HIlux exo cage

[tuff lux]

Hey guys just wondering what the average cost will be to cage my double cab hilux we r thinking of doing it our selfs but if wanted to go in completions does it have to be done by a certified weilder??? And are they easy enough to cert for the road ???

[3VILC]

I want to do it to mine one day too. As far as I'm aware its legal for road use provided no part extends outside of 100mm from the body, and its not welded to the chassis rails, and no sharp corners obviously.
I'm sure someone will be able to provide some more usefull info tho

[tomsoffroad]

and its not welded to the chassis rails

Theres no issue with it being welded to the chassis

[trucked]

and its not welded to the chassis rails

Theres no issue with it being welded to the chassis

providing the welder, has a welding ticket or held one previously, or you can do a test with the cert guy to show your welding is good enough but that only allows you to weld on the one chassis you are getting certed.

[tomsoffroad]

and its not welded to the chassis rails

Theres no issue with it being welded to the chassis

providing the welder, has a welding ticket or held one previously, or you can do a test with the cert guy to show your welding is good enough but that only allows you to weld on the one chassis you are getting certed.

This is true. Yes a welding ticket makes it easiest. Yes the certifier can ask you to preform a test to satisfy them. However with the 30+ vehicles I've taken through cert, I've never been asked for either. (I do have tickets though if push came to shove)

Yes one cert for each vehicle.

[3VILC]

Sorry yes meant to put can weld to chassis if its certed, which of course is probably optimal. I'll just wait til I get a new daily and dereg the mud truck, then I can weld to whatever I want ..that is once I buy a decent welder, the dirty old Weldwell 140amp is getting a bit touchy to get a reasonable weld, although my winch bracket seems plenty solid

[rokhound]

You are just being lazy if you weld to the chassis anyway. Not a fan of doing it that way at all. It just makes everything difficult later if you ever have to remove the cage (or part thereof).
Still, what ever smokes you tyres

[Big]

You are just being lazy if you weld to the chassis anyway. Not a fan of doing it that way at all. It just makes everything difficult later if you ever have to remove the cage (or part thereof).
Still, what ever smokes you tyres

Just get a grinder out and cut it off..It's what I'll do if I need to "Fix it"

[tuff lux]

yea im really keen to do it any one got any desighns they have seen on a double cab hilux and look alright? or even no a good place hu will do it for a resnable price? + will need to bang up some sliders to

[BlakeJ]

there is a hell of a lot of work involved to do it so depends what you consider a reasonable price. You any good with a welder? buy a cheap bender, some good die's and have a crack yourself

[tgaguy1]

yea im really keen to do it any one got any desighns they have seen on a double cab hilux and look alright? or even no a good place hu will do it for a resnable price? + will need to bang up some sliders to

Not a double cab, but my surf when I was getting cage made and keeping it a four seater, but you get the idea. Not finished in this pic. A few more diagonals were added after this shot. A pillar mount to the door hinge points and front guards cut so tube fits behind them. This is a bush truck so not worried about vibration like you would on a road truck. I have seen the same thing done with isolation bushes between the A hoop side bar to the B hoop for a road going truck. The B, C and rear braces are tied to the chassis with sandwich plates on the floor and ties welded to the chassis. With clever bracing and use of isolation mounts for your chassis tie in you should be able to make a strong, practicable EXO.

[3VILC]

Someone has I'm sure got a 106 shape double cab with a cage, a yellow one, unless I was dreaming when I looked at it might be single cab..will try find it.
Hardest part I think with d/c would be trying to run a bar between the 2 doors so they both still open, and so it doesn't stick out so much it will hook on everything since you can't run a midway bar to brace it in the middle

[trucked]

Someone has I'm sure got a 106 shape double cab with a cage, a yellow one, unless I was dreaming when I looked at it might be single cab..will try find it

imsohi has a bright orange double cab with exo

[3VILC]

yup thats the one..thought it was yellow for some reason haha.
I see hes got no B pillar bar on his either, so maybe more trouble than its worth putting one there

tga_guy: you're just tempting me now Your surf is the same shape as my truck except I've got the doublecab trayback, with matching flat paintjob except mines army green. Got some bits here to make some sliders up with to start..on the 'when I get around to it' list

[imsohi]

Hey

This is my exo i havent run the b pillar bar as i find people that have usually have stuffed back doors, as sticks get jammed in between them, cost well i have a good mate whos owns a engeneering company with a good pipe bender all up cost me 500 and that was doing the work myself i used 3 lenghts (6m) of pipe as well as extra rhs ect and approx 1-2 days work or 48 beers

Hope this helps any questions please ask

[trucked]

What size and thickness pipe did you use on it?

[tuff lux]

Cheers guys yeah think we will give it a krack our selfs I have a really good mate who built my truck from scratch he keen to help... Would u use 38mmx2.6mm Pipe??? There's roll cage tube on trade me ill put the link up and see what u guys think if will be suitable... http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/car-par ... 924179.htm

[trucked]

if you are building msnz spec cage then yes you will need the 38mm and I think the 44mm for the main hoop. there's usually 3 cage specs and you need to meet one for competition, I think it's msnz, oranz and one other. edit and nzfwda

[Jafa]

I used 38 x 2.5 Manz Roll cage tubing for nudge bars and exo etc on my jalopy, and its already been replaced once and its munted again, imho its nowhere near strong enough for an exo, dents very easily. You need to use thicker wall on the "sensitive" areas or chromo...

[rokhound]

Yep agree with Jafa.
i used 38 and 44 with 3mm wall and it has been tested on the rocks and even left paint behind. Didn't bend or munt the bars, did put some decent gauges (sp?) in them though. Heavy as all hell though, depends what you want I guess. Where I play the landscape takes no survivors, If you fark it up, or break your rig beyond repair, you are screwed. So the weight was not as much of an issue as being munted in the high country was.

[imsohi]

What size and thickness pipe did you use on it?

i used the 44mm thick walled stuff tried hard to bend it but havent yet

[tuff lux]

What's the go if we do it our selfs and would like to start geting in to comps as winch challenges etc would it comply or does it have to be sighned off or what's the go there

[trucked]

What's the go if we do it our selfs and would like to start geting in to comps as winch challenges etc would it comply or does it have to be sighned off or what's the go there

It will have to pass scruitineering, and all depends on which cage specs you adhere to.

Read some of the rule books and that will give you a idea on which pipe to use and how it has to be constructed.

Below is the nzfwda regs. If you look at the oranz website there regs will be on there as well, just like msnz schedule A will tell you about there cages.

http://www.4x4trials.co.nz/documents/forms/2010/CompetitionRegulations2010.pdf

[imsohi]

I can only speak for the southisland series but home made cages are fine aslong as they are soundly built, we look for less than 10% crush in the tube ie bends and general engerneering things, cross brases gussets and the like post you pics up here and im sure people will tell you if you are on the right track or not. this is for winch challenges off road racing cages have to up to oranz specs.

[tuff lux]

Yea would only b winch challenges rely keen to get into it yeah will post photos of the build as we go... Utes just in the shed putting rears up front and moving diff forward so hopefully start cage next month or so

[3VILC]

imsohi: I have always aspired to do something like your truck Mine already has a deck similar to yours with heavy steampipe rollbars, and I have a length of about 2 1/4in heavy wall laying around for some sliders,and some offcuts from an old set of heavy as hell tube bullbars for the chassis-slider mounts.
Just need to get some more slightly smaller tube to make the rest of a cage now

Dare I ask, but what are peoples thoughts on welded as opposed to bent corners? I know its not to motorsport spec etc or quite as strong, but I'm mainly interested in doing it incase I lay it on its roof with the kids in the back or something (and if we are being honest I guess for looks too ) so it wont be any full noise spectacular rolls its only a fun club-truck (still daily driven even at the moment). Don't have access to a bender and not sure if those cheap benders on trademe would be much use for bending anything other than exhaust tube. All corners would be gusseted and braced where possible

[imsohi]

i find welded corners dont look as nice but thats my opinion if you gusset them correct then they should be stronger tho and i would say either way you do it will be fine for the club stuff you will be doing. Personally i only have exo cage to save panel damage and im not planning on rolling (but when are we ever lol)

[rokhound]

As long as your welding is up to play a weld bend must be stronger than a bit of pipe that has been stressed to form a bend (one side is in tension the other is compression).
I assume you are talking about a weld bend and opposed to just cutting the pipe square and welding another bit too it? if this is what you mean then yuck.
It's a personal taste thing as to aesthetics, I think an exo that doesn't follow body contours and shape looks like shit, it is just bits of pipe banged all over the outside with varying gaps etc where it tries to follow body lines.
I agree that the only reason you exo cage is because you actually wish to protect the body of the vehicle and the occupants, and they do work on the body work very well. The other thing that helps out is decent sliders with proper steps that are well offset from the body. Ask anyone who has been out with me what my sliders and steps go through, and the exo for that matter as well.
Downside is if you are just a mud troll then sticks, and mud etc can get jammed in the gaps and do more damage than if the protective bar work is not there, but see my earlier comment about following the body lines as much as possible, and perhaps adjust you driving style. If you have to hammer everything at full noise then you are either not too on to it or you are pushing your rig beyond it's capabilities, either way, time for a rethink.

[mudtroll]

Downside is if you are just a mud troll then sticks, and mud etc can get jammed in the gaps.

Shit, that might hurt

[3VILC]

Agreed it doesnt look as nice with weld in bends.
But then supposedly those 12ton benders on trademe can bend sched 40 and 80 upto 2" diameter, and with 90deg even thinnish 2.6mm wall bends at $30 each it would probably work out more expensive to use weld in bends anyway