Drawbar storage box
Submitted: Wednesday, Nov 03, 2004 at 21:28
ThreadID:
121559
Views:
8891
Replies:
10
FollowUps:
11
This Thread has been Archived
Taj Mah Tracker
We are wanting to install a drawbar storage box that will be large enough to store a Honda 2Kva generator, 2 x 20 litre fuel tanks (unleaded and a diesel), and the 3 flat out reels, as a minimum. (What else do Trackers store in these drawbar boxes?)
We prefer not to fit a series of boxes/trays on the rear of the van as ball weight is an issue, being only 210Kg at present.
The factors we need to consider involve making sure that once the box is attached we still have access to the spare wheels, and ability to hook up the Maco Mule wheel.
The question is, are there any other complicating factors to consider? (I know we need to move the external water tap)
We want a box that is reasonably strong, so the option of a ‘Supa Cheap” prefab light Gal Iron pop riveted box is not the best option, although it is certainly the cheapest. This means having one fabricated. Any recommendations on box builders in the SE Queensland area would also be useful info.
What would be the best method of attachment, welding? Or to have the box made in such a way that it could be bolted on?
We have the 6 foot extended draw bar.
If we can get this solved Robin might also get bike racks installed!!
Cheers
Ian and Robin
Reply By: Deleted User - Thursday, Nov 04, 2004 at 01:39
Thursday, Nov 04, 2004 at 01:39
Hello Ian, I was at Glenfords (Sprinwood) this morning and they have a display of just what you are after. A few large and very large Alum checker plate tool boxes very professionally made. Manufacturer is Diamond T Products ph 1300 833 336.
I recall Diamnond T used to make large trucks(American) way back last century.
http://diamondtproducts.com/
Looks like the factory is at Kingston.(BNE) and they do custom jobs. They cater for F250 nutters too it seems(sorry but can't help myself sometimes)
I would be inclined to clamp them onto the A frame. Welding will destroy the galvanising.
Also I would be very reluctant to drill holes in the A frame. This structure is a highly stressed component and you could make a weak spot.
hope this helps.
Ernie
AnswerID:
565254
Follow Up By:- Thursday, Nov 04, 2004 at 01:43
Thursday, Nov 04, 2004 at 01:43
Hi Ernie aluminium cant be welded to steel ,u bolts are the go,best to not drill holes as u say
FollowupID:
844065
Follow Up By:- Thursday, Nov 04, 2004 at 01:49
Thursday, Nov 04, 2004 at 01:49
Peter what I was referring to was welding steel clamps/cleats/brackets and bolting to alum box.
Ernie
FollowupID:
844066
Reply By: Deleted User - Thursday, Nov 04, 2004 at 01:39
Thursday, Nov 04, 2004 at 01:39
Hi noosaN'S I dont understand what u mean by your 2nd paragraph,but assume that you need to increase the ball wt. which u will do when you include the items you mention. I assume the bikes are push bikes which would be ok on the back of the van,I dont like excess wt. on the back as it turns the van into a seesaw.I suggest u get a chequer plate aluminium box made,which i suggest could be almost the width of the van and designed with front (not top) opening compartments to suit the items which in the main appear to be heavy,the box would need to be seated in a frame with a base.If the box is alloy you will not be able to weld it to the drawbar,so will need to bolt/ubolt I have read much discussion against the use of maco mules in any situation besides a level firm surface so have not bothered with one but suppose as a jockey wheel they work fine.I imagine that will just about fill the drawbar especilly if the bikes are on it bye now and enjoy
AnswerID:
565255
Follow Up By:- Thursday, Nov 04, 2004 at 09:15
Thursday, Nov 04, 2004 at 09:15
Ok guys ! I grant you it aint too available yet ..or for critical joints like suspension ....but you CAN weld aluminium to steel. All you need is a good laser .... (smile)
See below ...
Start
In this context, the demand for laser welding of the material combination of aluminium alloys with steel (AA/St) has increased. However, laser beam welding (LBW) desired for longer AA/St joints or more complex joints (e.g. car door/hinge or multiple sheet structures in car bodies) is still difficult on account of the formation of extreme brittle compounds at the intermetallic interface. Controlling and predicting this formation is at present very difficult due to the current lack of understanding of the involved solidification and transport phenomena in the weld pool.The aim of the project is the development of a numerical model of deep penetration laser beam welding of the material combination steel/aluminium alloys.
End
Just in case you were thirsty for more info on the welding of the two metals try this bit .....
Start
The aim of the project is the development of a numerical model of deep penetration laser beam welding of the material combination steel/aluminium alloys. It will allow the prediction of:· thermal cycle in fusion zone and intermetallic interface· formation of intermetallic phase (brittle compounds AlxFey)· shape of the seamA completely new approach will be applied to evaluate the solidification phenomena at the interface phase between the aluminium and steel part considering the complex multi-phase heat transfer problem and the fluid flow of a binary mixture.
End
Regards
Anthony
FollowupID:
844067
Follow Up By: Hourglass belly up - Thursday, Nov 04, 2004 at 12:16
Thursday, Nov 04, 2004 at 12:16
Actually, both large and small fabrications of disimilar metals have typically been joined together by fusion welding using bimetal transition products (generally a bimetal strip) for at least the past 25 years to my knowledge. One of the better known products that I am familiar with is "Detacouple" manufactured by the Dynamic Materials Corp in the States but many other companies around the world also make similar products.
Metals or alloys that cannot be directly welded together by normal fusion methods can easily be joined together using a transition strip comprising a composite of the two metals in question. In principle, the bimetal strip is cut from sheet material formed by driving a sheet of the two metals into one another using explosives - this forms a high strength mechanical bond between the two.
The aforementioned products are typically used in shipbuilding such as say for the attachment of an aluminium superstructure to a steel hull - here the aluminium portion of the bimetal strip would be welded to the aluminium superstructure and then the fabrication as a whole would be attached to say a steel deck by welding the steel portion of the bimetal strip to same.
Not appropriate in this case where nuts and bolts will readily satisfy the requirement but maybe something of interest to the technocrats amongst us who are not familiar of the technique.
John
FollowupID:
844068
Follow Up By:- Thursday, Nov 04, 2004 at 12:24
Thursday, Nov 04, 2004 at 12:24
.
YEAH I KNEW THAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Dosen't everybody???????????
.
FollowupID:
844069
Reply By: Deleted User - Thursday, Nov 04, 2004 at 19:46
Thursday, Nov 04, 2004 at 19:46
Hi Nomadsrus u may know that as do the other correspondents but the question is??? does Noosa Nomads know that or does he still have the problem of attachment
AnswerID:
565256
Follow Up By:- Thursday, Nov 04, 2004 at 20:43
Thursday, Nov 04, 2004 at 20:43
Sorry Peter but I was just showing my weird sense of humour. Perhaps I should have been more explicit.
Cheers
Ernie
FollowupID:
844070
Reply By: Deleted User - Thursday, Nov 04, 2004 at 21:32
Thursday, Nov 04, 2004 at 21:32
if we all didnt have,to one degree or another a wierd sense of humour the forums wouldnt survive have a good one
AnswerID:
565257
Follow Up By:- Thursday, Nov 04, 2004 at 21:45
Thursday, Nov 04, 2004 at 21:45
Back to Ian's dilemma ....
Can I just clarify one point ? Can we get the terms right ?
The box on the front of any
Bushtracker is called the ...
Mother-In-Law Box !!! (WitchOfEastwickSmile)
Anthony
FollowupID:
844071
Reply By: Deleted User - Friday, Nov 05, 2004 at 00:45
Friday, Nov 05, 2004 at 00:45
Hi Anthony
Mother in Law box Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm I have my mil hanging from the kitchen ceiling,,and have no intention of putting her in a box and taking her for a holiday,,on second thoughts in a box attached to the drawbar is not such a bad idea
I.ll send a piccy of her soon for furthur discussion
Yre just full 0f bright ideas
AnswerID:
565258
Reply By: Deleted User - Friday, Nov 05, 2004 at 05:20
Friday, Nov 05, 2004 at 05:20
Hi Anthony heres thr m i l.
[ View Image]
AnswerID:
565259
Follow Up By:- Friday, Nov 05, 2004 at 05:31
Friday, Nov 05, 2004 at 05:31
Gees Peter holy mackeral, I hope her daughter dosen't take after her mother..............nah aint possible surely!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
FollowupID:
844072
Follow Up By:- Friday, Nov 05, 2004 at 18:25
Friday, Nov 05, 2004 at 18:25
no she doesnt andddddddddddtoday she turns 60 and is still the same wonderful girl i married 34 years ago
FollowupID:
844073
Follow Up By:- Friday, Nov 05, 2004 at 18:34
Friday, Nov 05, 2004 at 18:34
Wish her a happy birthday from all us BOGers Pete and have a beut day.
FollowupID:
844074
Reply By: Taj Mah Tracker - Friday, Nov 05, 2004 at 08:22
Friday, Nov 05, 2004 at 08:22
Well thanks everone for the good oil on what is now our Mother-in-Law box. Hope she fits in with the generator.
Ernie, The Diamond T boxes look good, and I agree with the "clamping it on" idea.
Jeff Wade send me a private email because he was unable to get an attachment onto the web site. His advice, after to speaking with blokes at work, was:
"the main suggestion was to U bolt it on. The best suggestion from the best worker was to have a marine ply support the same size as the box and bolt the box to the A frame through the ply. This way you should not get any movement or twisting of the box or bolts." Sounds sound to me.
Peter, my second paragraph was refering to the practice some Boggers have of installing a box on the rear of the van to accommodate jerry cans and hose reels and the like. (as well as having a box on the A frame). We need to keep the weight up forward. I do like your idea of having it made as a front opener, means less lifting and better access. So a little re-design is needed.
Anthony, as for the Lasser beam Welder, I will pop in and use yours. Didn't realize Cindy had oked that in the current budget !!! (Grin)
But then, the U bolt is a bit closer to my technical limit. Think I will stick with that.
Thanks all for the feed back
Cheers
Ian
AnswerID:
565260
Reply By: Deleted User - Friday, Nov 05, 2004 at 18:32
Friday, Nov 05, 2004 at 18:32
Ian I really am glad that we got that all sorted out and had a bit of fun at the same time
try to stop water/moisture from getting between the box and the ply base,marine ply will,get soggy if water enters it,paint it and seal around the edges enjoy
AnswerID:
565261
Reply By: Noosa Fox - Friday, Nov 05, 2004 at 21:47
Friday, Nov 05, 2004 at 21:47
Ian & Robin,
Could I suggest that you take a drive down to Coomera (Gold Coast) and see Conrad and Niza and inspect how they have a large box fitted on their draw bar. Admittedly you will probably not want to go to the cost of Stainless Steel, but the attachment method and styling of the box is perfect for what you want to achieve.
It is attached so that it can sit just in front of the spare wheels, and hinges at the lower front so that it can be tilted forward enough to be able to remove the spare wheels if required. Quick release catches hold the box securely in place.
Anyone who saw what Conrad has on his van at Copeton would have to admit that you would be hard pressed to find a better tool / equipment box on any
Bushtracker.
Brian
AnswerID:
565262
Reply By: Freewheelers - Friday, Nov 05, 2004 at 23:50
Friday, Nov 05, 2004 at 23:50
for security reason you might want to install with nuts inside the box nylock nuts should be considered as well as silicon sealing around the bolt at the box/bolt entry point a silicon dob on the nut will also stop it from turning a lock box or cocealed lock may also be a good idea
regards
AnswerID:
565263
Follow Up By:- Saturday, Nov 06, 2004 at 01:24
Saturday, Nov 06, 2004 at 01:24
The extended a-frames on a BT tend to flex a little so anything attached across the whole area will flex with it. For this reason, amongst others, a bolted fixture would be the way to go ...
I like the idea of an inert material between the box and the a-frame. If the box (ally) was directly on the gal surface of the a-frame, corrosion from different materials would result especially in the presence of moisture.
If the box is to sit on the frame for years I'd place a protective coating between the timber and the a-frame maybe ? Just on the top surface of the a-frame where the timber is in contact .... maybe a bitumen paint or some air dry epoxy like Killrust ...they have a primer for gal metal for a few dollars a can ...then a squirt or two of silver top coat maybe ?
Bit of masking tape and some newspaper to mask off the area .... done !
You better bolt it down well ...it might disappear off the Taj Tracker and end up on mine !!!! (smile)
Anthony
FollowupID:
844075
