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Old 01-24-2008, 04:30 PM   #8
Carl n Susan
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Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Carmichael - CA
Posts: 7,369
M.O.C. #4831
Quote:
quote:Originally posted by Tiffensdad

Carl n Susan
I have tried to find your post on this and cannot come up with it. If you still have the information I would really appreciate it.. Thanks
Well I'll be darned. It seems like some things hang around a lot longer than you expect. Here is the posting I made last year. Some of the tiny pics went away so I re-created them. I hope it helps. Come to the Tucson Rally and you can see them in person.

====== original posting =================================

Nice job on the aluminum box. I started down that road as a way to carry my Porta-bote until I found what the price was going to be. Then I looked into using galvanized. It was going to be less expensive but still significant. So I thought I would try an even less expensive solution first. If it didn't work I could always go back to having a box built.

I built three rollers of all thread covered by PVC and pipe insulation. The rollers are connected to the frame by brackets I fashioned out of 1 1/2" strap. Since the rollers do roll very easily, I had to build a front and rear stop to keep the bote in place in case of a sudden start or stop. It also enabled me to put a lock on the front stop to discourage the less than honest element.

To protect the bote from road crud, I went to a discount fabric store and bought five yards of naugahyde material which I had sewed into a bag shape to fit the bote. It works very well and has the added bonus of protecting the bote from the ground when I expand it.

Rear bracket - http://i30.tinypic.com/rmo4sm.jpg

Front bracket - http://i31.tinypic.com/141mbtg.jpg

Front bracket Latch - http://i30.tinypic.com/kd8q4l.jpg

All three brackets - http://i7.tinypic.com/256h0qp.jpg

It has been on two trips and over 1,000 miles without a problem. The bote is easy to load and unload. No problems with clearance but I don't expect to take it off road either. Materials were less than $50. The sewing of the bag was outsourced (my wife brokered that part of the job) and I am told I don't want to know what it cost. :-(


==== end of original post ==============

This rack now has traveled over 10,000 miles without any problems. It has worked very well and several friends are using the same mounting system.
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Carl (n Susan)
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2012 Montana 3700RL Big Sky Package towed by a 2015 Ford F350 6.7L PSD 4WD CC LWB

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