Wondering what size(diameter/wall thickness) I should use for my tube deck/cage, Im buying new. Also wondering what gauge steel to repair my floors and windshield seal surface with on my First gen 4x4, I have no idea on this kind of stuff.

I really like this deck design and will be taking idea's from it when building mine, the tubing diameter is exactly what I want but I have no idea.. 2"?





** And the number one question, what will roughly 100 feet of said tubing cost? Im talking regular steel tubing.. nothing special. Im gonna use it for the deck and front bumper.

Im gonna scav the metal recycling place for used material first and see if I cant find a good amount of the right tubing but I need to know this if im buying new.

 

1.75" OD x 0.120" wall tubing HREW. Figure $35-50 for 20 feet, just depends on how much you buy and from whom. DOM is about 3 times that price. Check your local supplier.

For sheet metal repair/replacement on mine I used 20 gauge.

Do some research and homework on exactly what you want and the terminology so you don't sound like a noob when you call or go to buy the steel and get taken advantage of.

Good luck.

 

I just bought some 1.75 .90 DOM for $4.14 a foot. .120 was the same price. That was for a 10' stick.

Not saying this is a good price or a bad price but just a price... so you can figure around what your project will cost.

And don't ask why I bought the .90 wall instead of the .120... I am still new at all this fab stuff and learn something every day. As WabFab says, get .120 for your bed.

 

i used 1.5"X.095" wall for mine. 14ga treadplate was the lightest i could find. I wouldnt make it any heavier

 

Im planning on using 1.75"x0.120 wall for my projects. Got the die, so i guess i have no choice Been paying $57 for 20' of it here in sacramento, its the cheapest I can find it.

-Brian

 

I just paid 4 dollars a foot for 1.75" .120 DOM. I thought that was a pretty good price. I did not ask about HREW but all the pricing depends on where you live.

I agree that that tube bed you posted is probably 1.75". Remember to get some 1.5" as well to make slugs with.

 

Looks like il be diggin in the scrap yard or picking up a box and bobbing it, My rig is supposed to be budget haha.. Im buying new sheet metal for the floors though, ive seen too many haggard floor fixes over the years.

 

44runner, what do you mean by slugs?

 

When you butt weld tube together you should use a slug. Here is what I do which is by no means "the" way.

When I am butt welding 1.75" .120 wall tube I:
-bevel the edges
-use a 3/4" hole saw in my notcher to put a hole straight through the tube about 1.5-2" back from the edge
-use a die grinder to get out any of the burs on the inside of the tube
-then I cut an 8" piece of 1.5" .120 wall ("the slug") and mark the middle with a Sharpie
-slide in the slug in to one of the 1.75" pieces that I am joining up to the sharpie mark and tack in place using one of the holes I drilled
-slide the other tube on to the other end of the slug leaving about an 1/8" of the slug visable between them
-tack other tube in place
-rosette weld the holes and lay a bead between the two tubes and you are done

That was long and very in depth. Hope it helped someone..