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BigWheels



Member Since: 21 Mar 2010
Location: Somerset
Posts: 1405

United Kingdom 2008 Defender 90 Puma 2.4 XS CSW Tonga Green
Cost of having a full roll cage fitted. Labour time for ests
While my mind is still boggling at the cost of customised scaffolding for my XS, what would the average cost of having a full ext, or int/ext bolt-in roll cage fitted be? Any indication of hours labour would be helpful. D44 I think are expensive, so I'd need to find a competent & cheaper per hour place to go.

Would any body shop be able to fit a roll cage neatly & exactly if I bought one myself? Land Rover Defenders. 67 years heritage, minimal appearance changes, still going strong all over the world. Not a fashion vehicle, but fashionable to own. Made for the needy, not the greedy. Ta ta Defender
Post #195949 23rd Dec 2012 10:23am
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Killer90
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Member Since: 09 Oct 2011
Location: Hertfordshire
Posts: 6478

United Kingdom 2016 Defender 110 Puma 2.2 XS DCPU Fuji White
you really have got to take it to a land rover dealer who knows what there doing Thumbs Up cage is around 1k and then labour takes a good two days i would say, there is a lot of work involved. Bare in mind the wings need to be removed, then if a snorkel is fitted its more time and same with internal really any extra mods in the way take time to remove. Then the roll cage they take alot to line up Thumbs Up CSK Automotive
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Post #195957 23rd Dec 2012 10:35am
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davew



Member Since: 02 Jan 2012
Location: North Yorkshire
Posts: 888

England 1990 Defender 90 V8 Petrol PU Auto Rioja Red
From my own experience I'd say just pay what they ask !

When I bought the P&P cage for Pam's 90 I flinched at the fitting cost and decided I'd fit it myself with some help from friends. I was fortunate that I was allowed to borrow a ramp at one of my local independents where they've fitted these cages before so not only did I have access to plenty of extra pairs of hands when needed but also a bit of guidance around the best way to fit it.

Bear in mind this was a custom P&P cage so was probably a more complicated installation than an off the shelf cage, particularly as we'd added a full internal hoop with removable cross braces to the normal full external expedition cage.

It took me approx. 2 days to fit it, 1 day of that was on the ramp with up to 3 other people lending a hand from time to time. Much of the time there was just 1 or 2 of us but occasionally all 4 were needed to ensure the cage was fitted without damaging the body. The 2nd day was spent at home finishing off bits and pieces like the rear supports to the chassis and tidying up the interior/trimming the load space cover and so on.

When I looked at what P&P had asked for the fitting and the amount of stress and man hours that went into fitting it, I came to the conclusion that I should have just got P&P to fit it and spent that weekend chilling out. It seemed like a lot of money at first but in hind sight I think, had I had to pay normal independent rates for the hours that went into fitting it I'd have been well out of pocket. Had I got a local franchise dealer to fit it I'd have paid more to have it fitted than the cage cost !

I think, for a cage like the one I fitted, you're probably looking at at least 20 man hours so if you use that as a basis for the calculation that probably gives you an idea what the actual cost would be for fitting. If D44 are offering to fit it for less than £700 then you're probably not paying over the odds. Even at less than £1000 it's probably not excessive.

Part of the time taken to fit it is down to the risk of damage to the finish on the cage or the body of the vehicle, In the past I've made and welded in cages to competition vehicles in half that time but then you're not having to worry about the odd scratch on the bodywork and the cage gets painted in situ afterwards.

I'd only get it fitted by someone who has done the job before. If you're using the external/internal style that bolts through the bodywork there is a very good chance that, fitted incorrectly, the panel will flex, it's important that the internal supports are firmly bolted up to the back of the panel before you bolt the external part on. A body shop, more used to steel panels, may not realise just how easy the Defender panels are to flex or ripple when bolting the cage up. http://www.yorkshireoffroadclub.net/
Post #195968 23rd Dec 2012 12:20pm
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pope10001



Member Since: 15 Oct 2011
Location: Dulverton
Posts: 489

United Kingdom 1992 Defender 90 200 Tdi HT Zermatt Silver
I think that is a top answer Mr Davew. I'll certainly be getting a good/experienced garage to fit mine when it comes to having it done.

Regards,

Mark
Post #195972 23rd Dec 2012 12:39pm
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BigWheels



Member Since: 21 Mar 2010
Location: Somerset
Posts: 1405

United Kingdom 2008 Defender 90 Puma 2.4 XS CSW Tonga Green
Shocked On top of a £2K cage.. I might look for an older Defender with one already fitted for rough stuff.... Land Rover Defenders. 67 years heritage, minimal appearance changes, still going strong all over the world. Not a fashion vehicle, but fashionable to own. Made for the needy, not the greedy. Ta ta Defender
Post #195997 23rd Dec 2012 2:28pm
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Merlin



Member Since: 30 Oct 2010
Location: Newmarket
Posts: 981

United Kingdom 
I’d recommend:

http://www.whitbread-offroad.co.uk/

Less than a day to fit. It’s what the Army use, so there’s a clue as to their worth.

Merlin
Post #196010 23rd Dec 2012 3:08pm
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Pam W



Member Since: 25 Oct 2011
Location: North Yorkshire
Posts: 1169

England 1998 Defender 90 Td5 SW Auto Oslo Blue
Just to add to waht t'other half said above, now I've checked my old emails, the cost for P&P to fit my cage was quoted (Jan 2012) as £720 plus VAT. That didn't include the complications of the internal cross, which was added to the final order. So probably a bit more on top for fitting that. They charge £40 per hour labour. Our blog - http://landytravels.com/

Yorkshire Off Road Club - http://www.yorkshireoffroadclub.net
Post #196030 23rd Dec 2012 4:37pm
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Odin



Member Since: 29 Apr 2011
Location: Aberdeenshire
Posts: 237

Scotland 2012 Defender 110 Puma 2.2 USW Santorini Black
Can anyone recommend a fitter in Scotland or northern England?
Post #196032 23rd Dec 2012 4:49pm
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Merlin



Member Since: 30 Oct 2010
Location: Newmarket
Posts: 981

United Kingdom 
Don’t worry about the insurance going up; our insurance company just cancelled the insurance, saying that they don’t do roll cages unless they are standard. I explained that mine was a copy of the Land Rover Safari cage that they fitted for the American market. If it was on it from new, then only then they would insure it. “Why I asked”, “they do too much damage to the other car”?

So the day before having the cage fitted, I had to ring around to get insurance so I could drive it! It roughly doubled.

Have fun,

Merlin
Post #196049 23rd Dec 2012 5:16pm
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jst



Member Since: 14 Jan 2008
Location: Taunton
Posts: 8097

 2011 Defender 110 Puma 2.4 USW Stornoway Grey
North Off Road, P &P or D44 would get my vote for cage fitting and are the only ones i have used.

i have not fitted a complete page myself but have replaced bents parts in a cage structure and them amount of time/stress and hassle that is for one bar means i would get it done as a package from the outset.

None of them are cheap but you get what you pay for, Cheers

James
110 2012 XS Utility
130 2011 M57 bespoke Camper
90 2010 Hardtop
90 M57 1988 Hardtop
Post #196052 23rd Dec 2012 5:19pm
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td5 commercial



Member Since: 20 Mar 2011
Location: Nr Taunton, Somerset
Posts: 18

2014 Defender 90 Puma 2.2 HT Baltic Blue
Re: Cost of having a full roll cage fitted. Labour time for
BigWheels wrote:
While my mind is still boggling at the cost of customised scaffolding for my XS, what would the average cost of having a full ext, or int/ext bolt-in roll cage fitted be? Any indication of hours labour would be helpful. D44 I think are expensive, so I'd need to find a competent & cheaper per hour place to go.

Would any body shop be able to fit a roll cage neatly & exactly if I bought one myself?


If I were in your position I would have the company who made the cage to fit it to the vehicle as the know the design and mounting of it better than anyone else!!
Another vote for p and p cages, thrilled with mine, but I have had tublar products from north off road and were very impressed with their service and products although I have never had one of there cages, many others have.
Post #196194 24th Dec 2012 11:06am
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Landyphil



Member Since: 23 Jul 2012
Location: Lake District
Posts: 87

United Kingdom 2003 Defender 110 Td5 USW Stornoway Grey
^ I'd go with that. There's a lot of outrigger fabbing do be done if it's to be done properly.

If you're building one up from a chassis or a CCV motor then it's easyish to od it yourself but on a fully built up motor. I think I'd rather save up than have the hassle!
Post #197984 31st Dec 2012 8:53pm
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