RailBuggies.Com The Buggy Garage - Frames
To Build or Buy ? short answer BUY
A well constructed and dependable frame is a necessity. Your life depends on it, literally. Don't scrimp or cut corners here !
If you are starting from scratch, the place to begin planning is with the frame. So lets get started...
Building from scratch:
- Advantages:
- complete design control - you are the master, it can be as small, large, short, long, tall, and any shape you want.
- complete material control - you decide what material goes where
- Disadvantages:
- time consuming - building a frame from scratch is a BIG job. In most cases, you want the buggy symmetrical in appearance ( the left side looks like the right side ). This requires consistency in the bending and welding of the tubes for each side. You have to plan for front end attachment, the torsion attachment, the seat position, the steering wheel location, bracing, stress points, motor protection, human protection, pedal mounting, shock mounts, and on and on and on
- safety considerations - THE FRAME IS YOUR SAFETY. It protects you when things don't go as planned.
- cost effective - Considering the time for planning and constructing the frame from scratch, it is actually cheaper to purchase a factory frame and proceed from there.
Editor's Opinion: Use only prewelded factory frames.
- The time and planning required to build from scratch is just too great. We buy prewelded frames with the front end mounts needed for that project but no torsion and go from there. You still have a tremendous amount of customizing control and have the durability of a 'tried and true' frame construction. I have witnessed and been in so many 'roll overs' I can't remember them all (maybe a side effect). Trust me, you want a quality frame that will be there when you need it.
- My favorite prewelded frame is the Cobra series by BeeLine. The extra bracing on the front end mounts and the double roll bars originally got my attention. The front end mount points are a notorious weak spot as a buggy ages but the Cobra is very well constructed in this area and the dual roll bars offer added rollover protection. We have built several of these frames and the durability and consistency have been excellent. My present buggy flipped backwards end to end (tires to tires) and finished up in a nice side to side (tires to tires again) barrel roll and stopped against a dead tree which it broke down. When everything stopped spinning and landing there was no frame damage and no personal injury (other than pride).
Well constructed and dependable frames are a necessity. Your life depends on it, literally. Don't scrimp or cut corners here !
Disclaimer: These pages are for information purposes only and are posted here as such. We accept no responsibility for any damages to life, limb, or property resulting from the use of information given here. Please remember to follow all safety procedures and guide lines for any tools you may be using. We want to see you in the woods... not the ground !