Any Alternatives to front runner outfitters, "Roof tracks"..??

[Live to Ski]

Last few posts sparked some ideas...

Hoser: you jogged my flaky memory...the African Outback extrusions are the ones I have, but not installed yet.

Patineto: I bow to "in situ" versus theory. What works...works.

Also, Patineto, really "out of the box" use of those straight tracks!

I have been contemplating how to create a "payload barrier" behind front seat, yet still retain the option of reclining. Thinking can run a double parallel extrusion run across the interior of vehicle roof and floor. Then weld up 2 flat cage panels that interface top and bottom w. extrusions. Thus, can loosen cage to extrusion attachment and slide away from whatever side needs the reclining mode. 'course, if both sides need to recline....problem.

I mention this after wife & I spent a night in non reclined seats due to error in plan execution on recent death valley run. Wicked uncomfortable.

 

[Patineto]

Last few posts sparked some ideas...

Hoser: you jogged my flaky memory...the African Outback extrusions are the ones I have, but not installed yet.

Patineto: I bow to "in situ" versus theory. What works...works.

Also, Patineto, really "out of the box" use of those straight tracks!

I have been contemplating how to create a "payload barrier" behind front seat, yet still retain the option of reclining. Thinking can run a double parallel extrusion run across the interior of vehicle roof and floor. Then weld up 2 flat cage panels that interface top and bottom w. extrusions. Thus, can loosen cage to extrusion attachment and slide away from whatever side needs the reclining mode. 'course, if both sides need to recline....problem.

I mention this after wife & I spent a night in non reclined seats due to error in plan execution on recent death valley run. Wicked uncomfortable.

Welding is such a Big word...

I'm much more Into Cams, adjusters, quick releases, compressible, compactable..

Vehicles in the scale of things are pretty small and putting "a box inside a box" well it take precious space, specially if the structure (s) is/are affix and require for all the other boxes to come out and get unbolted from the big box, before they can be rearrange..

Modularity as far more permissive than set in stone..

Don't take me wrong I love my TIG and my MIG even if I'm not to good with them, but they have a time and a place and usually is not inside the truck, unless you are repairing some rusty floor panels.

Simple wedges (clever wedges) can be used to isolate/secure segments or loads and then rearrange as the goals/supplys of the journey change..

 

[Live to Ski]

Patineto: True. But sometimes beef is needed.

I recall another thread on this forum (drawer builds) that a current or ex-police officer/designer mentioning how many accidents he has seen. Typically the occupants are protected from being damaged by the vehicle structure (airbags and such), but end up maimed by flying cargo....huge amounts of energy, thus the need for a barrier of some sort.

Have to imagine the envelope that the offroad community pushes (even at low speed), that statistically we have a high chance of needing protection from this energy.

Just thoughts.....

 

[sdnative]

Here are a few more pictures of the Front Runner roof rail for reference.

 

[Patineto]

Patineto: True. But sometimes beef is needed.

I recall another thread on this forum (drawer builds) that a current or ex-police officer/designer mentioning how many accidents he has seen. Typically the occupants are protected from being damaged by the vehicle structure (airbags and such), but end up maimed by flying cargo....huge amounts of energy, thus the need for a barrier of some sort.

Have to imagine the envelope that the offroad community pushes (even at low speed), that statistically we have a high chance of needing protection from this energy.

Just thoughts.....

Oh Big time, shifting loads are evil, even your dear doggies become projectiles on the inside, but also remember "Safety Nets" are mostly NETS, just look at aircraft carriers/airports all the restraints are "malleable" (energy absorbing) and decompose kinetic energy into other movements (for example kevlar let bullets spin like a screw into wood until they stop moving..)

Rigid and Strong are not the same and also many times not what you want, control deformation is far less harmful (just more complex to fabricate)

I'm a big proponent of having things security tight down and having layers of restrain but adding metal up on metal just add dangerous energy in case of a crash/roll over..

Okay silly question, what is the part of your leg that get damage the most on a crash with heavy duty motocross boots..??

 

[Patineto]

Such a sad preventable accident..

"Load masters" had massive responsibility, again all the "D containers and other loads are tight down to a track.

 

[Live to Ski]

Patineto: Never thought of it and good call. Not sure there is enough room for a net to protect us in front if mounted just behind front seats, but good thinking. Maybe use a shock absorbing metal (aluminum?) that can stretch yet keep response distance short.

That plan crash is brutal. Did read of the load shifting issue....yikes!

sdnative: amazing how straight those extrusions look knowing the compound curves involved.

 

[Patineto]

Here are a few more pictures of the Front Runner roof rail for reference.

Wow, that looks pretty good...

 

[Patineto]

Patineto: Never thought of it and good call. Not sure there is enough room for a net to protect us in front if mounted just behind front seats, but good thinking. Maybe use a shock absorbing metal (aluminum?) that can stretch yet keep response distance short.

I made this doggie mat out of old road bike tires and the side effect is wonderful Kevlar that I have used for all kinds of things..

For all purposes present Zero Elongation, now I will not make for a good rock climbing rope, because I will transmit a 100% of a fall into the human organs, Will all like to be Vulcans, but is better ways to achieve it..

So if you have Zero space in between a fast moving object and your selfs like on the confines of a mall car, maybe is not such a bad idea to use such a high tensile strength material, then again practically unless you use some kind of cam of turn tukle the strands will never be full tight (and it will full the roof and the floor or the truck)

Yes aluminum, specially if it has some kind of pattern that will tend to deform under impact will be great, but what a pain to change the whole mess, Tubular webbing and then "fuses" at the ends..

That plane crash is brutal. Did read of the load shifting issue....yikes!

Yeah apparently one of the straps fail and bumm..

Another strange but brilliant development

When helicopters go on "Auto rotation" after a flame out of losing a engine, they "Glide" they just Glide almost as fast as a piano will glide..

Landing ski/gear are massive shock absorbers, sacrificial in many cases, but this seats will you 12" on extra plushness.

This particular model basically has a Telescopic fork for the real legs and the seat platform goes all the way to the floor in case of a impact, wonderful development and they are so freaking light too (7 pounds if I remember correctly.)

 

[Live to Ski]

Hm, that "bike tire" web looks cool, and true anchoring it would be painful.

I think we should end the hijack and maybe start a new thread on this. I'll do a search and see if more relevant thread title appears and resurrect that.

 

[sdnative]

I recently made a platform replacing the 40% rear seat to move water cans from the roof and lower 100-200 lbs of weight 4 feet. Now I am re-thinking that idea. Even though the COG is higher, at least the cans won't become a projectile if the ratchet straps or L-track fail...

 

[DirtDawg]

I've been contrmplating coming up with some sort of cargo net to separate the front row from the rest of the truck. With possibly a flap in the middle to open and access a cooler or backpack behind the seats. Thinking about using webbing.

I recently made a platform replacing the 40% rear seat to move water cans from the roof and lower 100-200 lbs of weight 4 feet. Now I am re-thinking that idea. Even though the COG is higher, at least the cans won't become a projectile if the ratchet straps or L-track fail...

I would much rather have the COG lower. Alum L track is very strong and I've been using it for years, I wouldn't worry about it giving away unless you have cheap hardware. Though if you are concerned you can always set up a secondary safety-strap mounted to a more sturdy mount (such as a d-ring or equivalent). though a safety net is a great last resort.

 

[Ramathorn15]

I made an attic/dog net out of webbing. The weak point in the whole set up would be the 3rd row handle mounts.

A divider for the front seats would probably be even easier.

 

[DirtDawg]

I made an attic/dog net out of webbing. The weak point in the whole set up would be the 3rd row handle mounts.

A divider for the front seats would probably be even easier.

View attachment 1324262

Precisely what I am planning on doing.

 

[Patineto]

I made an attic/dog net out of webbing. The weak point in the whole set up would be the 3rd row handle mounts.

A divider for the front seats would probably be even easier.

View attachment 1324262

Excellent work for you and the doggies.

 

[sdnative]

I made an attic/dog net out of webbing. The weak point in the whole set up would be the 3rd row handle mounts.

A divider for the front seats would probably be even easier.

View attachment 1324262

Do you have more details on your attic netting? Which netting, attachment method, etc. I want to do something similar.

 

[Patineto]

Going back to regular programing I got a $600 cold shower when I learn of the price of the 30mm delrin, is just to much money, plus about $120 for shipping) I can invest that capital in a million better things, aka my kiddos..

So back to the "Airplane cargo" track idea, I already have the segments and they fit to perfection, I don't even need to cut them (they need to be "Persuade" to follow the curved of the roof but I'm pretty good at bending metal, only side effect is that if I end up using "Vertical towers" they will not be perpendicular to the road, but to the roof of the truck (about 6 degrees or so backwards)

Oh and NO I'm not paying $72 or each of this, no way.

Still Looking for deals on the 80-20 Extrusion is some of the best structural concept I have work on but is not exactly cheap or as light as it can be (3" by 1 1/2" is to tall and the 1 1/2' to prone to flex, even if this beams are extremely rigid) you want to keep things above (and WAY Above the CG as light as possible..
https://photos.smugmug.com/Cars/CAMPERising-Modifications-proj/0-20-Extrusion-is-so-the-s***/i-ZVhsTvR/0/S/ll9jlvd-S.jpg

 

[Live to Ski]

Patineto: youch...delrin.

Talk to Christo @ Slee. He HAD on hand a bunch of surplus African Outback 100 series specific extrusions. I bought a set a few months ago. They appear to have all the correct compound curves...though I have not mounted yet. $100 and then some.

Sometime one has to spend $ to save $ (I often break that rule).

During my research, I did approach Front Runner about buying their roof/rack interface only (in the form of parts). They said no dice. Too bad.

 

[Ramathorn15]

Do you have more details on your attic netting? Which netting, attachment method, etc. I want to do something similar.

I used one roll of this webbing:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003IEWZIU/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I have a swinger that I got from walmart for like $120 a few year back with a heavy gauge needle and this thread:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01I2B99T6/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I built the bars that hold the attic with 1/2" square tube and 1" flat bar to attach to the handle mounts. I'll try and get a better photo. The passenger side attic webbing has lashing strap adjusters so it can be loosened to hang lower and hold more stuff.

The difficult part is attaching to the floor area since there are no good attachment points that are wide. I attached it to my drawers but another possibility would be finding a bolt hole behind the plastic interior trim that covers the seatbelt retractor area then cutting the panel.

Sorry to derail this thread a bit