Re: Aluminum tubing?
Sure it's possible to use aluminum for a frame with large diameter tubing as you said, but the main problem with welding 6061-T6 is that it needs to be heat treated after welding in order to bring the weld areas back to T6 strength. So you would need to find a heat treater with an oven large enough for a buggy frame, and have some fixturing in place to keep the frame from warping.
While 6061-T6 has a yield strength of about 40 ksi compared to cromoly's 65 ksi, it's annealed strength (in the untreated weld areas) is about 10 ksi, which is why it typically cracks. Anything I have ever made of welded 6061-T6 on a buggy without heat treatment has eventually cracked at the welds. An aluminum like 5052 or 5083 works well for buggy components because it retains most of strength when welded, but the yield strength is lower to begin with at around 25 ksi.
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