What metal thickness?

[SpasticR450]

For a sand rail like this that uses 1" tubing. How thick do you think the metal would need to be if it was just normal steel?

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[CJM]

only 2 real types of tubes made of reg steel:
HREW -hot rolled electric welded
DOM - drawn of mandrel

Hrew is heated then bent into tubing, and the seam welded. If you look inside the tubing you will see the remnants of the weld.


DOM is stronger b/c its basically 1 piece thats formed but HREW works too. DOM is made exactly as it sounds. It is manufactured to much tighter tolerances. And the inner diameters are more precise.

good info:
http://www.xxxoffroad.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=49:whats-in-a-name-dom-erw-hrew&catid=31:general&Itemid=46

Id say if it was 1.75-2in tubing I would want a good .120 or so wall. The chromoly they used int he video is MUCH stronger as such it than be a smaller diameter. Do not build anything out of the piping you can buy at the home center just incase your wonder it isnt meant for anything but gas pipe.

pirate offroad would be a good place to ask this- BUT be warned, ask your questions and search and such but read the rules, they dont play nice with newbies.

[yam450_53]

As CJM said I would also buy the metal from a metal shop or any kind of specialized retailer, some materials they sell in big retail stores come from overseas and are made cheaper. Of course chromoly has better mechanical properties but you won't have to go as far as to doubling the diameter and thickness of the tubing to have something solid, yes there is a difference but is not THAT substantial. You have to remember that what they call a 1-1/2" pipe isn't really 1-1/2" in diameter, it's actually 1.9" and has a .145" thick wall. I wouldn't go any bigger than that because weight will become a big factor, and if you're looking to put some good suspension on that thing .145" is plenty enough thickness. Getting your welds right will also be an important factor in the strength of the frame, you don't want to have cold bulky welds at every joint. Hope this helps, good luck with your project.

[SpasticR450]

Would aluminum have to be a lot thicker than the steel?

[CJM]

Originally posted by SpasticR450
Would aluminum have to be a lot thicker than the steel?

Yes, much much thicker and I would use it for making a frame, cage or anything. It is not strong enough.

[SpasticR450]

Originally posted by CJM
Yes, much much thicker and I would use it for making a frame, cage or anything. It is not strong enough.

Yeah I see the price is like 5 times more than the steel to!

[CJM]

I mean to say I wouldnt use it.

[SpasticR450]

Originally posted by CJM
I mean to say I wouldnt use it.

Yeah i know

[Ralph]

Specifically what you are looking for is AISI 4130 Steel. (aka Chromoly).

You will probably have a tough time finding an answer as simple as you want as there are variations in material properties which can greatly affect your design.

[250x_kyle]

Originally posted by SpasticR450
Yeah i know

your looking at roughly 7 bucks a foot for chromoly steel right around 1 inch diamater. give or take depending on the wall thickness. alot of skill involved in building something like that.