L-Track (Airline Track) Obession

[Dissent]

I have developed an unhealthy obsession with L-Track and related fittings recently. It's extremely versatile and very secure to mount accessories and cargo tie downs. If you have, or are developing a similar sickness, check back on this thread. I've decided to start posting neat uses and ideas because they are quite difficult to track down inventive uses of this product.

I've wrapped my Prinsu Designs rack in it to ensure I have tie down points with my REI RTT platform and Renogy Solar Panel blocking all the load bars.

Next I decided to use it to mount my Tepui Tent telescoping ladder and then I decided to refit my QuickFists with it.

I'm contemplating affixing sand tracks to cover the rear quarter panel windows using the L-Track products and thought it best if a track was mounted below the window on the body. Then I came across Jens Cullmann's web site from a mud link. He's got this stuff all over his LC and he travels around Africa for photography. Gives me some new ideas.

For the interior, I've got a lot of ideas planned including replacing the 3rd row handles and seat belt mounts to be able to remove my attic shelf and insert/remove the 3rd row seats and belts quickly as I sometimes need to put the 3rd row seats back in. L-Track is actually used in buses and vans for disabled wheelchair restraint points. I have a few mounts that allow me to quickly install and remove the seat belts while adding multiple tie down points. I've also been planning to mount a track below the window, along the top edge of the wall panel. I may mount some on the rear hatch panel to mount a tarp when camping or a lantern. I've considered running it around and under my Attic Rack but nothing serious yet.

Obviously it will go on the cargo are floor but I've not determined the layout yet. I may mount it to plywood then mount the plywood to the floor. Originally I was just going to mount it to the carpeted floor but then I have to cut out many slots in my OEM cargo mat. Too messy. If I get drawers, it will go on top like most people do.

If you see something cool using this product, post it up!

 

[Dissent]

 

[JaketheSSnake]

Following, been thinking about adding some to my Prinsu.

 

[NLXTACY]

Someone makes some really nice end caps for those.

 

[Dissent]

Someone makes some really nice end caps for those.

I actually decided against the caps on the exterior so water drains out. I'll be using them inside though.

 

[Dissent]

Following, been thinking about adding some to my Prinsu.

I came across someone on Mud who ran them underneath the crossbars lengthwise, very smart setup and keeps the low profile of the rack. I have too much crap with my wiring and REI RTT platform for that so I went external. I had my ladder, axe, shovel, tarp canopy and other things externally anyway so it worked out great.

 

[NLXTACY]

I'm a fan

 

[NLXTACY]

I actually decided against the caps on the exterior so water drains out. I'll be using them inside though.

For a local build I did the same thing as you but I drilled small holes along the bottom for drainage. The corners of the track likes to snag on things

 

[Dissent]

These guys have the best gear I've come across, there's a lot of cheap track and fittings that are garbage.

L-Track Tie Down - Airline Track Cargo Tie Down Rails & L-Track Straps

 

[Dissent]

For a local build I did the same thing as you but I drilled small holes along the bottom for drainage. The corners of the track likes to snag on things

That's a solid sell there! I was just looking at the front edge, I think I'll put some on there and drill some drain holes after-all.

 

[Dissent]

I came across a company who makes an abrasive wheel made specifically to clean these tracks when they get all mucked up on an airplane. Airline Seat Tracks? We've got an app for that. - Rex-Cut Abrasives

 

[Dissent]

I just came across this guy outfitting an old School Bus with L-Track. He has some interesting ideas for hanging both his battery boxes and his grey water tanks from L-Track as well as using it inside for his seats. He also gives a good synopsis of L-Track and it's usage (even includes a video!).

This gives me a LOT of ideas about mounting stuff to the highly irregular surfaces under the driver's seat and above the spare tire area. I may even re-mount my spare tire carrier to this setup. Great, now I have to go lie UNDER my truck and stare at it for awhile for inspiration.

Off the top of my head; Air tank and water tank already sound good, maybe a battery box or tool box, I could invert my Puma under there, spare seat for the kids, all sorts of things!

L-Track

L-Track Rails L-Track, often called "Logistics Track", is extruded and machined aluminum rail. It is incredibly light and incredibly strong. It is used in the air cargo business, both civilian and military. It has started to show up on the consumer market for building trailers and for enhancing pickups.

Youtube clip I made where my older son helps me explain L-Track

The basic idea is that you install these rails, and the rails are drilled every inch for standardized fittings. A wide variety of fittings are available to help you secure different types of loads.

In my bus, I use L-track in a few places

• To attach the seats to the box body
• To hang the fresh, black, and gray tanks
• To hang the electrical distribution center
• To hang basement storage
• To mount the water distribution board

How does L-Track help with creating an interface? Think about the bottom of your bus. It is not a flat uniform surface. You can only attach things in certain spots -- where there is something to screw into. In my bus, the floor was 9.5" wide sections of C-channel sheet metal. It was a highly irregular surface to try and mount things to.

Yet the placement of water tanks is pretty important. The black tank specifically must be in exactly the right spot, because it determines the location of the toilet. The toilet location drives the layout of the bus interior; the toilet location determines the location of the black tank; the underside of the bus provides constraints on where the black tank can go. The last thing we need is an inflexible mounting system for the black tank.

Enter L-Track. L-track lets me create an interface between an irregular bus floor and an object that has specific location requirements. I mounted the L-Track to the underside of the floor wherever I could find sheet metal to attach it to. I used about 20 fastener packages per 100" beam of L-Track. Each fastener package was quarter inch stainless, with fender washers and nylocks. The tensile strength of these bolts is tremendous; each rail has 20 of them supporting it, and rails are used in pairs. The rails themselves tie the floor sheet metal together at increments no further than 7 inches apart.

A double-ring L-track fitting is rated for a 4000lb static load

The L-track lets me mount fittings every 1", irrespective of what is going on with the floor of the bus. It lets me use a variety of different fastening techniques, and it lets me change my mind if something isn't working. It even made initial install much easier, as I could transition from temporary rigging (ratchet strap) to permanant rigging (J-hooks and angle iron).

L-track rails mounted to bottom of bus

In this photo, you can see the odd spacing of the floor sheet metal, and the two L-Track rails on either side of the "bay". This is version 1 of my power distribution box. It contains the master kill switch, master DC fusing, battery bank, inverter, shore-power interface, etc.

The rigging method used here is as follows. I use double-position rings in the L-track. I use long J-hooks coming down on either side of the load, and I use a peice of angle metal to go underneath the load. The basic pattern is repeated at whatever spacing interval I need and in whatever positions I require.

To hang this heavy and awkward box, I used ratching straps through temporarily fitted rings to lift the box and fine tune its position. When I was satisfied with it, I started putting in more rings and hanging the J-hook + angle metal cross bar assemblies. Then I removed the ratcheting straps. At that point, I loaded the batteries in from the back and connected the wiring.

I used the same approach to hang my 95 gallon fresh tank and my 25 gal black tank. For my grey tank, I mounted the L-track rails to the bottom of the frame rails, which meant using long J-hooks didn't make sense. There, I used a different type of L-track fitting which takes a bolt directly, and simply used bolts through angle metal to support and locate the gray tank.

I spent hours drilling and installing the L-tracks, which is low-precision, repetitive work. Because I did that work, the much tricker job of locating and installing the basement loads was made very easy.

My desire for field-adjustability paid off on our first trip. I didn't build a proper support box for my fresh tank, and as I began to put more and more water in it during the trip, I noticed that the tank was starting to sag/bulge between my support beams. If I had built a zero-clearance welded frame to hang this tank, I'd be in deep trouble. However, instead I purchased a peice of plywood, cut it to the size of the tank, removed most of my supporting beams, inserted the plywood, and re-attached my support beams. I did this in a parking lot and it took perhaps 90 minutes. Adaptability is a critical aspect of the skoolie experience.

I also used L-track on the inside of the bus. It is how my seats are attached. Those of you who have removed the original bus seats will recall how they were fastened -- just bolts through the sheet metal floor. On my bus, a handful of the fasteners went into the metal at odd angles or with zero clearance because of the under-floor geometry of the sheet metal. Furthermore, every seat bolt was a source of rust intrusion into the metal floor.



Here is a youtube video I did when I was installing the laminate flooring. It shows how I mounted the L-track for the seats, and how I "grew" the flooring around the L-track rails to create a nearly-flush installed height.

Contrastingly, with L-track, I created an interface. I screwed the L-track to the bus floor only where it made sense to do so. And then i attached the seats to the L-track precisely where I wanted them, with no concern for what was happening under the bus. L-track is also used in the bus industry -- but only for wheel chair fastening. I can actually position my seats anywhere I want to, in one inch increments. I don't have to change anything else.

 

[mudgudgeon]

I think you're opening sentence is on point great product though.

I installed this in a van for my folks for seat belt and wheel chair anchor points when my mum was confined to a wheel chair due to Parkinson's disease.
Suitability for anchoring seat belts or seats is dependant on fixing method used for the rail.

 

[NLXTACY]

These guys have the best gear I've come across, there's a lot of cheap track and fittings that are garbage.

L-Track Tie Down - Airline Track Cargo Tie Down Rails & L-Track Straps

Cargo Control is awesome. I've got tons of their stuff to experiment with.

 

[Dissent]

I think you're opening sentence is on point great product though.

I installed this in a van for my folks for seat belt and wheel chair anchor points when my mum was confined to a wheel chair due to Parkinson's disease.
Suitability for anchoring seat belts or seats is dependant on fixing method used for the rail.

LOL. Very true on the seatbelt. I would only use the original mount points refitted with l-track, the beauty is that I can take a single bolt point and make it 3-6 inches wider foe more versatility. Could even keep the original belt and add a tie down point this way.

Another use underneath is rock or utility lights for quick disconnect to replace or repair and ease of fitment or placement.

 

[NLXTACY]

I came across a company who makes an abrasive wheel made specifically to clean these tracks when they get all mucked up on an airplane. Airline Seat Tracks? We've got an app for that. - Rex-Cut Abrasives

I just used the attachment that was in my Dremel kit.

 

[LINUS]

No obsession with L track is unhealthy.

I'm planning some for the bow/cargo area of my jet sled, esp when we hit rough water I want to secure my gear under netting & ratchet straps.

I'm as obsessive about the boat as I am my 80.


I wish I enjoyed cheap hobbies, I really do.

 

[Overland Tailor]

I'm a fan
View attachment 1505286 View attachment 1505287

Joey- what type of track is that?

 

[NLXTACY]

Joey- what type of track is that?

US Cargo Control L-Track, specifically this profile:
Airline Track Style 72" L-track - Black

 

[Overland Tailor]

US Cargo Control L-Track, specifically this profile:
Airline Track Style 72" L-track - Black

Thank you.. Did you do special end caps for that? I don't see that style in their accessories. It looks amazing configured that way!