stregenth of .065 black steel tubing??? real time help!

[dohcdelsol93]

i have 3 sets of Yakima feet and i'm putting together a custom roof rack.

I have measured the eyelets of the feet and they measuer 1-1/4.

Planning on using three 70" tubes as my base for the rack (going through the feet across the top of the cruiser)

The only steel i can find locally has a thickness of .065 seems to me to be a little thin for holding coolers/kayaks/spare tire/ect.

again, this is black steel tubing.

Is this going to be strong enough for what i'm wanting to use it for? If not what thickness should i be looking for?

it's only 20 bucks for 24 ft of it however i'm taking a road trip about 6-7 hours with it carrying 2 kayaks on the roof and don't want failure going 70mph down the freeway.

thanks ahead of time.

 

[Pin_Head]

I am not familiar with the term "black" steel tubing, although I know of black steel pipe for natural gas lines.

16 ga HREW (0.065 wall) in 1.25 inch would be plenty strong to support you and the kayaks and ice chest. However, 11 ga (.125 wall) is available in the same ODs.

 

[dohcdelsol93]

sweet, thank you. When i asked the guy what material it was he said black steel or black iron.

.065 is good enough i'll stick wiht that , i'd imagine the .125 is a bit heavier.

 

[Wile E Coyote]

I too don't know what you mean by 'black steel tubing', but .065" walled steel tubing should support a couple kayaks and coolers no problem. Just be aware that the thin-walled stuff dents easier, so handle the heavy items you place up there accordingly.
I personally wouldn't put a decent sized cooler topped off with ice and beverages up on my roof, but the average rack would be easily up to the task.

 

[dohcdelsol93]

ended up going with 14 gague square 1" square tubing since the 1.25 would not fit through the eyelets of the yokoma feet.

stuff is plenty strong and will make a great base for a roof rack at a later date.


i too have never heard of "black steel" possibly a southern thing? The people down here have a way with words...they don't just mash potatoes, they mash buttons too.