lets talk exo-cages

[2badfjs]

i was approached to build a exo on a 91 4runner.
exos are new to me so i'm trying to research as much as possable.
the customer was under the impression that a partial interior cage is needed to tie into each other. mainly in the rear cargo area.
something about keeping the exo from shifting on a flop and being pushed into the body panels.

this is a family wheeler and pretty well built as it sits.
family safety is his first priority.

we plan on first starting with sliders and then working the rear passanger area for the kids sake.

my first thoughts on the build is a 2" halo above the roof and using 1.5" uprights to tie into the halo.
triagulation will be at all points of tube connection for strength.

thoughts and ideas are greatly appreciated

jim

 

[fj80toyman]

thoughts and ideas are greatly appreciated

jim

I found some interesting pics, one had an exo-cage 80. Pretty homemade looking but stout. It is from a trip to Japan, these guys go to a place called Sanage Adventure Field. It's an off-road park about the size of four football fields in a grid, but they pack a lot in there.

Take a look, you might find out what NOT to do!

Dan.

 

[Isotel]

Alot of ideas here Jim
http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=95564

id run an "X" right behind the rear seats tied into the frame and the exo..

 

[4rnr]

heres the cage i did for my 92 runner

 

[Mace]

talk him into an interopr cage.. with a roof, he will be plenty safe..

Exo's are damage multipliers more than anythign else..

 

[4rnr]

talk him into an interopr cage.. with a roof, he will be plenty safe..

Exo's are damage multipliers more than anythign else..

BWAHAHAHAHHAHAHAH, maybe to the trees and rocks I hit.

how do you figure?

 

[GLTHFJ60]

I would think the same as mace. The bars would bend in upon harsh impact, while the interior cage would be able to be stiffer.

 

[4rnr]

first my cage is exactly the same as it was the day I built it (Its DOM BTW). Second think about what you are saying. If an impact is strong enough to bend DOM then what would it do to sheet metal .

Interior cages can be stronger easier, but to us in the midwest, it is nice to have windows, escpecially on a daily driver (which mine was and is still a 40% DD) Yes body damage is cool..... if you live in the desert....My body damage is cool for about 12 hrs, if I dont get paint on it, then it is brown and runny, and before you know it its swiss cheese.

4runners are small enough inside and Im 6'2". there isnt much room for an interior cage.

Damage multiplier

 

[4rnr]

Alot of ideas here Jim
http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=95564

id run an "X" right behind the rear seats tied into the frame and the exo..

Cant be done. I wish it could. Unless you remove the rear seats. the front seat back (when reclined to a comfortable position) breaks the verticle plane off the front of the rear seat. I wanted to give my cage internal bracing but just couldnt.

It has proven to be strong enough to drive on its side though as is. But when Im driving on my side I plow dirt into the cage ....

 

[Full_M3tal]

Ok Here You Go.... I Would Use 1 1/2-1 3/4 Dom Tubing.

Heres An Ultima Thread:


http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=95564

It Should Help


And One I Made Here In Mud, Thread That Is...
https://forum.ih8mud.com/showthread.php?t=124099

 

[Mace]

Because the typical unsupported spans that are almost completly unavoidable in an exo are weak.. Runner, if you had anything more than a hard flop, that side would cave in.. Plus you have added what 100 lbs to the roof? increasing the chance of rolling?

It is so much easier to build an internal cage stronger and SAFER than an exo.

You are using them as sliders.. something that could easily have been done with some small bars bolted to the roof and some metal plates..

Anything is safer than nothing. But if he is worried about his family, a well braced interior cage is the answer..

If you are concerned about dents, get a buggy.

 

[4rnr]

Well that all makes sense in theory and before I bent my first tube I spent a year trying to combat those points. Then I just built it, and it will take what I dish out. Flops are no problem, and I am confident that it will take a barrel roll, many people have barreled an exoed 4runner.

An interior cage is stronger AFTER a certain point, but for me an external is better.

BTW I love dents, just not the body rot that soon follows. I dont like buggys, they dont look like fun, and its cold and wet here. Plus most people I talk to with buggies miss the good old days of a DD on 35's that you can hop in and wheel on the weekend. Im rambling. but if I had an internal cage my truck would have no windows, no doors, and basically no body left. So I call it an exponential body damage reducer

 

[lowtideride]

I agree with both of you

I have seen a floped 4runner exo make it out with a out a problem, granted the roll wasnt that bad. I have been on the trail with an exo'ed 80, and it saved that body on just about every trail. Granted I think if it would have rolled the heavy weight of the 80 would have bent the exo. But, it still would look better then with out one.

I am running an internal and exo cage on my 60. (for 2 weeks now ) I built the internal for strengh and the front exo to keep what sheet metal is left there. I always slide my rain gutters on trees and rocks, enough so that both of them are rolled the other way now. So, I am running exo bars over the roof to use as sliders, for well...the roof.

my 1.2 cents...

 

[Mace]

I am running an internal and exo cage on my 60. (for 2 weeks now ) I built the internal for strengh and the front exo to keep what sheet metal is left there. I always slide my rain gutters on trees and rocks, enough so that both of them are rolled the other way now. So, I am running exo bars over the roof to use as sliders, for well...the roof.

...

Like I said, sliders

Obviously there are designs that minimze damage to the body, but if you truly want strength, then some sort of cross bracing is necessary, and you need an internal cage to do that.

Course, these are rigs with a roof still and they are inherently harder to beat in than a rig with no top..

 

[FJ40-GARAGE]

Safety Devices from UK does build and sale excellent rollcages, they even equipped the Camel Trophy Land Rovers.

They also have them for a lot of other 4x4 vehicles.

Toyota Land Cuiser and Hilux internal-external cages. PDF

The combined interior-exterior seems to be the safest solution, everything connected to the frame rails.

Got one of their cages on the LR110 didnt roll it yet but if ever...........

 

[fc187]

as said, no doubt, an int cage will ultimately provide a more sound protection and do so allot easier and with less material.

but, a well built EXO has its place.

I finished this exo a couple months ago. allmost 200' of 1 3/4 DOM.

My customer took it out a few weeks ago and rolled the sh*t out of it. three complete barrel rolles down a steep hill, catching air between the 2nd, and 3rd roll, slamming on its side to a dead stop. the roll was hard enough to rip his battery out of its mount, bust both motor mounts and break his timming chain tensioner

the front top edge of the cab at the WS made just enough contact with the EXO to crack the windsheild and slightly dent the cab. both people in the rig where fine. asside from the passenger "finding" the stray mag light.

any way, a roll that would have totalled a rig with an int cage, with a decent EXO, it caused minor damage, and the driver still has a truck to take home.

 

[4rnr]

Amen