Yamaha Rhino
"Roll Cages"
Side Panels, Doors & Bolt on Leg Minders
Yamaha Rhinos are very versatile vehicles when they come from
the factory. To take them out into the dunes like you see them being used
probably wasn't what the Yamaha design engineers had in mind.
We intend to use our Rhino to go on dune rides, and will address
safety issues as our highest priority during the buildup. Here we are going to
focus on roll cages, side panel or leg minders.
The stock Rhino is very easy to get in and out of, but it is not
built with a rollover in mind. The first problem is the door opening is wide
open. During a roll, your first instinct is to try and stop the
roll. Bad idea. No matter how strong that you think you are, your leg will
not stop UTV from tipping over.
Stock Yamaha Rhino
The solution is to add a barrier that will not allow you leg to
get out of the vehicle. Lots of options to solve this are available from nets to
aluminum leg minders, to steel tubing and full doors with aluminum.
The second problem with the stock Rhino is the "roll
cage". Yamaha doesn't even call it a roll cage for liability reasons, and
either do most of the aftermarket guys. In our sue happy society, calling it a
roll cage would then somehow mean that you would be safe in a roll-over
accident. For simplicity, we are going to call them roll cages - just try not to
roll because that isn't what they were designed for. Silly, huh?
The stock cage is probably just fine for the most likely intended use of cruising around
the farm doing odd jobs, but in the dunes, a bit more strength and cross bracing
would be nice. New cages also add a bar behind the seats where harnesses (seat
restraints) should be attached.
What to look for:
-
Material selection - Chromoly, mild steel or aluminum
and thickness. Each material & thickness has pros and cons - cost,
strength, weight, etc. Make sure you ask questions.
-
Cage Design - Gussets and triangulation increase the
strength without adding much more weight.
-
Removeable? - Most aftermarket cages are bolt-on.
This eases the installation and also allows the customer to get their Rhino
into their toy haulers. Besides mounting to stock lower bars, does the cage
add any mounting locations? A custom made cage that is bolted or welded to
the frame is stronger than one that bolts to the factory cage location, but
cost will increase and you won't be able to get the cage off as easily or at
all.
-
Restraint Mounts - Make sure the cage includes a bar
behind the front seats for attaching shoulder harnesses. Shoulder harnesses
should be attached slightly below your shoulder level. If the cage does not
allow for this, find another cage. Restraints should be as short as
possible, and mounting them down on the floor seriously affects their
effectiveness.
-
Head Clearance - Make sure that all parts of the cage
are sufficiently away from all passenger heads.
Spotlight on Rhino Products
Here are the products that we chose to use on the DuneGuide.com Project
Rhino:
Four-Seat Roll Cage & Leg Minders build by PDS Fabrication
Roll Cages, Side Panels, Doors & Bolt on Leg Minders
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Arizona Sports Center (ASC)
Products: Sports Bar, Bolt-on Door Bar
Website:
www.arizonasportscenter.com
Location: Glendale, AZ
Phone: (623) 842-1879
Email:
Products: Leg Minders
Website: www.blackrhinoperformance.com
Location: El Cajon, CA
Phone: (866) 571-4298
Email: CustomerServices@BlackRhinoPerformance.com
Products: Roll Cages & Doors
Website: www.customrhinos.com
Location: Riverside, CA
Phone: (951) 549-1740
Email: info@custommotorsports.com
Products: Roll Cages & Doors
Website: www.desertworksfabrication.com
Location: CA
Phone: (951) 233-3073
Email: desertworksfabrication@yahoo.com
Products: Roll Cages
Website:
www.dirtdemonracing.com
Products: Roll Cages & Leg Minders
Website: www.fergfab.com
Location: Tempe, AZ
Phone: (877) 337-4322
Email: info@fergfab.com
Products: Roll Cages
Website: None
Location: Prather, CA
Phone: (559) 324-9533
Email: None
Products: Roll Cages
Website: www.gotsand.com
Location:
Phone:
Email:
Products: Aluminum Door Side Plates
Website: www.hcrracing.com
Location: Valencia , CA
Phone: (888) 928-7223
Email: sales@hcrracing.com
Products: Leg Minders and Roll Cages
Website: www.jeffjonesoffroad.com
Phone: (616) 490-5964
Email: jeffjones@accrainc.com
Products: 2 & 4 Seat Roll Cages and Leg Protection Bars
Website: www.jaggedx.com
Location: Phoenix, AZ
Phone: (877) 524-4339
Email: info@jaggedx.com
Products: Roll cages, Side Bar Leg Protectors, Side Bar Panels
Website: www.lsracing.com
Location: Phoenix, AZ
Phone: (800) 457-7223
Email: contact@lsracing.com
 
Products: Quarter Door Panels
Website:
www.maier-mfg.com
Products: Roll
Cages
Website: www.metaltechproducts.com
Location: Glendale, AZ
Phone: (623) 218-8368
Email: Jeff@metaltechproducts.com
Advertisement
Products: Roll Cages, Doors
Website:
www.motorsportsheadquarters.com
Location: Mesa, AZ
Phone: (480) 969-3799
Products: Side Doors
Website: www.motoworldracing.com
Location: El Cajon, CA
Phone: (619) 442-0941
Products: Roll Cages
Website: www.prestigegolfcarsandcarts.com
Location: Temecula, CA
Phone: (800) 493-5288
Email: highsmithprestige@msn.com
Products: Roll Cage
Website: www.rpmfab.com
Location: Phoenix, AZ
Phone: (480) 329-2992
Email: rpmfabinc@yahoo.com
Products: Roll Cages
Website: www.superdutyheadquarters.com
Location: Gilbert, AZ
Phone: (877) 969-2929
Email:
Products: Roll Cages, Bumpers
Website:
www.sdrmotorsports.com
Location: Perris, CA
Phone: 915-317-8715
Products: Tubular doors
Website: www.seizmik.com
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Shaw'z Metal Fabrications
Products: Roll Cages & Fixed Doors
Website: www.shawzmetalfab.com
Location: Santee, CA
Phone: (619) 449-4545
Email: sales@shawzmetalfab.com
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SFI Designs
Products: Bolt on 2 and 4 seat roll cages
Website: www.sfidesign.com
Location: San Dieog, CA
Phone:
619-669-6800
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SoCal Fab
Products: Bolt on 2 and 4 seat roll cages
Website: www.socalfab.com
Location: Valencia, CA
Phone: (661) 295-9955
Email:
socalfab@yahoo.com
Products: Roll Cages, Bumper
Website: www.tmwoffroad.com
Location: Mesa, AZ
Phone: 480-969-9261
Products: Side Doors
Website: www.trailarmor.com
Location: Rienzi, MS
Phone: (662) 462-8054
Email: info@trailarmor.com
Products: Leg Minders
Website: www.zoneworx.net
Location: Glendale, AZ
Email:
sales@zoneworx.net
If you manufacture roll cages for Yamaha Rhino's, and are
interested in having your product be part of page, please
send
us an email .
A link back to
www.UTVGuide.net
from your website is always appreciated.
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