4x4 Performance: Truck Roll Cage

You're almost done fixing up your truck for off-road use, and now you need a truck roll cage to make sure you can walk away from a rollover. There used to be a time when all that was thought was needed was a simple heavy gauge, chromed roll bar bolted into the bed of your off road truck and you were ready to go. With lifts of up to more than a foot being common, bigger tires than before and higher speeds due to new advances in engine technology, you need a full truck roll cage to ensure your complete off road safety.

Roll Cage vs. Roll Bar

A roll bar is just a tubular bar, usually chromed, that is in the shape of a squared-off and upside down letter U. These are usually just bolted into the bed, sometimes with a 6" by 6" plate on top and bottom of the bed for strength. A roll cage is bolted or welded to the chassis and is inside the truck's cab. It offers added protection to the driver and passengers, since it reinforces both front and rear window lines on both the front and rear of the doors. With a roll bar, nine out of ten times, the cab is going to at least deform, if not crush along the windshield. This won't happen with a full cage, since there is support along these areas.

Bolting vs. Welding

Most roll bars and some cages are bolted into the vehicle. These are just for looks, because most bolts would shear off during a high speed, high energy rollover. If you plan on entering your truck in any off road competitions, you will need to both bolt AND weld it to the chassis for added strength and safety. This means you will need to cut holes into the floor pan of your truck and, after attaching the cage to the frame, patch the holes in the pan.

Roll Cage Design

Due to the added weight and higher ride heights of an off road truck, you will need to either buy or construct your truck roll cage out of heavy gauge tubing of at least an inch and a half inner diameter. The walls of this tubing should be at least one eighth of an inch thick. Once properly installed in your truck, the roll cage should be covered in tubular foam padding. This padding should be kept on the cage either using cable ties or a suitable heavy gauge tape.

A properly installed and padded truck roll cage, along with a properly installed competition harness, can end up saving your life in a rollover accident, whether on or off road. A competition style harness rides lower on your hips, has separate straps for both shoulders and has a quick release system to facilitate harness removal in an emergency. Remember, if your truck pulls double duty on and off road, the added ground clearance significantly raises the center of gravity, making rollovers much more likely.