PVC pipe roll cage / roof enclosure

[dundeebarnbuggy]

You could get some pipe that fits inside the pvc [hopefully snugly] and weld up your corners then slip the pvc over. That way you can get exactly the angles you need.

[Lazy cruiser]

Originally Posted by dundeebarnbuggy

You could get some pipe that fits inside the pvc [hopefully snugly] and weld up your corners then slip the pvc over. That way you can get exactly the angles you need.

Might as well build a metal roll cage at that point. LOL! Which is probably what will end up happening anyway.

[dundeebarnbuggy]

You were looking to save weight, pvc is a lot lighter than pipe.

[Lazy cruiser]

Originally Posted by dundeebarnbuggy

You were looking to save weight, pvc is a lot lighter than pipe.

Yes that's my plan to keep it light so I hope it works. I did master the art of heating and bending PVC over the last two days. You would be surprised at how nice and easy PVC bends. I will get some photos posted once I start putting pieces together. I'm hoping I will get some time this weekend to pull the old roof and braces off so I can actually start building the new roof braces.

[thetoddjohnson]

Originally Posted by Lazy cruiser

Yes that's my plan to keep it light so I hope it works. I did master the art of heating and bending PVC over the last two days. You would be surprised at how nice and easy PVC bends. I will get some photos posted once I start putting pieces together. I'm hoping I will get some time this weekend to pull the old roof and braces off so I can actually start building the new roof braces.

You are correct. PVC does bend easily when it gets hot. You said you intend to paint it black. Black PVC in the sun will get hot enough to bend.

Here are some pictures of a black (UV stable) sheet of PVC that I used to make a shade. (The cart used to have a rear seat, hence the desire for a roof.)

As you can see, what started out as a seemingly good application for PVC, turned into a that-looks-like-**** final product.

TJ

[LimitedEdition]

thetoddjohnson I used a 1/4" thick sheet of black embossed plastic to make a truck bed cover for my F 150. I held it in place on the metal frame I fabricated with 60 stainless steel screws. The first time I took it out into full sunlight this thing wrinkled like bacon LOL. I had to replace the plastic with aluminum diamond plate and coated it with black truck bed coating. I did this to prevent the glare from coming in the rear window of the truck.

[dundeebarnbuggy]

We have plastic mangers in front of the cows [90' lengths] even indoors in summer they expand, as Trump would say, "very bigly" . You have to hold the edges down with a track/molding, no screws through it. Might be an issue on a golf cart though.

[kgsc]

I'm a little late to the party but another option is a heating blanket for the pvc pipe. We used one of these a few weeks ago to put a bend in a 2 inch piece of grey ridged conduit. Worked like a charm..

https://www.amazon.com/Greenlee-860-.../dp/B001HWELNC

As for pvc as a roll cage. Bad idea. My daughter's cart has a tube cage made out of 1 1/2 in tubing and has been fully tested. She and a buddy flipped it up on its side. Was resting on the tires and the top of the cage from what I could tell. No damage to the body at all. PVC would have never survived that..

[Lazy cruiser]

Originally Posted by kgsc

I'm a little late to the party but another option is a heating blanket for the pvc pipe. We used one of these a few weeks ago to put a bend in a 2 inch piece of grey ridged conduit. Worked like a charm..

https://www.amazon.com/Greenlee-860-.../dp/B001HWELNC

As for pvc as a roll cage. Bad idea. My daughter's cart has a tube cage made out of 1 1/2 in tubing and has been fully tested. She and a buddy flipped it up on its side. Was resting on the tires and the top of the cage from what I could tell. No damage to the body at all. PVC would have never survived that..

That's a cool tool. I don't think I need to spend that kind of money to do what I need to do. I agree with you on PVC as a roll cage. That would not be a good idea. I called it a roll cage but really its just a new roof enclosure that will look like a roll cage. This is just for looks. The cart will never be in a situation where a roll cage is needed. The way I look at it is that this will hold up just as good as the factory roof in the event of a roll over. Someone rolls my cart the least of their worries will be a roll cage.