scooter60
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Sep 30, 2013
- Messages
- 414
Back in October during a trip to Harlan, I made a dumbass driver error in the dark and rolled my truck. It trashed the drivers side A pillar of the original exo cage and pushed it in to the cab. That caved in the cab A pillar, pushed the roof down about 8 inches, shattered the windshield and twisted the cab pretty bad.
This next pic you can get a little idea of how much the drivers side was pushed down.
After we got the truck flipped over, I used my highlift to get the A pillar and roof moved away from my head so I could get it back to camp.
Here are a few pics of the damage the next morning in the daylight.
A little back story on the cage. I built the original cage with some help from a buddy about 10 years ago. At that time it was only the second cage we had ever built and we really didnt know much. The idea was to protect the cab from trees and to add a little safety in the event of a slow speed flop. Were we rode at the time was mostly tight wooded trails that were destroying cabs due to bouncing off of trees. The cage was built out of 1.5" HREW using an Allstar performance shoe bender. We built the cage at the same time that I went from the Toy axles to tons and from 34's to 39.5's. The cage did its job and served its purpose well at the time. Over the years I made improvements to the truck to help performance. Went from the 22r, 5 speed, and dual toy cases to a TBI350, th350, and 203/205 doubler. A few years later I added the ORIs to the front and full hydro steering. A few years after that I saved the coin for 43 stickies and Racelines. With all the changes the truck just got heavier(5500lbs). Its capabilities quickly surpassed the safety of the cage. I'm a stubborn fella with a tight wallet and just refused to upgrade the cage. I did add some PRP seats and harnesses which kept the wife and I safe during the roll. The old cage did its job and I'm sure without it the roll would have made the cab useless and we may have been injured. We were both harnessed in and walked away without a scratch.
A little over a week ago I started on the cage rebuild. It is being done with the proper materials this time and much better equipment. Our knowledge has improved and hopefully this one will hold up much better in the unlikely event I roll it. We are 1.75" .120 wall USA made DOM. A JB2 bender and tubing notched is doing the bends and copes. I am sticking with the exo for headroom.
Here is a pic of the original cage shortly after it was completed.
Here are some pics of the progress so far.
I still need to add an X-brace to the back of the cab, several braces in the tubing around the fenders and the mounting tabs for lights, a new trans cooler, overflow tank, and other items.
I'll post up some pics next week as I make progress each week. We were able to pull the A pillar and roof out enough to get a new windshield in and the doors back on. The doors will need a little adjustment and my tube doors may need to be slightly modified to fit the twisted cab. Hoping to have it all completed and cage painted by the end of March.
This next pic you can get a little idea of how much the drivers side was pushed down.
After we got the truck flipped over, I used my highlift to get the A pillar and roof moved away from my head so I could get it back to camp.
Here are a few pics of the damage the next morning in the daylight.
A little back story on the cage. I built the original cage with some help from a buddy about 10 years ago. At that time it was only the second cage we had ever built and we really didnt know much. The idea was to protect the cab from trees and to add a little safety in the event of a slow speed flop. Were we rode at the time was mostly tight wooded trails that were destroying cabs due to bouncing off of trees. The cage was built out of 1.5" HREW using an Allstar performance shoe bender. We built the cage at the same time that I went from the Toy axles to tons and from 34's to 39.5's. The cage did its job and served its purpose well at the time. Over the years I made improvements to the truck to help performance. Went from the 22r, 5 speed, and dual toy cases to a TBI350, th350, and 203/205 doubler. A few years later I added the ORIs to the front and full hydro steering. A few years after that I saved the coin for 43 stickies and Racelines. With all the changes the truck just got heavier(5500lbs). Its capabilities quickly surpassed the safety of the cage. I'm a stubborn fella with a tight wallet and just refused to upgrade the cage. I did add some PRP seats and harnesses which kept the wife and I safe during the roll. The old cage did its job and I'm sure without it the roll would have made the cab useless and we may have been injured. We were both harnessed in and walked away without a scratch.
A little over a week ago I started on the cage rebuild. It is being done with the proper materials this time and much better equipment. Our knowledge has improved and hopefully this one will hold up much better in the unlikely event I roll it. We are 1.75" .120 wall USA made DOM. A JB2 bender and tubing notched is doing the bends and copes. I am sticking with the exo for headroom.
Here is a pic of the original cage shortly after it was completed.
Here are some pics of the progress so far.
I still need to add an X-brace to the back of the cab, several braces in the tubing around the fenders and the mounting tabs for lights, a new trans cooler, overflow tank, and other items.
I'll post up some pics next week as I make progress each week. We were able to pull the A pillar and roof out enough to get a new windshield in and the doors back on. The doors will need a little adjustment and my tube doors may need to be slightly modified to fit the twisted cab. Hoping to have it all completed and cage painted by the end of March.
Last edited:
