Series Roll bars / roll cages

[sotal]

I do a bit of off-roading in my series, just a bit of non-competitive fun stuff nothing serious, but I'd like to know there's a bit of protection if I did roll it.

I've currently got a full hard top with van sides (88")

I guess my ideal bar would be an internal roll bar with two supports, but I do want one that would protect me rather than just look the part.

I've seen ones like this one:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...bayphotohosting

(item number 230196825057)

obviously I'd need a truck cab to use that one (but that could be an option) but to me it just looks like it's been made to look pretty - would it actually help?? The stays don't look to fasten to anything sturdy but the roll bar looks like it would attach to the chassis so that should be sturdy there.

I've also seen this one:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Land-Rover-Defender-...1QQcmdZViewItem

(item number 270190822794)

Where would that one mount? Would that be sturdy?

Any suggestions as to what to look out for? Or would I be better getting one made up? I know the owner of a place which bends pipe.

Is a 90/Defender one the same size as a series??

Is an internal one worth while?

Do they weld to the chassis, or do they bolt to it with some kind of U clamp?

Anything else I should consider? Not got too much to spend on it, and don't need it for competition use etc etc

[Steve_M]

The second one looks like a military style roll hoop and will be fixed on top of the body cappings so doesn't have the strongest of foundations. It will provide limited protection but not much and they are designed to be used with soft tops so it would probably be a struggle to fit with a hardtop.

I don't really like the look of the first one either as the backstays only appear to mount on to the body not the chassis and there is no trianglation in the main hoop.

Steve

[FridgeFreezer]

Something is better than nothing - given how basic an internal hoop with back-stays is I wouldn't spend too long searching ebay, just phone round see if someone can supply the parts new or bend something up for you.

I'd be quite wary of eBay cages anyway, just because they could turn out to be knocked up in a barn by some cretin with a hobby-MIG and some spare scaffolding I'd want to have a good look before buying.

[Litch]

By the time you have bough & fitted something that just isn't a real roll-bar you would be most of the way down the road to buying a proper one which really does provide protection.

Any bar that does not attach to the chassis is of limited or no use. The MOD ones were really nothing more than an uprated hoop-stick & upper seat-belt mount, they do what they were designed to do (help make the vehicle pass H&S regs) but they are of limited (if any) use in a real accident. They attach to the capping so cannot be used with a hard-top.

There are plenty of firms who advertise in the magazines who make, sell & fit proper roll-bars, have a word with a few and you can discuss with them what you need and how much it will cost.

In the past I used the ARC & AWDC hand-books to design a cage and than had it made up by a local engineering workshop (I did the final fitting) but nowadays there are plenty of good bars/cages on the market that the DIY route isn't really worth it unless you are doing all the design, bending, welding & fitting yourself.

[92.9]

I was looking into this a little while ago and after much reading on the subject, North Off Road turned out to be one of the best places to talk to:

http://www.northoffroad.co.uk/RollCages.asp

[sean f]

As has been said any thing is better than nothing BUT,

If it isn't attached to any thing solid frankly its not doing anything, to be effective a cage must be fixed down to the chassis.

There is some info in the tools section of the forum with the ARC and MSA roll cage specs, if you follow these you won't go far wrong. Take the specs to any decent fabricator and they should be able to sort something out, bear in mind if your welding is not 100% get some one else who's is to weld it for you, a roll cage is not a good place for dodgy welding.

The designs all show full competition cages whether you fit a front hoop (in front of the windscreen) or not depends on the type of driving you do and now big an accident you think you may have. If you get a rear hoop and stays made up and fitted to the specs shown then it would be quite easy to get a front hoop and roof bars fitted later if you got more into it and started to want more protection.

There are plenty of companies about that will supply and fit all the bits you need, of the shelf or made to order as required, what you end up with will depend on how you want the vehicle to look (external cages can look quite agressive and attract attention, depends on whether this is what you want), how much protection you want and how much you want to pay. The old addage of you get what you pay for generally hold true!.

[kpodmore]

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