The History Of Industrial and Manufacturing Processes

When you're building an off-road vehicle, whether your plans are for rock crawling or mud runs, it's important that you reinforce the structure of the vehicle. A roll cage is the best way to do this, but it takes some care and preparation to do it right. Here are a few of the things that you need to consider as you're making your plans for your steel roll cage construction.

Craft With Minimal Bends

Tubing and pipe bends are a common part of any kind of metal fabrication, especially with a roll cage. When you're working with steel to create a cage, you want to design a cage that has as few bends in it as possible. That's because you create a weak point anywhere that you bend steel. Bending steel weakens it when compared to straight tubes, no matter how clean and crisp that bend is. So, when you're creating the design for your roll cage, consider incorporating more straight steel pipes and fewer bends.

Don't Get Creative

The ultimate goal of a steel roll cage is safety. It's intended to protect you and the vehicle in the event of a roll-over. For that reason, it's best for you to focus on safety with your roll cage design, maintaining as close to a traditional cage design as possible. These designs are known to be strong and durable, which means you'll be safe. If you try to craft a cage with considerations for appearances, you may actually sacrifice some strength and safety, which could be problematic if you encounter a problem on the trail.

Instead, talk with a steel fabricator about creating a classic, structurally sound cage design with the right diameter steel tubing for the weight of your vehicle and the environments you plan to drive in.

Add Gussets In The Corners

One final consideration when you're creating your steel roll cage is the importance of adding gussets to the corners of the cage. Gussets are added tubing inside of a roll cage corner to create what resembles an "A" shape inside that corner. This adds some additional structural support for the cage.

If you're not comfortable with trying to craft the gussets and weld them in place, you can work with a steel fabricator who will know precisely how to size and install those gussets for maximum support.

Work with a steel fabrication service near you to craft the design that you need to keep your truck safe on the trails.