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: Small Bed Pickup Rack
: Small Bed Pickup Rack -- dalecyr	Post Reply	Top of thread	Engineering Forum

Posted by: dalecyr ® 01/24/2011, 17:58:01 Author Profile eMail author Edit

conceptual drawing attached.

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: : Small Bed Pickup Rack
: : Small Bed Pickup Rack -- dalecyr	Post Reply	Top of thread	Engineering Forum

Posted by: Kelly Bramble ® 01/24/2011, 18:51:21 Author Profile eMail author Edit

Well, I'll think about what you have proposed.. However, first thought I have is why don't you just buy one of those $369 utility trailers? https://www.tractorsupply.com/trailers-towing/trailers/utility-trailers/carry-on-trailer-reg-no-floor-trailer-1000215 Humm, maybe I missing the fun part...

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: : : Small Bed Pickup Rack
: : : Small Bed Pickup Rack -- Kelly Bramble	Post Reply	Top of thread	Engineering Forum

Posted by: dalecyr ® 01/24/2011, 18:56:45 Author Profile eMail author Edit

my trailer backing skills are worse than my welding skills.

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: : : : Small Bed Pickup Rack -- dalecyr	Post Reply	Top of thread	Engineering Forum

Posted by: Pinkerton ® 01/24/2011, 19:08:31 Author Profile eMail author Edit

If your welding skills are that bad you probably should not be building something that goes overhead anything or anybody, and that also carries dangerous projectiles. Dave

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: : : : : Small Bed Pickup Rack -- Pinkerton	Post Reply	Top of thread	Engineering Forum

Posted by: dalecyr ® 01/24/2011, 20:01:50 Author Profile eMail author Edit

That thought had crossed my mind too. But, if I overlap the joints, I can always thru-bolt them in addition to welding. I'm not above making *sure* this thing can handle the load. ;)

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: : : : : Small Bed Pickup Rack -- Pinkerton	Post Reply	Top of thread	Engineering Forum

Posted by: Pinkerton ® 01/24/2011, 19:23:30 Author Profile eMail author Edit

OK, I'll be serious for a bit. The rack is an idea as is Kelly's suggestion for a trailer. Harbor freight have several trailers at good rates and they are sturdy. I have assembled many for friends and they live the dirt road life out here in the boonies just fine. Their folding trailer is especially a good deal. OK, being old and lazy I do not like to contemplate lifting 75-lb anythings above my head. Does your truck have square holes in the top edge of the tray walls for dropping the rack legs into? So, just to toss a cat in among the pigeons, what about... Dave

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: : : : : : Small Bed Pickup Rack -- Pinkerton	Post Reply	Top of thread	Engineering Forum

Posted by: dalecyr ® 01/24/2011, 20:21:23 Author Profile eMail author Edit

Dave: If I understand your drawing correctly, the load would sit just above the pickup sides. That takes care of a lot of issues, but not the most pressing one. The local steel supply company sells their stock in 20' lengths. They will cut it in half for free, but that reduces the potential usefulness of it, cuz I hafta plan my own cuts better. And sometimes it just wastes stock. So, part of the design parameters are to be able to haul an un-cut piece or three from there to home. And to haul my 24' extension ladder. And other "long" things, like 50" x 16' panels of cattle fence. I haven't gotten to the point of attachment yet; I know that will carry it's own set of challanges. The *current* issue is that I dont know which formula to use to calcualte what that load wants to do to the rack in a accelerating/braking/turning situation. I *think* the whole rack acts as a "machine", if the columns are strong enough. If they are not, they will buckle under the lateral load. I know I can use gussets to "strengthen" the columns, but I'm not quite sure how to calcualte that either. Even so, I need to know how much lateral force a given size can resist. And I don't know enough to know if this '4 widely spaced member column' acts like an end supported beam. as I'm writing this, I *think* I realize that this will act more like a wire frame box, because the pickup side walls act as the bottom members of the box. So, now I think I'm dealing with (only) a racking component. albeit in various directions. right? Now that I've deluded myself into thinking this is just a simple problem of sizing a wire frame box to resist a specific lateral load that would cause racking of the entire machine, this seems like a much more managable problem. now... where is that formula for calculating that... there must be one somewhere around here...

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: : : : : : : Small Bed Pickup Rack -- dalecyr	Post Reply	Top of thread	Engineering Forum

Posted by: Pinkerton ® 01/25/2011, 09:47:18 Author Profile eMail author Edit

Dale, It is intended as TWO individual hanging racks off the side of the truck. The 4' x 8' panel would slide into the racks on it's edge. The base of the rack that supports the panel is around level with the BOTTOM of the out-side of the truck side panel, maybe 12" off the ground at most. You would be lifting the panel only about 12" high and sliding it in. You could even have rollers on the bottom. You have stopped thinking and started assuming again !!! Dave

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