This is one opinion I got about a roll cage. Seems to make sense to me:


"i read in nfw your haveing a roll cage done create perches from frame

dont go solid youll regret that no flex in frame a really bad thing

i went solid with my first roll cage and cracked my welds really quick

now it has a floating roll cage with frame perches to catch it still need to finish that also,
pretty simple tubeing to plate/ rubber shim/plate to tubeing to frame
1/4 inch gap filled with rubber gasket material and bolted together at plates looks like to T one on top of the other hope i didnt loose you"

I wanted to ask you all about this before I go to American spring (metal shop). This was a concern for me originally as well. The frames are engineered to have some flex in them. Now as long as they stand behind ALL welds (free repairs) and since the amount of frame that would be welded with the cage might be short; the lack of frame flex might not be noticeble. If the cage is hooking to the frame only around the seats it might be ok. Right? My cage is only going to hook into the frame in 4 points, as though it was a in cab roll cage for a regular cab pickup. The rear part of the cage is mostly for looks and to hold the soft top up.

You might want to ask the shop what they think about this. But I don't think Patrol frames were designed to flex. In fact I think they are designed to be very ridged. In a lot of old advertising that was one sales pitch...."an extremly ridged frame designed to resist flexing."

A mog frame was designed to flex but I just don't think a Patrol frame is the same deal.

I wouldnt worry about frame flex on the Patrol.. it has a very solid frame. If anything, the cage will even stiffen it up a bit.

Now, on my mog, I couldnt tie a cage to the frame, since the frame flexes and it and the cab move independantly.

Yeah, the Patrols' frames are boxed so as to prevent flex. Being that they are "SUV"s rather than a pickup. Ever notice how thick our body mount bushings are? Not very...

Compare it to the Kaiser-Jeep M715. They have c-channel frames and even springs on the cab mounts.

And some of the old M37 Power wagons were even available with swivels in the frames between the cab and the bed.