Cage Idea

[pimptoy]

ok i've been thinking of my cage :welder: ....... i'm starting to to need one (you too molly) here is what i got so far what do ya think:

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a310/rocktoy/cageidea.jpg




:welder: :D :welder: :D :welder: :D :welder: :cool:

[RedRunnertc]

Too many areas for moment to be generated - you want everything to end in triangles, or be continuous.

[tacotoy]

you seen meisners cage? i mean it doesn't cage the bed but are you going to keep your bed on there forever?

[pimptoy]

Too many areas for moment to be generated - you want everything to end in triangles, or be continuous.


what? what do you mean?

[pimptoy]

you seen meisners cage? i mean it doesn't cage the bed but are you going to keep your bed on there forever?


well i think i want to cage it for now and then when i'm ready cut it and turn it into a flat bed

[Lysmachia]

I don't think you need quite that much bracing.... My design does not have near as much bracing. Sorry no pics of my design right now. But yeah I need one for shizzy!

[RedRunnertc]

Moment is like torque - a force applied at a distance. For instance, trying to turn a bolt with a nutdriver versus a long breaker bar.

The best example on your cage drawing is the diagonal piece that connects the cab part to the bed part. You have a diagonal coming up from the wheelwell, but it is off a bit. So, if you were to roll, the force would be directed down that diagonal piece, attempting to bend the "bed rail" piece and thereby putting a lot of stress on the weld before being transfered to the wheel well. If that was one continuous line, the force would be transferred directly to the wheelwell piece, which will be stronger since it's been bent.

[Lysmachia]

That's my scientist!!!

[pimptoy]

here is another veiw of what i am thinking.... the roof need work but...

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a310/rocktoy/cage2.jpg

with bars going down to the hood brace over the windsheild

[pimptoy]

ok right i know what you mean


like this in the red

[tacotoy]

i agree with molly though..... you dont need that much bracing.....

[tacotoy]

you are putting way too much steel on the sides... a cage isn't meant to keep your truck from touching anything just letting you survive and drive away..... with how youre drawing it your truck is going to gain a lot of extra weight that isn't needed

[RedRunnertc]

ok right i know what you mean
like this in the red

Exactly - but you need to look at all the bracing the same way - you don't want any of those short sections - make everything come together in "points". This should help you eliminate some of the extra bracing too.

[bluetaco]

http://www.pirate4x4.com/productreviews/xxx/index.html

your design should be like this one where you have joints and bracing where there are bends/stress points for reinforcement...

edit: check thru the full page... the bottom pic gives a good example of what redrunner was talking about!

[pimptoy]

link doesn't work

[3TRDMARINE]

I agree you don't need to cage the whole thing. Too much weight and your beds already dented up.

[Lysmachia]

Pimp, talk to redrunnertc... he's a metalurgy freak (He knows his steel and how it works in welds and angles) He's desined his own bumpers and prolly could add his 2 cents scientifically to your design. He might even have cad - which I could get all over next week when I am there... Ha Ha!

Man oh Man., what makes me more hot? Wheeling or talking metalurgy for wheeling> Someone help me!

And if ya want to know how to be a wildcat in bed... LMAO talk to the family pet. (Right Nic?)

[pimptoy]

I agree you don't need to cage the whole thing. Too much weight and your beds already dented up.


ya but the point is not to get any more dents! i don't want to end up chris yet...... wildcat(bobcat)= family pet!!!!!! :rofl: :lmao:

[pimptoy]

Exactly - but you need to look at all the bracing the same way - you don't want any of those short sections - make everything come together in "points". This should help you eliminate some of the extra bracing too.


But over what do you think? Anything you'd change..... I want to be able use the cage to be able to slide on the rocks as well as protect me in a roll over both with minimal damage. and with what tubing? i want it to be cheap/ strong/ as light as possible.

[tacotoy]

i think that trying to cage the bed is going to be a losing adventure. it would probably be better to just use the same money you would spend on steel and flatbed it

[my86yota]

I think you should get of the bed and bob it in the rear. You should put your money into protecting your cab and not the bed. You can always do the bed last.

[tacotoy]

lol hmmmmm you think he will listen to us kevin?

[pimptoy]

no cause i want to build it to protect my bed and the cab...... i'm loking to sell this truck with in the next few years so i can build and full buggy (already saving parts)

[RedRunnertc]

I think weight and cost are pretty minor concerns compared to personal safety...All that said, I would focus on minimizing the weight the higher it is - no need to raise the center of gravity and make the exo even more necessary!

[bluetaco]

link doesn't work

should work now that it is not direct linked!

[Guapotaco]

sell it? hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha,any of you guys know a body guy? not a guy body guy, but a body shop guy, i want to bob the bed and then cage it in,pimp look into bobbing the bed then cage it,too much work with all those joints etc... it could be done alot simpler and with less material,='s more $ for other mods,i'm almost at this same point in the game :saw:

[pimptoy]

http://www.pirate4x4.com/productreviews/xxx/index.html

your design should be like this one where you have joints and bracing where there are bends/stress points for reinforcement...

edit: check thru the full page... the bottom pic gives a good example of what redrunner was talking about!


thanks man i like that

[pimptoy]

alright i'm getting closer

[RedRunnertc]

Pix/drawing of what you decided?

[pimptoy]

A bastardized version of this:

http://www.pirate4x4.com/productreviews/xxx/index.html

with the bed similar to what I have drawn out here:

http://www.tacomaterritory.com/forum/showpost.php?p=292643&postcount=10

[RedRunnertc]

pirate link doesn't work

[pimptoy]

pirate link doesn't work

fixed it

[RedRunnertc]

fixed it

Cool - just remember - triangles. No squares/rectangles. If you end up with one, put a diagonal piece in to make it triangles.

For instance, on your drawing of the roof, you have the internal pieces running lengthwise along the top. I would recommend that you take them diagonally from the edges at the rear of the cab to the center at the front. The piece that goes along the top of the windshield will probably be the weakest link - hard to support it well and still be able to open the doors and see out the windshield. Getting the load transferred from the center there out to the edges will help a lot.

Do you have to drive this thing on the road? Will pieces in front of the windshield be legal? If so, I would go from the lower corners of the windshield to the upper center too.

[pimptoy]

thats my plan