cage... what to do...?

[blkTJ]

as I see it I've got 3 options...

1. pay alot of money for Mr Duncan to build me a full custom cage.

2. buy the Toys by Troy bolt in sports cage.

3. get the PSC Trail Cage and find a "certified welder" to help with the install.

what do you folks think is the best way to go?

thanks.

[mnjeeper]

I'm going to be using option #2 this winter.

Option #3 is nice too (for the easier, cheaper way compared to a full cage) but I don't particularly like that it reuses the stock "sport bars" on the upper side. No reason except I would prefer to see a bend than a weld I guess.

[Allen]

I would do #3.....

But I'm biased.....

Or get PSC full cage kit.....

Or do #1.....

I'd skip #2.....

Allen

[sethmark]

Do 1 or 3. 2 is a nice place to hang a CB, but is not rollover protection.

[Chris L]

certified, smurtified. My welds seems to hold pretty well. Back end of the jeep hasn't fallen off yet

I would pick #1 if you have the dough, or get the PS full cage for $599-

[William]

I have #1. Pretty happy with it. Lot of attention goes into them, he doesn't just fork them out, he, and his crew really do it right. I know 3 people with the cage as well, and thier happy to boot.
The biggest thing is that his view is less of making money, and more of building something that'd protect you. If you can't weld, #1 is the best option. And if you can weld, it's a matter of what your time is worth and how well you weld as well.

I had bolts on my stock cage (before have a full cage installed) snap and shear when I rolled. Leads me to beleive that perhaps bolts aren't meant to be in place for a roll cage.

[bart]

What does Mike charge for a basic 6 point cage? I think the PSC kit is very good if you have it welded well. The Troy kit is decent, but needs some additional work. I have a TbT kit and I have reinforced it to some degree. Where it bolts up, I have 1/4" AL plates behind it. I have some angle made to tie it into my rockers, but have not installed. I still need to do some triangulated spreaders and something in the rear.

-Bart

[Macgyver]

Originally posted by blkTJ
as I see it I've got 3 options...

1. pay alot of money for Mr Duncan to build me a full custom cage.

2. buy the Toys by Troy bolt in sports cage.

3. get the PSC Trail Cage and find a "certified welder" to help with the install.

what do you folks think is the best way to go?

thanks.

I'd go with the 4Xdoc cage or the PSC cage and skip the TBT cage. The bolt in stuff if for the birds and the street wheelers.

That being said, I'll probably be installing the PSC trail cage with the rear bar and a couple of diagonals next month or in December if work slows down enough. I really like the PSC dash/ floor mounts. When I pull the cage out to fully weld, I'll also weld the stock cage, powdercoat, and use all new hardware when I put it back in. I can the do the PSC cage cheaper than Duncan's just becuase I have access to welding everyday. If the PSC cage goes in okay, I have several friends that want one too. I may make a floor jig to do a few of them without welding in the Jeep, I may be able to help you with yours, but it may be a couple of months before I can get to it.

[Jeff Weston]

Brian,

I have option 1. Like others, I think option 1 or 3 are your best bets if you're going to the trouble of adding a cage. Option 2 bolts to your main hoop using the factory stamped, thin brackets and two machine screws. As for price, I'm guessing that the cost will be about a wash if you hire somebody to weld together your PSC cage. The one thing that I like about the FXD cage over the PSC is that it gives you more headroom for both the front and back seat passengers if that is important to you. I know that Mike prefers the cage in front of the dash for strength, but I'd still go for the behind the dash for its better ergonomics. If mine kinda' bends there a bit due to the angle of the bar, I'll have another one rebuilt (assuming I live ).

[Paul Sinclair]

Option 1: Keep it simple, avoid all the bells & whistles & it won't cost that much. Mike built a really nice 8 piont cage for my XJ for way less than I would have expected, & I'd imagine it would be a bit cheaper for a TJ.
Paul

[sethmark]

FWIW, mike's theories about thru the dash cages is incorrect. His bend around the dash is more severe than my bend to follow the contour of the windshield. Straight tube rules, of course, but its just not practical.

And I am the voice of experiece here, ya know!

[Jeff Weston]

Seth,

I have the behind the dash cage so you know what I think. That said, I'd be pretty surprised if the bend in the behind the dash bar is less than the in-front of the dash bar. Regardless, what concerns Mike, as I understand it, is that when you go behind the dash, the angle between the down bar and the side bar gets to far from 90* for his liking. If you were at the ARCA event at JV when Currie flopped on its dome, the front corner did collapse quite a bit. That said, it was a pretty far drop and the whole weight of the vehicle did land on that corner and the driver was okay, so ...

[Patenter]

I recently had ChrisO (C.O.D.E.) install a PSC trail cage kit. I'm very happy with it. I also had him add a spreader bar to the stock bars in the back, which seems to complete the cage (for me that is). Chris appeared to like the design of the PSC kit.

[TObject]

Make sure the cage is certified as a safety device. Most cheap ones are not, and state so in the manual, that they are just for looks.

[sethmark]

Originally posted by Jeff Weston
Seth,

I have the behind the dash cage so you know what I think. That said, I'd be pretty surprised if the bend in the behind the dash bar is less than the in-front of the dash bar. Regardless, what concerns Mike, as I understand it, is that when you go behind the dash, the angle between the down bar and the side bar gets to far from 90* for his liking. If you were at the ARCA event at JV when Currie flopped on its dome, the front corner did collapse quite a bit. That said, it was a pretty far drop and the whole weight of the vehicle did land on that corner and the driver was okay, so ...

Maybe mine is different, but I'm more than 100% sure that its plenty stout in the case of a severe roll.

[cbassett]

Originally posted by TObject
Make sure the cage is certified as a safety device. Most cheap ones are not, and state so in the manual, that they are just for looks.

Out of curiousity, who sells a cage that is "certified as a safety device"? Seems like a HUGE liability issue, and the reason most places state there cages are 'for looks only'- even though some are more than adequate.

[TObject]

Originally posted by cbassett
Out of curiousity, who sells a cage that is "certified as a safety device"?

Here is a place, for example:

http://www.fourstarmotorsports.com/C...l_Cages_44.htm

Don't skimp on safety. You don't want to end up with an incompetent design that will kill you by squeezing your brains out of the crack in your head.

[William]

Originally posted by TObject
Here is a place, for example:

http://www.fourstarmotorsports.com/C...l_Cages_44.htm

Don't skimp on safety. You don't want to end up with an incompetent design that will kill you by squeezing your brains out of the crack in your head.

Hey! Some of my brains are left in.

[TObject]

You are an exception. I talk about normal people.

[blkTJ]

Thanks for all the input. I tend to agree with the fact that a few hundred bucks saved is not worth loss of life.

How 'bout it Mike?(I know your reading this) How much for a cage these days?