Making your bed - but you can't sleep in it (Cage Design Ideas)

[Snoopy]

Well, all this talk about bean sprouts has got me thinkin. Snoopy is coming home for the needed motor mounts and for fixing my clogged fuel system (fuel aint even getting to the Fuel Filter!).

So I started thinking of what I can do to get this thing going - and get some more weight in the back of it. As most of you know - particularly those from RMHIR - Snoopy has NO weight in the back - not even a spare (at the moment). So I was talking to a customer of mine - Matt - and we started talking about what he was going to do with his 1/4 elliptic Scout II.

Thats when I remembered my scheme for a cage and all the doo-dads that I wanted to be part of it - fuel cell, tool box, and a trip spare tire mount. Since Snoopy will be hauled off to Chris Keck (an awesome guy) for painting, I realized that it was time for the cage to be put in. Then, once the cage is in, I can weld on the half cab, clean it up and Chris will make it pretty.

Enough talk - lets get to it
http://www.dandcextreme.com/bed.gif
The cage will have accomodations for my son's car seat (which will double as a cooler mount) above the fuel cell (a sealed fuel cell) <IMG SRC="smilies/eyemouth.gif" border="0"> I'm going to fab the tool box to fit below the tire mount. The tire mount will be made on a hinge and be able to swing up (on those lift-gate hydralics from hondas) to provide complete access to the tool box. A little welding will keep it all in, and presto!

So, any thoughts?!?!

[Blazerman1]

Looks like a good plan. The gas props for the spare tire (from a honda) might be a little week for that much weight. You might want to go to a canopy shop and get some gas preos that they mount on hard fibarglass tanno covers, they are alot beefyer!

[TERRA-IZER]

Hey Damian, the cage idea looks and sounds cool, i can't wait to get snoopy over here for some paint. As for fuel line i still have some 3/8" alum fuel line left over from the Terra-izer.

[Scout Dude]

Okay, it was enough that My buddy e-mails me and says " there is another Scout that looks just like yours on the Intl board" but now we are going to have the same tire carrier designs. I guess the only difference will be my removable spreaders for my roll cage so I can put my half cab on. Here is just the rear part of the cage matched up to the half cab.
<IMG width=800 height=600 SRC="http://www.pirate4x4.com/ubb/uploads/4-26 New Roll Bar-Side angle.jpg">

[scoutman]

that is going to look great! good luck with it. I thought about the hinged toolbox/tire mount this summer. just not enough time to even plan it out. good luck and it loks nice.

[REDDMANIAC]

I like the idea & have gad that idea. I strongly suggest to not have a fuel cell that close. Sacrificing ground clearence would not be enought to take a chance at any mishaps that can happen. Alot of my ideas also should not become a reality. Is there any way to just swap the toolbox & the fuel cell areas & close off the fuel cell into its own compartment? That was my orig idea, like Scoutillac's setup but enclose that cell off. Or is there anyway to just have the setup as a scoutII would have with the cell underneath the bed. Looks good on "paper".... <IMG SRC="smilies/csmile.gif" border="0">

[GRMhick]

http://www.pirate4x4.com/ubb/uploads/Im000473-.jpg
http://www.pirate4x4.com/ubb/uploads/Im000475-.jpg

I found these pics awhile back on the board. I dunno about u, but I think it would get real old moving the spare tire up and down every time you wanted to get to your tools... <IMG SRC="smilies/eek.gif" border="0"> but that is just my thoughts....