tubing questions?

yeh, i hear ya. lol. i guess if worst comes to worse i can just order another die set and just use the 1 1/2x 1/8 inch i have laying around the shop.

lucky you to just have it layin around...i cant get anything in 1/8

i have a good friend that works at a machine shop and he usually hooks me up pretty regularly. ive never done any kind of tube work on the frame rails and just wasnt quite sure on what size and thickness most people use when doing so.

3/16" is .1875". My bender will do it, I don't see why a ProTools wouldn't.

I use .120 wall because its lighter, and plenty strong.

not to steal this thread but seth wat size tubing u use for the bottom bars wit bags mounted to them? and are u still making the drop motor mounts?

Originally posted by TwistedMinis



3/16" is .1875". My bender will do it, I don't see why a ProTools wouldn't.

I use .120 wall because its lighter, and plenty strong.

ok man, ill just call and order some 1/8th wall and be done with it. u think 1 1/4 will look improportional? or will it be ok? thanks again guys!!

I use 1.250" for all my bridges and what not. I think that it looks just right, not to big not to small. Now Seth you use .120" wall DOM right? And yes 3/16" = .1875" but I think that most places just call it .188". If you take the top number of the fraction and divide it by the bottom number of the fraction its gives you the decimal number. So 3 divided by 16 equals .1875".

ok man, i went and got the 1 1/4 OD today and it looks a little small by itself but i guess we will see whenever i start bending it...thanks again guys!

Im with Seth, Ive used .120 wall mild steel seamed tubing (not schedule 40 plumbing black pipe) on all the bridge work and bag mounts ive done. Some of them over 4 yrs old and no problems. Now on link bars Ive built yes I have gone overkill with 1/4" wall tubing. Alot of stuff is so far overbuilt for what we are doing with it its ridiculous.

1.25" tube will look just fine. Thats what I used on my truck. I think it looks good. I use lots of different sized tube though, 1", 1.25" and 1.50" mostly.

Originally posted by UnusualFabrication



I use 1.250" for all my bridges and what not. I think that it looks just right, not to big not to small. Now Seth you use .120" wall DOM right? And yes 3/16" = .1875" but I think that most places just call it .188". If you take the top number of the fraction and divide it by the bottom number of the fraction its gives you the decimal number. So 3 divided by 16 equals .1875".

Yeah any steel shop will call it .188 or 3/16". But if you ask them for .1875 they will still know what it is.

I don't generally use DOM, because it has to be custom ordered out here. ERW is just fine for bridge work, theres not that much strength difference between the two. But DOM is easier to tap than ERW tubing. However, some sizes only come in DOM. Any time I go over .120 wall its generally DOM and has to be ordered. But I rarely use over .120 wall for any bridge work. But when I build link bars I use DOM, and the size and thickness depends on how and where it is used.

Originally posted by thedurtyone



not to steal this thread but seth wat size tubing u use for the bottom bars wit bags mounted to them? and are u still making the drop motor mounts?

Square tube for lowers I would use 2" .188 wall. If I use round tube, I use 1.75" .250 wall, or use .120 wall sleeved with 1.5" .120 wall with rosette welds to hold it together. After I do that I notch both ends, blah blah blah, like any type of tube.

Or 1.75" .188 wall chromoly.

You can run 1.5" round or square, but it will need a gusset along the bottom.