F250 Powerstroke roll over protection... Options

[Steve91T]

I'd like to brainstorm with some of you about the possibilities of adding some roll over protection. These truck are heavy, and there's no way the roof is going to support the weight in a roll over situation. Mine weighs about 7300 lbs.

I'd also like a head ache rack for added safety. A roll bar in the cab is out of the question...roll bars + naked heads = BAD!!!

So, there are obviously the fake roll bars that mount in the beds of trucks. What makes these worthless? Material? Mounting? Both?

I think if you take the basic shape of one of these fake roll bars and modify the design, it could be made pretty functional, not take up much bed space, and look good.

Here's what I'm thinking. Basic truck roll bar, thin bars going across back window to act like a head ache rack, D rings or something similar in a few places for anchor points, and a bright rear facing light. The whole thing would be made out of proper tubing.

Of course thing would be worthless without proper mounting points. Would it not be good enough to mount it to the bed floor if it's reinforced underneath?

Any idea how much something like this would cost to have made? What would be nice is it'd be easy for the fabricator since he will have tons of room. Also, I would like it to be bolt in so I could remove it if I had to.

I know the front of the cab would still crush, but it's got to be better than nothing.

Let's hear some ideas and opinions...
Steve


(IMG:http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v199/Steve91T/77356043.jpg)

[trackbird]

I'd consider a traditional stake pocket mount for the bar and headache rack. However, I'd securely run a bar down to the floor and run a box tube across the floor (where it can basically pick up the frame by default). Think of making a picture frame out of steel (a big square, and then round the upper corners and make it pretty). Run your headache rack bars across it and run some vertical bars from the floor (above the frame) to the top of the hoop to support the whole structure and your headache rack bars. Add some "wings" that drop into the stake pockets (bolt it through the bottom of the bed) and add some support (like back stays) to the best compromise of bed space and safety to help keep it from folding in a roll over.

That's just a rough idea off the top of my head and is subject to some fine tuning.

[roy]

External ROP sytem could be a possibility. Plus you get a helluv a roof rack.

(IMG:http://www.noas4x4club.com/photos/albums/200804RR/normal_DSCF0045.JPG)

(IMG:http://www.benzworld.org/forums/attachments/unimog/294458d1267797988-roll-cage-ideas-external-cage-416.jpg)

[mitchntx]

Uni-Mog FTW

I think those rigs are bad-ass ...

Of course thing would be worthless without proper mounting points. Would it not be good enough to mount it to the bed floor if it's reinforced underneath?

Two things ...

I think you may be underestimating the structural integrity of the cab. I have an 07 and the A and C pillars are quite substantial, especially when tied together to spread the loading.

There are scenarios where the cab will certainly collapse, like flying off a cliff and land bottom side up, rolling on your side and getting T-Boned by an on-coming 18 wheeler and a hunk of a soviet satellite landing directly on the roof.

But the most likely scenario is a rollover where the loading moves around as the truck rolls and isn't concentrated on a single point.

Second ...

Mounting a tube on its end and relying on the bed floor to support the weight IS concentrating the weight onto tow small points. You can make the mounting plate as large as you like, but the weight is still being focused on a very small and concentrated section of thin gauge metal. You'll need to penetrate the bed floor and mount directly to the frame rail for proper support.

[trackbird]

I keep seeing 2000-2007 Chevy extra cab rollover photos where the cab is mashed. Just the extra cab portion survived...sorta.

[mitchntx]

I can't say where you guys sit, but I don't sit close to the steering wheel or dash.

In my crew cab, my head and shoulders are at or a little behind the B pillar.

[trackbird]

I drive mine with the seat all the way back. I'm still not to the B pillar in the Chevy.

[Steve91T]

I'm in my truck right now. I'm 6ft tall, 180 lbs. The back of my head is abeam the B pillar, which is just where the forward door and the rear suicide door meets.....can't be much protection there. There's no way this time A pillar can support any weight. The C pillars areyou beefier, but not by much.

[mitchntx]

I'm in my truck right now. I'm 6ft tall, 180 lbs. The back of my head is abeam the B pillar, which is just where the forward door and the rear suicide door meets.....can't be much protection there. There's no way this time A pillar can support any weight. The C pillars areyou beefier, but not by much.

If you analyze each pillar independently, you are probably correct. But they all work together.

But at any rate, place a bar even further back just adds to that 7300#