Unimog Club UK

Hi IJP

I would serious have a look around for someone who has a mandrel bender as they are getting more and more common these days. If you choose a size of tube that they already use they will have the tooling. Bending the parts then becomes a quick process if you have worked out the angles and lengths. Look for seamless tubing as well, tube with a seam splits under load. In the cab would be my personal preference as it is t protect the occupants nothing else.

I speak from personal experience as in my youth I rolled a Land Rover end over end 6 times after a failed hill climb and got away with only bruising. I had (or my dad and I had) fitted a roll bar in the back of the vehicle with sandwich plates down to the chassis (not for mogs but as Shaunymog says sandwich either side of the floor, rally car style) which we had purchased from a reputable company for £150. IT SAVED MY LIFE! This was not a serious off road event just a day out with friends and the vehicle was a write off. When it was put back on its wheels the chassis had folded in front of the roll bar mounts and dipped by 4 to 6 inch, when a line was drawn from the roll bar to the front my head was completely above it, however when it stopped rolling I got out and walked away (ok I ran but you know what I mean). That night in the pub I was covered head to foot in bruises but I was alive. Without the roll bar I would have been dead.

For some obscure reason after that I started racing competitively off road (as a navigator) in various Land Rovers and other caged vehicles. After many a tumble I know opt for a cab structure or a cage on any vehicle. 

The other thing is if you do cage it you must fit seat belts otherwise you end up between the cage and the ground. The net results you can imagine and I have witnessed the worst