111 replies to this topic

[rando]

For an 8 foot span I'd be concerned that the 1" 80/20 wouldn't be rigid enough w/o adding some structural features that turn them into a truss. If a single extrusion is what is desired I'd go with one of the bigger sizes.

 

For a 6 foot span it would be more dependent on how much weight was being attached and where it was being attached. If the weight is near the jack brackets it's likely not an issue. If the weight is attached mid-span then it likely either needs to be bigger or it needs a constructed truss too.

 Very good point.  I should qualify my experience as working well for traction mats, which are a distributed load, over a 6' span.   If you have a heavier load, particularly as a point load in the middle of an 8' span, then you may need beefier extrusions.   They do make a 1x2" profile which could work well if 1"x1" isn't up to the task: https://8020.net/shop/1020.html

[camper101]

My familiarity is solely with the 1" square size. Drill a hole why? We only drill holes for the blind fasteners. Everything else gets a t-nut or a t-bolt. Most of the tabs for the 1" stuff are 3/16" thick so bolts/screws in the .500"-.625" length range work the best with those and their t-nuts. For there you should be able to extrapolate an appropriate fastener length for the thickness that you're going thru.

 

Thanks, my brain is now starting to figure out that you don't need to drill through if you use the t-nuts and appropriate length bolts. That makes it even easier. I ordered a few different bolt lengths, so we'll see how it goes. None of the bolts on the 80/20 site seem to be aluminum, so I assume you can get bolts locally as well (and that you don't need to aluminum bolts). Thanks again.

[Mthomas]

this will help with deflection questions

https://8020.net/deflection-calculator

[MountainSufi]

Forget my stupid idea of having a drop down table on the driver's side, so it will be closest to the LP tanks. Absolutely a bad idea.

1. Mounted on driver's side, when up, it will cover the heater vents. You'd always have to put it down to operate the heater (+ heater vents stick out out far enough it might touch the table!).
2. On a 2 lane road, in muddy dirty crappy conditions, the driver's side table/ski rack will get exponentially more grit and grime from oncoming traffic than passenger side.

Shoulda looked at my rig and meditated on it before posting.

 

Cheers!

[MountainSufi]

Here's an 80/20 video on a fold up table (not our fold down). I like the table top attachment with beveled edges:

 

80/20 may be more expensive than other brands, but I doubt if anybody else matches their instructional vids.

Edited by MountainSufi, 01 January 2019 - 01:09 AM.

[Mighty Dodge Ram]

I first saw 80/20 at an early Overland Expo, possibly Amado, AZ. An archaeologist had used it to build out cabinets in his 4X4 van. Some guy next to me was so excited he almost did a backflip and declared that he was going to build a pop-up camper with the material.

Agreed...great product.

Edited by Mighty Dodge Ram, 01 January 2019 - 05:20 PM.

[Yubaman]

Prototype $35 single ski rack, can add another. Superstrut. The angle brackets needed to be cut down.

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[camper101]

I like it!

 

Is anybody concerned about adding something rigid in between the jack brackets (front to back)?

 

I'm wondering if it might spread or pull too much when things are bouncing around, but I have no clue if that's a risk. There's plenty of aluminum running front to back in the camper's frame, but I don't know if the "flex-frame" aspect works differently from what we're adding here on the exterior.

 

My 80/20 arrived a few days ago (still haven't opened the box), but soon...

[Yubaman]

I like it!

 

Is anybody concerned about adding something rigid in between the jack brackets (front to back)?

 

I'm wondering if it might spread or pull too much when things are bouncing around, but I have no clue if that's a risk. There's plenty of aluminum running front to back in the camper's frame, but I don't know if the "flex-frame" aspect works differently from what we're adding here on the exterior.

 

My 80/20 arrived a few days ago (still haven't opened the box), but soon...

 

Actually one could have a couple of these on each side. 

[rubberlegs]

Is anybody concerned about adding something rigid in between the jack brackets (front to back)?

Good question and good on ya for thinking about it. If the rails were very rigidly connected to the brackets, and a lot stiffer than the aluminum frame, then it would stiffen up that part of the camper. That could fail the brackets or the camper frame where the brackets attach over time, especially if a fatigue crack starts. However, I'd guess that the 8020 attachments are kinda "soft", but haven't really looked at it carefully. You could avoid the whole problem by using rails that are not too macho, and attaching them in such a way that they are somewhat flexible.