CFS Off-Road TJ Cage for Ryan Moulton

#41
Cage looks pretty good. Why don't you do any prep work though before you weld? And also I can't quite tell from the pics, but it looks like you are stacking tack welds instead of running a bead?
 
#42
No doubt... I've walked away from 2 SERIOUS as a heart attack rolls without a scratch. Having to replace the cage was a small price to pay for my safety. I've built cages both ways and rolled on both styles. I found that proper gussetting made more of a difference than the tube direction. The A-C design came out of Twisted Customs in the early 00's to keep them from snagging the cages on obstacles. Worked WAY better for that....

In the end, I applaud the customer for spending the coin. Its cheap insurance. Keep up the solid work.


Thanks for the compliments on the fab work. I will say most of the times that the A-pillar bars get tweaked, it's from a lack of tying it into the frame correctly. what happens is that the floor allows movement and once there is even the slightest flex in the tubing it's all down hill from there. If saying that the through dash A-pillar bars are weak that would also mean the B-Pillar should be weak and bend as well because it is virtually of the same design. Also, on our cages we always run from A to C with our main hoops not from A to A as some people do. Running A to C is much stronger and will not tweak as easily when landing on its side. In the event that the A legs did somehow twist on this cage during a roll I can guarantee that the driver and passenger would be safe and that's worth replacing a bar any day. :weld:
 
#43
Thanks man

No doubt... I've walked away from 2 SERIOUS as a heart attack rolls without a scratch. Having to replace the cage was a small price to pay for my safety. I've built cages both ways and rolled on both styles. I found that proper gussetting made more of a difference than the tube direction. The A-C design came out of Twisted Customs in the early 00's to keep them from snagging the cages on obstacles. Worked WAY better for that....

In the end, I applaud the customer for spending the coin. Its cheap insurance. Keep up the solid work.
 
#45
If you hole-saw notch and do not grind/sand the sharp ends down, you are welding very thin material to the base metal and its a lot weaker
I agree with the theory but I wonder how much difference it really makes. Since it is thin won't that thin material end up adding to the puddle of the bead?
 
#46
It makes a lot of difference. Ya the thin part melts, but all your heat goes into that part of your metal, and you end up with a lack of penetration on the joint. Kinda hard for me to put in words, but either way it is not the correct way to weld that joint.
 
#47
I can assure you the tubing got plenty hot, not just the "thin" part of the notch. I could take more pictures of the discoloration of the tube but I have better things to do (although I will if it will make everyone chill). I refuse to get into a pissing match on welding theory on a forum. :shaking: Well everyone (including you and I) should constantly be learning, we have done a TON of cages most of which have been beaten the piss out of and have NEVER had an issue with welds breaking, cracking or seperating from the tube. Everyone is entitled to their opinion and I respect that but I am not on here to talk **** about other peoples junk. The customer and ourselves, are happy with the cage and thats what counts. That's about as nicely as I can respond. :smile:
 
#49
Starting to look like pirate around here... geez! Its a sweet cage.. no need to beat the dead horses... :deadhorse:
Exactly :shaking: lol Thanks man, I like the way it turned out. Again, unlike most people we build to our customers request as opposed to telling them what they have to have. We take their design and add safety to it. We appreciate all the compliments.
 
#50
Thank you sir!

It's hard for me to pick out which point in this reply I respect the most since there are so many valid points brought up. Everything is a learning experience! This is very true. When things become routine it becomes boring. Personally I'm not a fan of the cage design itself but of course I'm not the one who's Jeep it's going into. I believe this cage will hold up the way it's supposed to and will offer great protection. Don't worry about the haters and keep up the good work.
:cheers:
 
#51
The work looks good. I'm hoping all the critiquing doesn't keep more people from posting up project pics in the future. I enjoy learning on here; although this place does have a bunch of experts.:eeek:
 
#52
I can assure you the tubing got plenty hot, not just the "thin" part of the notch. I could take more pictures of the discoloration of the tube but I have better things to do (although I will if it will make everyone chill). I refuse to get into a pissing match on welding theory on a forum. :shaking: Well everyone (including you and I) should constantly be learning, we have done a TON of cages most of which have been beaten the piss out of and have NEVER had an issue with welds breaking, cracking or seperating from the tube. Everyone is entitled to their opinion and I respect that but I am not on here to talk **** about other peoples junk. The customer and ourselves, are happy with the cage and thats what counts. That's about as nicely as I can respond. :smile:
Excellent reply, and I in no means was trying to start a pissing match, just offering some asking some questions more as constructive criticism. Sorry if it came off that way, but I am a welder by trade and wasn't sure if you were aware that what your doing isn't the best path for welding tubing. Also should state that I do like the cage. I especially liked it before the rear section, but that is just personal preference as I am always partial to the fast back cage look over the family style.
 
#53
This guy does my plasma stuff. He actually sends it off to a Laser guy in Charlotte, it comes back super sharp not the jagged stuff you see with a lot of plasma.

http://www.plasmadesigns.info/ He is in Newberry and also can work with your cad file or even EPS graphics.

BTW nice cage, thats gonna look good on the new web site. :smile:
 
#56
Excellent reply, and I in no means was trying to start a pissing match, just offering some asking some questions more as constructive criticism. Sorry if it came off that way, but I am a welder by trade and wasn't sure if you were aware that what your doing isn't the best path for welding tubing. Also should state that I do like the cage. I especially liked it before the rear section, but that is just personal preference as I am always partial to the fast back cage look over the family style.

Thanks for the compliments on the cage. We always try to learn. My partner and I both went to school for welding (years ago) and I did a lot of field stick and mig for a company back in the day before getting into the automotive side of things. It's a lot easier and cleaner for us to weld tubing this way as opposed to trying to chase or push a puddle as you would when welding flat plate. If you look at our other build on here for the "Coulter Boys" and notice when we capped the rear of the frame we welded a long bead on each side as opposed to stacking because it was plate and not round tubing. Not saying one way is stronger than others but we know enough to realize that if we decide to stack we turn the heat up and get it really really hot to burn it in good. I can assure you the welds are NOT the weak point. Anyways, now I'm beating the same dead horse I was complaining about so I will drop it now. All in all we are thankfull for the oppurtunity to do this cage and hope there are many more to follow.
 
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