Cargo Rack Idea, thoughts?

[Whitson Metalworks]

done; i made it 42x55, it was getting dark so i snapped a few pictures before it did. it could easily be clamped to factory bars for as-needed use or some simple "feet" could be welded on to mount it to the stock tracks. i like it, seems like a useful piece.

 

[Benski]

Looks good! Ideal for me would be 49" wide inside diameter, for holding plywood sheets, by 60" long. If you make the entire rack out of round tubing it will be more aerodynamic, stronger, quieter, and easier to attach. Your getting there.

 

[Whitson Metalworks]

i like the square for the base. when i pick up the steel in 20ft lengths the square tube is way more rigid than the round. round definitely has its place with great torsional strength but for spanning a gap intended to carry weight in a given direction (load sitting on top), square it is. I thought about your needs when i was building it and almost went for a 50" wide design but not everyone wants one that wide, but hey, lemme know if you need one:thanks:

 

[Whitson Metalworks]

on the truck:

 

[the great him]

how did you mount it?

 

[Whitson Metalworks]

1x1 square tube cut at a 45 and welded to 2 of the crossmembers, then bolted into the factory slider things. you can barely see the mounts in the 2nd pic

 

[Qyota]

That looks great! How loud is it? I'm with Benski on the dimensions, if possible. I'll be ready to buy one in a couple months, probably. Good work!

Edit: whoops, just saw that it's 42" wide. Adding another 7" would probably look funny on the roof. Hmm.

 

[shoota]

Well done it looks really good. How much in materials goes into a rack?

 

[Whitson Metalworks]

thanks all, the rack isnt that loud since its pretty low to the roof. materials arent bad, i guess, but go up and down every other day it seems. then theres the consumables; saw blades, cut-off wheels, welding wire and gas... im hesitant to put a number on build cost since i dont really know lol, and my time must be worth something, but i enjoy doing it at least.

 

[shoota]

thanks all, the rack isnt that loud since its pretty low to the roof. materials arent bad, i guess, but go up and down every other day it seems. then theres the consumables; saw blades, cut-off wheels, welding wire and gas... im hesitant to put a number on build cost since i dont really know lol, and my time must be worth something, but i enjoy doing it at least.

Yeah I was just wondering how much steel tubing is, not how much you are gonna charge. Your time is definitely worth it.

 

[Whitson Metalworks]

Around here, and since I can't buy a truckload of it, the tube is about a dollar a foot. But i only buy enough to build what I'm building since I cant store 20 footers