Ok i posted some pics that i took on my trip up to the silver lake sand dunes here in michigan.

Well i had three people in my back seat, i aired my tires down and put my dune flag on, i went to the entrence and the DNR officer looked inside and asked if we had our seat belts on, im like yep ready to go. Then he asked if i had a roll bar. Im like aaa nooooo, then he said i either need a roll bar or the people in the back have to have a helmet.

So i sat there for a while to take it in and im like, sir.... This is a factory ford truck, nothing has been modified, and if ford didnt make it to withstand roll overs on the road then i wouldnt even want to drive it at all.

Then i said your worried about if i have a roll bar, but theres people out there with seats in the bed of their trucks and no roll bars or helmets. So i said politly that it wasnt fair and i trust it because there is a loved one in the back there (who was my sister).

So another officer came over and they stood by the back of my truck for a while, and they came up to the window and asked if my top was bolted to the frame in any way.. Im like yea. Then he said ok sir your good to go then.

So i dont get it. I can understand if i had the top off then i wouldnt have anyone in the back. I know the top is flimsy in the middle portion of it, but are the tops able to take a roll over?

Next time i want to take the top off, so im going to have a roll bar made (not sure how i want it) But i wont have to worry about it then..

I've seen tops not completely crush in a rollover, but most of the time they do. Top or no top, a helmet and/or a rollbar wont have much effect on the rear passengers saftey. If you put you're self in a situation were you have the posibility to roll, you need a cage plane and simple. I've never wheeled up there so I cant say, but you should be fine legally. I woulda been like "You mean the tops come off on these?"

Yea i wasnt going to crazy with the truck but im definatly going to have a cage in it soon. Im going to draw up plans tomorrow and talk to someone i know who makes em and see what he charges.

There are far less safe rigs out there on the dunes. A cage would be a good idea if you go wheelin alot with people in the back. Just be sure to charge em a fee for riding along and for their added protection to help fund the cage.

Hell i didnt get a dime of help from their boyfriends, after spending 220 dollars in gas.. AAA well i just cant wait to get the cage in there, i like the looks of them as well. I had a smitybuilt in my 79.

That's getting to be Nick's gripe when he goes out with friends.

1. They rarely, if ever, chip in for gas.

2. If you mistakenly let them drive your equipment, they will break it...and you willfix it.

3. You assume all the liability if something goes terribly wrong.

As far as helmets go- I personally wouldn't be out there without one- easyto bang your head on the doorframe or window when bouncing around. And that fiberglass roof? It's the metal in front of it that affords the protection. I'm assuming you drive more carefully with passengers.

O yea its life or death out there. And i love being alive, as well as keeping my truck dentless. I didnt climb much this weekend because it was very busy, biggest dune i climbed was one going out to the beach, when i saw a jeep wrangler and a GMC sanoma 4x4 try to climb it and i had to show em up.

I did alot of cruising. I was also worried about my trans temp, i was damn well near 200 degrees after i climbed some smaller dunes and then that big dune.

Im the only one that will drive my truck out there... lol

There's a reason for that. And since I know how well you like sis's boyfriend- was the other guy any better?

Me- at your age, I would have put the four-legged buddy in the passenger seat and gone cruising for slims. I'm sure there were plenty out there (always seem to be, anyways).

NOOO The other one was just as bad. They all wanted to go "Shopping" So me and my pup hunter hung out from 9 in the morning till 9:30 in the afternoon. I met a ton of new people and i had a blast saturday.

I folded up the seat and he had the whole back to himself, he hung out the rear window most of the time lol