I’ve recently developed a burning need to have my truck rack modified. The rear crossbar (see pic) is too low for me to easily duck under when I hop up into the bed, which I seem to be doing all the time to load and unload stuff. The current way of removing it is inconvenient and leaves the bar loose from the truck, so that I drive away and leave it here and there, or leave it on top of the side box so that it falls off into the road when I turn a corner, knocking down the motorcycle cop who’s behind me.
It’s 2″ diameter steel tubing, fairly heavy gauge. My thought is to have a welder cut the ends off, then weld in a hinge and a latch. That way it could simply swing out of the way like a gate.
So, what kind of hinge could support this application? Imagine there’s 1000 lbs. on the rack and I hit some railroad tracks or potholes. None of the hinges I’ve seen at hardware stores seem adequate. Is this something I should have a welder fabricate, or is there a catalog I can order a nice beefy raw steel hinge from? What’s the solution?
Replies
Think pin hinge type of pivot. That waay, you could lift it all the way off too. I can sketch if you are not reading my mind well enough.
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Does the sky always look that gloomy out there?
I'm a bit south of Dave & yes it does -----always look that gloomy
You're in a much different climate than we are. The weather mostly gets stuck on the Olympics, or blows across and gets stuck on the Cascades, but it rarely sits on us. The last couple of weeks we have had some days of overcast and rain, but we get a lot of clear, beautiful weather with high clouds blowing over occasionally. I'm not a guy who could live 'down Sound' (that's our term for where you are). If you leave Seattle in a rainstorm and drive up to the Anacortes ferry terminal, the weather will be improving the whole way and it'll be dry by the time you get here. Some rain is a small price to pay for where I live.
And I live where it all piles up and collects against the cascades.Clear skies maybe a total of 5 weeks out of the year.At times it almost seems like a comforting blanket. But I find myself more and more, (and MORE), inclined to seek out someplace with more sunshine. As long as the rest of the weather stays as moderate...
"Other than telling us how to live, think, marry, pray, vote, invest, educate our children and now, die, I think the Republicans have done a fine job of getting government out of our personal lives" -Craig Carter.
sunny New Mexico works well for relef of gloomy skies 300+ days of clear skies
aint going back to fog bound socal if I can help it
Daniel
New Mexico is the only place that I have seriously considered as an alternative. Because the climate is also more moderate there. However, it is not "moderate" enough. The heat would kill me. Probably literally.
"Other than telling us how to live, think, marry, pray, vote, invest, educate our children and now, die, I think the Republicans have done a fine job of getting government out of our personal lives" -Craig Carter.
Hey Luka,
Are you on the east or west side of the Cascades? I've barely done any exploring over there, basically a few days' trip over to Winthrop and back, with many stops along 20. Beautiful country, but we went up in the N. Cascades hiking in October and got hammered with an arctic storm. You might enjoy the climate in Northern California, maybe Sonoma County along the coast somewhere. Hard to beat. Or move over here, if you don't mind the ferry.
I think I understand the drawing you made, not quite sure. It may not be apparent from the photo but it would not be possible for the bar to swing out from where it currently mounts, due to the 180 degree curve in the brace tubing... there's not enough room. The crossbar has to be cut at both ends, leaving the existing mounting parts permanently attached to the rack. My neighbor thinks he has the answer... said I should just leave the crossbar with him for a day.
If you really want it to "hinge" you need to absolve the lifting plane as well..simple for me, not so easily typed. Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
"I don't think it's funny no more" Nick Lowe.
I live on the west side.Index.Actually not even Index. I am south of Mount Index itself. On a foothill.I get more rain than even the town of Index itself.Northern California may be good.Actually, I said that NM was the only other place I have seriously considered. That's not true. I have actually seriously considered someplace specific... Umpqua, Oregon.It seems to be on just the right cusp between the mountains and the desert. I like the terrain. The weather seems to be pretty moderate. And though it may sound strange, I REALLY liked the feeling I got when I drove through there on the way to QuakeFest a couple years ago.
"And, in my humble view, neither Democratic nor Republican party politics has anything to do with lib or con anymore. It's now just pandering to the visceral hatred that's been bred amongst those who refuse to waste their time and energy performing one of the singular most difficult tasks known to man: thinking." -SHG
what temp range can you tolerate
high, lows summer , winter
never Know we may have it
altitude ?
Daniel
Altitude I am at is only 700 ft. I like it.Mid 70's is getting kinda high for me.I tolerate cold a lot better, since I can just put more clothing on, etc. Still don't like anything below 30.Clouds and rain are essential. Just not so much as what I get now. LOL
"And, in my humble view, neither Democratic nor Republican party politics has anything to do with lib or con anymore. It's now just pandering to the visceral hatred that's been bred amongst those who refuse to waste their time and energy performing one of the singular most difficult tasks known to man: thinking." -SHG
I tolerate cold a lot better, since I can just put more clothing on,
Yeah, we sure don't want to know what you do in warm weather. Just the thought makes my eyes burn.
"When asked if you can do something, tell'em "Why certainly I can", then get busy and find a way to do it." T. Roosevelt
well to get all that we'll have to wait for a poler shift :)
Daniel
Well, I'm-a-waitin' !=0)
"And, in my humble view, neither Democratic nor Republican party politics has anything to do with lib or con anymore. It's now just pandering to the visceral hatred that's been bred amongst those who refuse to waste their time and energy performing one of the singular most difficult tasks known to man: thinking." -SHG
Yeah I know, I fly Kenmore air up to Friday harbor with my wife for weekend getaways----- must be nice to live in the rain shadow
Holy smokes, a fellow BTer who comes to the island. Give me a ring sometime and I'll buy ya' a pint at the Ale House.
Bragging about the rain shadow would be a little tough right now. We have been getting hammered all week, and winds up to 50 mph. At least maybe our well is getting filled up.
I think Hafele sells stainless barrel hinges for heavy (like 1000+ lbs) doors.
Or look here-- http://www.hooverfence.com/ornamental/hinges/
T
I think two pieces of larger diameter pipe welded on each end of the frame to cradle the crossmember, and a verticle bolt through each end to hold it in place.
I have made some heavy duty hinges out of plate welded to thick pipe with solid rod as the pin
Edited 11/3/2005 11:43 pm ET by MisterSteve
Cut off the end of the two long tubes, the ones on each side of the truck. Then you will be holding the cross bar with a very short 90* pipe on each end. Have a welder fit the next smaller pipe into the end of the long tube and weld it securely, with abouit 3-4" sticking out. Slip the cross bar over the stub tubes and drill a hole in each end to accept a clevis pin (is that the right word? It's the pin with a ring that is used on tractor implements).
"When asked if you can do something, tell'em "Why certainly I can", then get busy and find a way to do it." T. Roosevelt
I think I understand, but would that make it pivot?
I think what MisterSteve described would work well - A short cradle on each end, with a cutoff section of the cross pipe laying in it. But I'd avoid bolts, and use some pins with loops on 'em to keep the things in place.
Power does corrupt. Just run a good cross-current past your data cables, you'll see. [Ari Rapkin]
"pins with loops' I callem finger smashers..LOL Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
"I don't think it's funny no more" Nick Lowe.
Well......Ya gotta be smarter than the pin.(-:
Psychiatrists say that mental illness affects one out of four people. Check three friends. If they're OK, you're it.
Love that reply, I use it often. Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
"I don't think it's funny no more" Nick Lowe.
but would that make it pivot?
No, and I realized that after I posted.
"When asked if you can do something, tell'em "Why certainly I can", then get busy and find a way to do it." T. Roosevelt
OK to the subject at hand.
what if you cut off the tube & had a "C" channel welded to the vertical support, the C channel being just bigger than the cross tube then drill a hole all the way through the channel & the tube with a pin in it.
A lot of shops I worked for did this with box tube racks.
You made the same mistake I did. He wants a hinge on the cross tube.
"When asked if you can do something, tell'em "Why certainly I can", then get busy and find a way to do it." T. Roosevelt
David,
Remove that rear bar. Cut it off the side pipe, so the end of that pipe remains welded to the cross bar. The end should look like the pic just above that.
Have a triangular shape welded in where I have the red triangle. With a piece of pipe welded to the top of it. That pipe should be just small enough to fit inside the short pipe left welded to the cross bar.
The bar that you remove can then be positioned on top of the pipe you have welded to the top of the triangle. It will swivel on that like a hinge. It can be lifted up off of that at any time.
Put it in the closed position, and drill through for a pin and hairpin. (Pin and hairpin are pictured as well.) Put the pin through, then use the hairpin to hold it in place.
At the other end of the bar, have a "U" shape welded to the rack. With a short leg on the rear-most side. But a leg, none the less.
Now, when you swing the rear bar "shut", you lift it slightly, into that "u" shape.
Drill a hole through the "u" shape, and the rear bar inside it, for another pin and hairpin.
View Image
"Other than telling us how to live, think, marry, pray, vote, invest, educate our children and now, die, I think the Republicans have done a fine job of getting government out of our personal lives" -Craig Carter.
Ah, what you need are some S&S connectors.
http://www.sandsmachine.com/spec_ssc.htm
No electrons were harmed in the making of this post.
As per mistersteves suggestion. A cradle on each end then put a hinge on one end, pin on the other - both outside the cradles. That way the cradles takes up all the stress (downforce). You could also put a pivot pin on one end so it would swing in a horizontal axis.
Dave
If you can get some heavy tubing that is a diameter that will sleeve over the back rail, then you can cut the rail maybe three inches from each end, take it off, slip six-inch lengths of the sleeve tube over the removed section, place it back up there, move the sleeves out, then drill through both for bolts or some type of snap-remove pins.
Not hinged, but removable. You need removable when wanting to load something tall. Otherwise, you just need to remember to duck.
Go to the McMaster Carr site for a wonderful selection of metal stuff, all of which can ship immediately.