I was looking into getting some steel to start building a cage and got a price quote at two different places in town.
The tubing was 2" x .120" wall DOM

Place #1 quoted me at $27 a foot.  That's $8100 for 300 feet!!!
Place #2 quoted me at $4.67 a foot.  That's $1401; much nicer.

Is there anything that would be cheaper than DOM tubing, but would be safe enough to run for slow speed rock rolls?

The $4.67 a foot isn't horrible, but it's kinda painful too.  Suggestions?


This is my 100th post!!!

I plan on building some bumpers and a roll cage this summer as well. I plan on usung just regular CREW (cold rolled electric welded) tube which is cheaper then DOM (drawn over mandrel). Try re-pricing it with the crew tube.
Jim

How is the strength?

There's really no point in using DOM vs. HREW.  Not worth the cost difference.

DOM is mild steel tubing, no seam and heavier
wall, not stronger, just thicker.

If you want strength, get chromoly alloy tubing.

Isn't chromoly expensive as all get out?
As far as roll cages go, what route?

I haven't priced steel in a long time, so I don't know.

Chromalloy used to be very expensive in comparison to mild steel, but mild steel has gone way up in the last two years.
   DOM starts off as CREW tube. It becomes DOM by the process of drawing it over a mandrel, this flattens and smooths the welded seam.
 Since this will only be for rock crawling and not really intended for high speed crashes I feel perfectly safe with the crew tube and that is what I will use.
 You could also call Calmini and ask what there roll cages are made from, it's not listed on the site. I would think that it is CREW tube. This might help you make a decision.
  Becareful where you get pricing, up here we have lots of these "supermarkets" for steel. They are handy if you need a small piece on the weekend, but they are very pricey. I always call at least 5 places before purchasing for my shop as the prices vary greatly. It all depends how much they paid for the steel when they brought it in. Go to the big steel supply shops.
Jim

I didn't know all that about DOM, thank you for the help.
Next time I have a chance, I'll find some quotes on CREW, 2"x.120", unless there's a different suggestion.  Thanks again!

One thing to remember is that we are running at around 2000 pounds for the most part.  So we don't need to worry about that extra 1-2000 pounds of force rolling over our cage. 

the only problem with crew and dom is if the cage is badly distorted you hav to replace the whole cage because it loses alot of its strength but if you can take your time and buy cromo
if you take a big hit you can just replace the damaged part of the cage  it does not distort as easily

Just my two cents

Dustin

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