Roll cages? Poison Spyder of RockHard?

I have helped install three rock hard cages and one P'S cage the rock hard cages were alot easier to install than the P'S cage not to mention the leg room the P'S cages eat up where they tie into the floorboards, which I could see being annoying if your Jeep is a daily driver. With all that being said I will be putting a RH sport cage in mine when the time comes.

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I'm shopping for one myself so I read the whole thread as to not miss anything. I gotta say it was not a wasted effort, and was amused by the "BS". I was leaning toward the Rock Hard but couldn't get past the way the bars attach to one another. It's just not as clean looking as the Ps. Other than that, it sounds to be the better cage.
 
Installation pain aside, the logic that PS gives for it's "superior" design make sense and would probably make me lean that way. (I don't have either btw).

A-PillarJunction-600.jpg

Out of curiousity for anyone running a sport cage and a hard top, does this interfere with the freedom top install/removal? I couldn't tell from the website.

Found an install video online as well:

 
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JK_Dave said:
Installation pain aside, the logic that PS gives for it's "superior" design make sense and would probably make me lean that way. (I don't have either btw).

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Out of curiousity for anyone running a sport cage and a hard top, does this interfere with the freedom top install/removal? I couldn't tell from the website.

Thanks!
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I'm no engineer, but it seems to me that when downward pressure is placed on the RockHard style cages, the worst that could happen is the plate bends onto the top of the dash (in which case there would still be support). With the PS cage, if the weld breaks from downward pressure...support is lost. Again, I have no clue if what I'm saying is true; I'm just looking at it with an obviously untrained eye.

Hopefully someone who actually has some engineering knowledge will chime in.
 
I don't think I would rely on the dash providing any "support" but that's just me ;)

One thing I like about the PSC is the fact that it ties into the tub at the dash level and goes all the way to the floor, and could be tied into the frame. I have a similar setup (BTF kit) in my tj. Yes, the fact that any cage going to the floor, will limit a small amount of space, but it was never noticeable to me in my tj.
I don't like how the PSC kit doesn't attach to the windshield.


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pvanweelden said:
I don't think I would rely on the dash providing any "support" but that's just me ;)

One thing I like about the PSC is the fact that it ties into the tub at the dash level and goes all the way to the floor, and could be tied into the frame. I have a similar setup (BTF kit) in my tj. Yes, the fact that any cage going to the floor, will limit a small amount of space, but it was never noticeable to me in my tj.
I don't like how the PSC kit doesn't attach to the windshield.


Sent from my LG-C800 using WAYALIFE mobile app
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I think you misunderstood what I'm saying. There really isn't anywhere for the bent plate on the RH cage to go because of the dash. Unless the plate literally snapped, it's (the plate) going to continue to provide support even if it starts bending into the dash.

My OR Fab had a floor tie in and did not eat up leg room at all.
 
What I can tell you is that the ONLY cage I have seen after rolling 3 times out in Johnson Valley is a Rock Hard and it protected it's occupants just like it is designed to do. For whatever "weakness" people may try to assume it has, I simply have not seen that to be the case. But, people can believe what they want in spite of what they've never seen.
 
for the guys that have a cage already, what do you do if you want to run wires inside the jeep after the side plates are installed? I ordered my cage but was just thinking about this a while.
 
hinrichs said:
for the guys that have a cage already, what do you do if you want to run wires inside the jeep after the side plates are installed? I ordered my cage but was just thinking about this a while.
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With the RockHard I have found it easy enough to fish wires through the same dash holes, even with the cage (the cage doesn't cover the dash holes, you just pull the wire normally out of the dash hole and then tuck it behind the cage's plate, if that makes sense.) The OR-Fab was a little harder, but still doable.

A few other options are to run a bunch of wire now for the number of switches you think you will end up with down the road. Really, you just need one wire per switch (the power and ground wires to the switch stay in the cab and need not be taken through the dash hole into the engine bay.) Also, if you drive an automatic, there should be a grommet in the firewall to the left of the brake. It is for standard tranny jeeps (for the clutch pedal). You can easily run wires through that grommet. Daystar makes a great replacement boot that fits perfect in the firewall hole and allows multiple wires to be pulled through the firewall.

Shoot me a pm if you have any specific questions and I'll try to get you going in the right direction. :beer:

Edit: Hinrichs - I just checked and see that you have a standard tranny so the grommet install wouldn't work for you. You'll be able to fish wire behind the cage plates but you can save yourself some time if you do it in advance of installing the cage.
 
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So im getting a rock hard cage for my Christmas gift to myself, were is the best place to order them from for somewhat speedy delivery?
 
Sharkey said:
With the RockHard I have found it easy enough to fish wires through the same dash holes, even with the cage (the cage doesn't cover the dash holes, you just pull the wire normally out of the dash hole and then tuck it behind the cage's plate, if that makes sense.) The OR-Fab was a little harder, but still doable.

A few other options are to run a bunch of wire now for the number of switches you think you will end up with down the road. Really, you just need one wire per switch (the power and ground wires to the switch stay in the cab and need not be taken through the dash hole into the engine bay.) Also, if you drive an automatic, there should be a grommet in the firewall to the left of the brake. It is for standard tranny jeeps (for the clutch pedal). You can easily run wires through that grommet. Daystar makes a great replacement boot that fits perfect in the firewall hole and allows multiple wires to be pulled through the firewall.

Shoot me a pm if you have any specific questions and I'll try to get you going in the right direction. :beer:

Edit: Hinrichs - I just checked and see that you have a standard tranny so the grommet install wouldn't work for you. You'll be able to fish wire behind the cage plates but you can save yourself some time if you do it in advance of installing the cage.
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I dont think I will be running many more since I dont really even have room for the one switch I currently have just kinda wedged into the pillar gap currently. I was thinking a spod (i know the company is bad) but seems the easiest and a good spot to have the switches incase I add an arb comressor or anything else like that down the road.
 
wayoflife said:
What I can tell you is that the ONLY cage I have seen after rolling 3 times out in Johnson Valley is a Rock Hard and it protected it's occupants just like it is designed to do. For whatever "weakness" people may try to assume it has, I simply have not seen that to be the case. But, people can believe what they want in spite of what they've never seen.
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Do you have pics or videos of the aftermath?

Just curious to see the rollover and what was damaged
 
I have seen a number of roll overs from all types of manufactures. There are limitations to each. I was a solid Rock Hard advocate until a month ago. A friend was coming back from JKX and had an accident. The trail the Jeep was on laid over on it's side and thus the Jeep slammed the pavement on the drivers side at about 30 mph. After looking at how the Rock Hard caved in (if the Jeep had been driven he would have been dead) it changed my mind. It was a perfect storm type of hit on the cage but it was an eye opener for everyone that has seen it.

Thank being said and although the install is much more complicated, I would suggest Synergy's full cage with frame tie in's. Just my :twocents:.
 
bdmckenna said:
I have seen a number of roll overs from all types of manufactures. There are limitations to each.
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Really? Like which ones and were they full rolls or just flops? Being that you say there are limitations to each, I would like to hear what they are for each?

I was a solid Rock Hard advocate until a month ago. A friend was coming back from JKX and had an accident. The trail the Jeep was on laid over on it's side and thus the Jeep slammed the pavement on the drivers side at about 30 mph. After looking at how the Rock Hard caved in (if the Jeep had been driven he would have been dead) it changed my mind. It was a perfect storm type of hit on the cage but it was an eye opener for everyone that has seen it.
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You have a few typo's or auto-corrects that happened but, I think I understand what you were trying to say. The "trailer" your buddies Jeep was on was laid on it's side at 30 MPH and the sport cage bent in. If that's correct, who's your buddy? If he was on the JKX, I'd like to contact him to see pics of what happened. I don't know how you would see something like that happen on the trail but, if you say that it would have killed the driver, I would like to see how you came to that conclusion. I have seen Jeeps with just factory roll bars look like crap after a big roll but, still protected it's passengers just fine. The JK I saw survive 3 rolls was pre-running for KOH and it was totalled - the Rock Hard cage allowed the driver and passenger walk away without any injuries.

Thank being said and although the install is much more complicated, I would suggest Synergy's full cage with frame tie in's. Just my :twocents:.
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Honestly, you've got to know that you're the exception and not the rule. Certainly, you're way more badass than me. MOST people I know will never be in a situation where they would ever come close to rolling their Jeep and if you're really playing that hard, yeah, a full cage that's welded and tied to the frame is the way to go. If I ever get to playing as hard as you do, that is the way I will go.
 
I'm not sure a trailer flop at speed is a good indication of what could happen on a trail. The physics seem different to me: the Jeep starts from a position off of the ground; the Jeep has something long and heavy strapped to its underside; and, the movement of the Jeep is constrained by what it is attached to, and also by the trailer being attached to the tow vehicle. All I'm saying is that the dynamics of the crash were not the same as a trail flop.
 
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