[metalonmetal]

previous owner had a homemade roof rack on top of the fj40 i bought. it's a gnarly steel frame, very heavy. he had bolted down a custom sized 3/8" plank of plywood. the thing was waterlogged to the max, probably weighed as much as the frame. so i chucked the wood and initially thought of throwing some expanded metal on there to take up the space between the cross-members. but i'm wondering if anybody's got creative with other materials? stiff rubber mats? perforated/punched plastic? anything usable other than expanded metal or more wood? i'd like something lightweight, as the frame is heavy as it is.
-drew

[REZARF]

McNichols sells perforated plastic, steel, aluminum... all kinds of stuff.

They are hard to buy by the slice though, I used to use them at my old job.

If you have one near you they are your best bet.

Rezarf <><

[metalonmetal]

ya that's one thing that's kinda holding me back right now. some places around here sell without minimums, but the prices are outrageous.

[Cube Dweller]

I'm going to use expanded metal on mine. Here in Sac we have an ornamental iron supply house, I picked up a 4x8 sheet of 16 ga. for $70.

[surfpig]

Originally Posted by Cube Dweller

I'm going to use expanded metal on mine. Here in Sac we have an ornamental iron supply house, I picked up a 4x8 sheet of 16 ga. for $70.

That's what I would recommend. I have plywood on mine, I drilled a s**t load of 1" holes in it for tiedown locations as well as to reduce the weight. It's already starting to look ratty though.

[metalonmetal]

Originally Posted by Cube Dweller

I'm going to use expanded metal on mine. Here in Sac we have an ornamental iron supply house, I picked up a 4x8 sheet of 16 ga. for $70.

do you have any pictures of the roof rack? i'd need two of those sheets, is the 16ga big enough for you? like can you walk on the stuff without it bending? if i went expanded i'd get aluminum, flattened, a heavier guage with the openings around 1.5" wide so i could easily get bungee cords or tie downs in the openings. maybe i'll take a few pictures of the roof rack, take some measurements and post some pictures.

[Cube Dweller]

Originally Posted by metalonmetal

do you have any pictures of the roof rack? i'd need two of those sheets, is the 16ga big enough for you? like can you walk on the stuff without it bending? if i went expanded i'd get aluminum, flattened, a heavier guage with the openings around 1.5" wide so i could easily get bungee cords or tie downs in the openings. maybe i'll take a few pictures of the roof rack, take some measurements and post some pictures.

I haven't built it yet, I just picked up the sheet since I was there. My plan is to bend it up out of 16 gauge 1" round tubing and add crossbars as needed. The idea of larger pattern diamonds for tie down pts is a good one. My neighbor converted his jet ski trailer to a quad hauler by adding the same expanded metal, he's 220lbs and can walk on it. I'll grab some pics the next time he is out.

I'm going to run steel since for a given geometry it's stiffer, easier to weld and a bunch cheaper. I had serious sticker shock pricing out some aluminum rectangular tubing. I have access to an AC tig machine now, but it would take forever....

Edit: Now that I think about it, I believe we used 13 Ga on the trailer and that's what I bought too. I'll probably use the 13 gauge for the cargo barrier and run 16 on the roof rack.

[Cube Dweller]

Originally Posted by surfpig

That's what I would recommend. I have plywood on mine, I drilled a s**t load of 1" holes in it for tiedown locations as well as to reduce the weight. It's already starting to look ratty though.

This fall I'll should have some free time if you want to redeck it. You'll have to drive east though...

[REZARF]

1/2" marine grade and painted plywood on my rack lasted about 1.5 years...

Rezarf <><

[metalonmetal]

here are some pictures, the rack has an inside dimension of 58" x 80.5"

[metalonmetal]

i found some scrap which i think would suit quite well. the crossmembers allow for this size expanded metal to sit flush with the perimeter of the rack.


i'm thinking maybe steel is the way to go, i could weld it all around instead of bolts and washers. it'll be heeeaaavvy though.

[metalonmetal]

Originally Posted by REZARF

1/2" marine grade and painted plywood on my rack lasted about 1.5 years...

Rezarf <><

how expensive? i'm guessing it would be as heavy if not heavier than metal.

[FirstToy]

Here is a good thread- the clearspan flooring looks good n light

http://www.4wdtrips.net/forum/showthread.php?t=3409

[Cube Dweller]

Originally Posted by metalonmetal

i found some scrap which i think would suit quite well. the crossmembers allow for this size expanded metal to sit flush with the perimeter of the rack.


i'm thinking maybe steel is the way to go, i could weld it all around instead of bolts and washers. it'll be heeeaaavvy though.

Think that would work pretty well. Just run thinner gauge. All the wire will be in tension, it will be plenty strong.

[IBCRUSN]

This is the stuff I'm going to use for the flooring on my rack (pick up at CMCC). Got the idea from a Rover guy that I wheeled with a few months back. Strong, lighter than steel and never rusts.

Chicken coup flooring

Before you all poke fun you better read it. Hell, when I brought it up Bill from BA Outfitters he thought it was a much better option than expanded steel. One more thing, you never have to paint it, try that with wood or expanded steel.

[David Woo]

http://www.kingstarboard.com/Product...ardFamily.aspx
very nice stuff, had it on a range rover rack.
DW

[metalonmetal]

Originally Posted by FirstToy

Here is a good thread- the clearspan flooring looks good n light

http://www.4wdtrips.net/forum/showthread.php?t=3409

ah good idea, but it won't work, it clearly states, 'not recommended for turkeys'

http://www.clearspan.com/webapp/wcs/...s=31810&isDoc=

good idea though, i like the prices, and the fact you can cut em to size. i'll be looking into that.

[metalonmetal]

Originally Posted by David Woo

http://www.kingstarboard.com/Product...ardFamily.aspx
very nice stuff, had it on a range rover rack.
DW

hey that looks sweet, never seen it before. the one drawback i think would be tiedown ability. i'd like to put stuff up on the rack and be able to tie it down anywhere.

[metalonmetal]

Originally Posted by IBCRUSN

This is the stuff I'm going to use for the flooring on my rack (pick up at CMCC). Got the idea from a Rover guy that I wheeled with a few months back. Strong, lighter than steel and never rusts.

Chicken coup flooring

Before you all poke fun you better read it. Hell, when I brought it up Bill from BA Outfitters he thought it was a much better option than expanded steel. One more thing, you never have to paint it, try that with wood or expanded steel.

i'll find out how much this weighs, i imagine a lot lighter. how would i mount this to my roof rack frame? 7/8" openings are a little too narrow for tie down and bungees though. i'm gonna see if i can get them to send me a small sample or something.

[IBCRUSN]

I was/am planning on going with black tyraps. My buddy uses the same setup and has lasted for three years with no problems.

I was scepticle (sp), he told me to climb up on it. Even with my 260lb fat arse it flexed very little. Sold me immediately.

[metalonmetal]

tyraps as in zapstraps? i got a bunch of the heavy duty ones that i was gonna use to strap my jackall to the roof rack when i need it. the ones i got have a breaking strength of 175 lbs versus the more standard 50 lb ones. or am i off here? i'm sure you could bolt/washer the thing down as well if you really wanted to.

[IBCRUSN]

My plan was for just your average 12" black tyraps, not even the ones with the metal tabs inside. I considered using some .041" safety wire from work but I don't want to damage the powder coating.

[metalonmetal]

i'm just looking at the weight of this polymax kennel flooring. 8 lbs per 2' x 4' sheet. it works out to 2 lbs less (total) than the expanded metal i want. i think the only advantage with going the plastic poultry floor route is the price would be cheaper. downside is mounting it though. with metal i can have the same effect, easier to tie down to, can weld all the way around.

[Cube Dweller]

Originally Posted by metalonmetal

i'm just looking at the weight of this polymax kennel flooring. 8 lbs per 2' x 4' sheet. it works out to 2 lbs less (total) than the expanded metal i want. i think the only advantage with going the plastic poultry floor route is the price would be cheaper. downside is mounting it though. with metal i can have the same effect, easier to tie down to, can weld all the way around.

IIRC the 16 Ga expanded metal was like $40-$45 per sheet. Check around your area for ornamental iron suppliers, they use it for security doors.

[metalonmetal]

i got word from a guy here on the forum (pbgbottle) about a local metal recycler, i'm gonna give them a look, not too far from my place. i'm interested to see how stiff the 16ga sheets are. they're half the weight per sq ft than the 10ga, for the weight difference i'd almost give up the ability to walk across the rack.

[bsevans]

Originally Posted by metalonmetal

here are some pictures, the rack has an inside dimension of 58" x 80.5"

I had the same basic floor in my Conn-Fer rack and gave alot of thought to what I would do since the plywood sheet was, well lets say that after 10 years in the desert sun it had to go. This is what I did. I'm very happy with it and it is much stronger. If you would like more detailed photos, I can post them. The tubing I used was heaver wall than standard and I have not had anything up there small enough to fall through the spacing

[metalonmetal]

go for it, i'd love to see some more pictures. i think it's a good option, and whatever i'm putting up there will most likely be in my canvas bags or boxes, so the spacing wouldn't be an issue. i don't know anything about the conferr racks, are they aluminum or steel?

[NorCalDoug]

Originally Posted by FirstToy

Here is a good thread- the clearspan flooring looks good n light

http://www.4wdtrips.net/forum/showthread.php?t=3409

Originally Posted by IBCRUSN

This is the stuff I'm going to use for the flooring on my rack (pick up at CMCC). Got the idea from a Rover guy that I wheeled with a few months back. Strong, lighter than steel and never rusts.

Chicken coup flooring

Before you all poke fun you better read it. Hell, when I brought it up Bill from BA Outfitters he thought it was a much better option than expanded steel. One more thing, you never have to paint it, try that with wood or expanded steel.

that's really not a bad idea.

hmmm...what else could I use that for...hmmm...

[David Woo]

I cut some 6" holes evenly speced, located at junctions of the tubing floor: that way, I could loop a hook or a cord around the tubes and tie the pelican cases down. Also had a wedco can carrier that was bolted to the king suff.
DW

[bsevans]

Originally Posted by metalonmetal

go for it, i'd love to see some more pictures. i think it's a good option, and whatever i'm putting up there will most likely be in my canvas bags or boxes, so the spacing wouldn't be an issue. i don't know anything about the conferr racks, are they aluminum or steel?

They are steel. More photos tomorrow