Four wheeling is one of the greatest hobbies imaginable but no
matter how easy you take it on the trails rollovers are always a
possibility. Not only off road a lifted vehicle has a greater
probability of rolling in a collision on road. A full roll cage
could be the factor between life or death for yourself and your
passengers. The factory cage is built to help in a roll but the fact
that the roll cage spreaders attach to the windshield frame means
your frame will be ruined and your windshield glass shattered. The
answer to this is simple, an after market multiple point cage such
as the one from Tennessee
Off-Road. Made from DOM tubing, heat treated and bent with
precise accuracy this cage is meant to take a beating while
protecting you and your guests in a rollover. It also allows for the
lowering of the windshield so in a rollover you do not have to
replace the frame and do not have to worry about windshield glass
shattering.
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| The
cage drying after applying primer. |
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The
kit includes:
(1) Front hoop
(2) Floor plates
(4) Spreaders
As well as mounting hardware. We opted to get grab handles and for a
little extra you can get a frame tie in kit for this cage which is
the safest route to go. |
Installing this kit is simple yet if you do not have good
measuring skills and most important welding skills do not attempt
to install it yourself. This kit is meant to save your life and
the lives of others with you in a roll so do not jeopardize that
if you are not sure of your abilities. Though do not let this
warning scare you away from this kit, if you have a friend or even
a nearby shop that you trust to do the welding/measuring for you
then the cost of having the work done by them will still be far
less than having a shop totally custom make a cage for you.
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First, we started out by removing the stock spreaders that attach
from the stock rear hoop to the windshield frame by simply taking
the torx headed bolt out of the rear hoop then taking the three torx
bolts out of the windshield frame. If you still have sun visors they
will need to go first.
After removing both spreaders from the Jeep we put in the front hoop
floor mounts then placed in our new front hoop. The front hoop needs
to be centered so we measured the distance from the side of the dash
to the front hoop and once the gap was equal on both sides we moved
the floor mounts so they were centered. Next step was to fit the
outer spreaders in by simply putting them in place temporary and
once they were positioned as we wanted, a little above the stock
location, the middle spreaders were put in place. We used bunge
cords, one on each side, between the middle and outer spreader, to
help keep the spreaders from not falling on us while we moved the
bars into the correct position.
Now that all the spreaders were in place securely we measured the
distance from the edge of the windshield to the outer spreaders.
Once those were even we measured the distance between the outer
spreaders and put the two inner spreaders equal distances apart.
Re-measuring was required to make sure all the spreaders are even
distances from each other, the outers are equal from the windshield,
and the front hoop is equal distances to the dash on both sides,
making sure everything is measured correctly is very important. Last
was to center the floor plates under the front hoop again to make
sure they haven't moved.
Everything in place we tack welded the spreaders as well as the
floor plates. With everything tack welded it was time to take the
cage out. Four plates hold in the cage, two in the rear on the
fender well and two behind the front seats. The seat belts on the
rear hoop and selt belt housing assembly will have to be taken off
to get the cage out, both have 1 torx bolt that holds them in. After
the torx bolts were taken out of all the plates the cage is ready to
be lifted out. To get the cage out it will take a few friends or if
that isn't an option or your friends are lazy you can tie a rope
around the tree, lift the cage above the Jeep then drive forward.
Once the cage was out we fully welded it.
Painting time was next, after sanding a coat of primer was applied
then a few coats of paint. Using a spray can works fine but if you
have access to a air compressor and paint gun go down that route.
After letting the paint dry it was time to put the cage back in.
Once the cage is in and the four plates are bolted back in it was
time to drill the body for the front hoop floor plate. A trick
Tennessee Off-Road mentioned if you want to run hard doors you put
your doors on and put a thick piece of cardboard in between the door
and the cage and close it. With the doors closed drill the holes in
the body for the plate holes and secure it with the included
hardware. Now that the floor plates are bolted in the cage is
finished! |
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The
End Conclusion
The cage is
very stout and made from 1 3/4" DOM tubing so in a rollover it
will hold up much stronger than the stock cage. However, Tennessee
Off road nor probably any cage maker guarantees a cage will save
your life but this cage over the stock cage will definitely help.
Not only the added safety but the peace of mind of knowing that in a
roll your windshield will not be smashed and you will not have to
worry about glass shatter. Adding the cage has not interfered with
the function of any other part as well which we were more than happy
about.
Tennessee
Off Road
http://www.tennesseeoffroad.com/
TennesseeOffRoad@home.com
1114
17th Avenue South, Suite 205
Nashville, TN 37212
Phone: 615.327.4440
Fax: 615.327.0898
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