exo cage or roll cage?

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T

theotherwhitemeat

10 Year
Joined
Feb 8, 2014
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10
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I do a good amount of wheeling, im pretty confident in my abilities but on the occasion the rubber side is facing up i'd like to be well protected, more so, i'd like to be able to roll it over and keep going.

so money aside, exo cage or a basic roll cage?
safety stand point both work, performance I see pros and cons

exo cage
pro- looks bad ass, protects the whole body from damage, more likely to be able to flip back over and continue on with minimal damage, did I say looks bad ass?
cons- WEIGHT! more metal means heavier

roll cage
pro-saves weight and protects passengers, gives mounting points for fire extinguisher, 5pnt harness, ect. stands out less on public roads
cons-will have to padd all areas around passengers, could limit cargo space or interior space

and for reference the vehicle it would go on

https://forum.ih8mud.com/80-series-tech/795029-im-new-guy.html

sorry for linking it, but I have met my quota for attatchments?
 
Exo cages suck. I've never seen anything but problems out of them. Either making for a funky weight distribution, to possibly locking in body panels/ access, etc.

I built two of them when I had my shop, and that was enough for me. Swore it off after that.


Also, that pig of a truck you love, if laid over, will push that tubing into the very body metal you are trying to protect. Seen it happen on much smaller rigs.

If you want external protection, I'd suggest rails and select corner protection. Anymore than that you just need to wheel a little more responsibly or just hope for the best.
 
X2 on what crapzuk said. Let me add I have never had either but in my understanding exo's are weaker. They might handle a flop or bump off some trees but no flipping without some serious damage. Internal cage is the way to stay safe but you loose your body panels anyways. Prob. a good idea to try and not flip.

On the other hand I chose to do "Select corner protection" which bolts onto my custom rear bumper wings. The rear quarters where the one spot I repeated to damage. Kind of off topic since its not a cage but it's a alternative. I leave the rear quarter sections off and when I go wheeling I will bolt them on. I dont plan on flipping.
https://forum.ih8mud.com/80-series-tech/788360-new-tube-bender-new-project-w-pics.html

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My little brother rolled my first 87 4Runer doing doughnuts. It had a internal cage and that saved his butt from the roll (not from me). Totaled the truck from crushing the a pillars. I understand the down sides but the rig would still be on the road today if I had a exo cage.
 
cruiserfj45 said:
My little brother rolled my first 87 4Runer doing doughnuts. It had a internal cage and that saved his butt from the roll (not from me). Totaled the truck from crushing the a pillars. I understand the down sides but the rig would still be on the road today if I had a exo cage.
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this is exactly what im talking about.
I gotta see what my fab guy says, maybe some pictures when I pull the trigger on something
 
You could do a hybrid. Primary internal with select points protruding thru the body and tieing to tube along the outside of the body.

Like outside runs coming out of the fenders and running up the A-pillar tied to a roof halo that is supported thru the roof by a interior cage. Brian at ACC in ATL has what I am trying to describe. It is very clean and doesn't look as bulky as a traditional exo. I will see if I can find some pics.
 
I'm going through the same exercise, except that I think the biggest downside to an exo is how terrible they look.

The body on the fzj80 moves a *lot* relative to the frame as well...
 
Kajun said:
Jynx is right about Brian's "combo" cage. It looks good and from what I've seen works pretty darn good.
I'm no where near this hardcore wheeling but if I were to build one... I'd have Brian do it for me.
Link to his build thread
https://forum.ih8mud.com/80-series-tech/478054-acc-fzj80-cage-build.html
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sold! that's the greatest thing since sliced bread, gives exactly what I want lol. ima email that link to my fab guy and get a quote, see if I can get the ball rolling
 
Farr off road built this exo for comparison
Not a fan of the looks factor and having seen/wheeled with Brian's it would be my style of choice if I were going down that road. For me I'd be choosing scrowleys method and hope if the day comes its slow enough and will be somewhat anticipated as a possibility. Doesn't protect your noggin as well but neither does DOM tubing running by head without a helmet.

https://forum.ih8mud.com/showthread.php?t=245582
 
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Here is the exo I did on my 4runner... If they hug & follow the body lines I think they look good.

The front was tied in under the hood into the shock mounts but I did plan on a crowl bar too.

I built this with a hand pump bender except for the stinger.



 
nice rig man. reminds me of a buggy but very well done.

looks like 2500 was the quote I got, im gonna get a few more from other shops, but probably seems to budget it best by doing the interior portion first then adding the front exo around summer
 
If an exo is done right, I think it's the way to go. I've talked to a few folks who have built good ones, and one point that was made to me that I haven't seen come up here - with an exo, you can use the environment to help you through some situations. Bad line getting into a technical area? Sometimes you can use the exo to press into a rock, then use it as a pivot point to move the truck into a better spot.

Granted that kind of a situation isn't going to come up all the time, but it is an advantage.
 
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