Homemade shovel brackets, anybody made them?

A

AfroWookie

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I have a Yakima MegaWarrior rack on my truck and I don't really want to pay $50ish for the brackets they sell. So I decided to try to make my own. I don't think it would be hard. I was thinking a couple of U-Bolts and a contoured "plate" would work well. I'd mount them on the bar that runs parallel with the truck rather than the ones that run perpendicular, that way the brackets won't slide down and allow the shovel to bang the roof of the truck. Does that make any sense? Anybody have better ideas?
 
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I've seen a lot of people use them for that and they're actually made for similar tasks on fire trucks so I'd assume so. They're pretty stiff.

Google quickfist shovel mount and I'm sure you'll find some good info.
 
Yes, they are used on fire trucks. We use them a lot and they work fine. We keep hooks on the front bumpers, and my truck has a storage compartment with shovels, bolt cutters, prybars, and closet hooks mounted on them. You should have no issues. Just keep an eye on the rubber parts that lock down the item. A cheap type of material could get weathered and deteriorate with exposure to UV light.
 
bob3dsf said:
A cheap type of material could get weathered and deteriorate with exposure to UV light.
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Are you saying that happens on the fire trucks with these?

Or are you saying if they were a cheap brand?

My understanding is that quickfist is the only manufacturer, so I was just wondering if you're saying the material is cheap.
 
gaterose said:
Are you saying that happens on the fire trucks with these?

Or are you saying if they were a cheap brand?

My understanding is that quickfist is the only manufacturer, so I was just wondering if you're saying the material is cheap.
Click to expand...

No, I have not seen this on any of our trucks. I was talking of an "if" scenario. I don't know what brand my department uses. I don't know if we specify in our specs, or if the truck manufacturer sources those. I'll have to check into that. I can say that they don't look like the once pictured in your Amazon link. I don't go back on duty until Wednesday so maybe I can snap a pic. Our mounts are a solid piece of plastic (seems like ABS) as the cradle, and a stiff, but flexible "tie-down" with a T handle that locks into grooves on one side (the outside) of the cradle.
 
So I'm thinking of using these mounts for my kayak paddle instead of a shovel. Just curious if they can mount to my oem rack and if so, do you think having a kayak paddle up there would even work or get ripped off with the first wind gust that hits it
 
mireland4390 said:
So I'm thinking of using these mounts for my kayak paddle instead of a shovel. Just curious if they can mount to my oem rack and if so, do you think having a kayak paddle up there would even work or get ripped off with the first wind gust that hits it
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I'm sure they would if you mounted it flat, and probably with the handle side facing front. You could get some yakima universal rack adapters to bolt it to.

The mounts I'm speaking of are like the ones in this link.

Slee - Roof Rack Accessories - not the part that bolts to the hi-lift, but the part that would attach that to the crossbar.
 
Yea. Might be a little bit too intricate and high cost for it to be worth it. Guess ill just keep sticking it in through the window. No biggie.
But thanks for the info gaterose. You are like the fountain of knowledge on this forum haha
 
gaterose said:
The QuickFists are great, and pretty cheap on amazon. I added some to my Amazon wishlist a few years ago for the same use but I never got around to doing it. My GF's aunt actually bought them for me for christmas lol! But I still haven't done anything with them yet.

Quick Fist 10010 Original Quick Fist Clamp, 9-1/4" Length x 4-1/2" Width x 1-1/4" Height, For 1" - 2-1/4" Diameter (Pack of 2) - Amazon.com
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Ordered these over the weekend. They'll be here in time for my beach trip this weekend. Thanks for the recommendation!
 
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