop. I was contemplating running a cross bar accross the dash and run an up bar to the upper part of the hoop. I am going to do something with it this winter, but I would like to be able to finish the season. I think I'll wheel it.

i replacde tubes when they get smashed 1/4 of the diameter. a bent cage can be ok but you need to make that judgment call for yourself. make sure to check the welds. alot of the time when i bend my cage i will reweld that area.

If a tube is crushed you should weld in a new piece, other than that , just pull it back into shape and check the welds.

Cool thanks for the tips. I guess the cage is still ready to rock cause the tubing isn't crushed at all. It just lost a little head room in the front. I think I will still reinforce it in some areas, but nothing more than what was already planned. I already checked the welds and the looked fine, but I will definately check them again. Thanks for the advice.
:beer:

Joe

Originally posted by twaldher
Now I'm no tubing expert... but.


Seems to me after the first bend the integrity of the entire cage has been compromised. It needs to be repaired/replaced ASAP.


DITTO :D