OP
OP
This rack looks very nice and extremely functional.
The only thing I'm not keen on is the way the tire gets bolted down.
I'm not a fan of the 3 bolts sticking up in the air especially that high.
Someone walking into the bed trips and falls on those bolts when the tire is not on could do some major damage.
Also if those bolts were not their or in the way you could have more free space to haul stuff without really having to remove that tire holder."BONUS"
I personally would like to see a wing nut style or you could also have say 2 or 3 bolts that would be long enough to screw down
into the tire holder with say a socket guide to help you align the bolts into there holes.
Drill 3 holes and weld the nuts under the tire rack instead.
Just a thought for safety and remember this is just my opinion.
I'm always a freak about someone getting hurt and always want to make things as safe as possible.
I'm sure most people won't trip but there is always that one time when shit happens and it's good to avoid.
Still, very nice "Quality" work and I love it how everything looks so neat and organized.
Ahh yes, the part I muddled over for a few weeks as I have a 13yr old and worry about safety with things like this as well. No matter how hard I try; 5 weeks ago he fell riding his bike from school. Well, he fell just right and broke his Ulna at the elbow while dislocating his radius at the same time. 20k later...
Back on subject; It ultimately came down to cost. There was also a question of how to make the tire stable and not waddle around, as they are stupid heavy, remembering to keep with the bolt in bolt out theme while have it as light weight as possible. This meant dispersing the weight some how and thus the design. I may fab one with it up in the future with a wing nut, if I find one that keeps the tire low, and doesn't raise it so weight can be dispersed down to the bars evenly. BTW, This doesn't mean that you have to go with this system. You can omit getting the spare tire attachement and go wing nut style and anchor it to the bed.
Now with that said, I have been thinking about your exact observation for some time now, in regards to the idea, of having the nuts on the base and the three bolts individually screw down into said base using the top plate as a guide; thus allowing it to stay in bed but having a flat surface to throw stuff on. It would even be better for shipping but this would mean more pieces laying around for when you remove the tire. I will be fabing one up to play around with though and do some "testing" ... maybe call it Ironman's spare tire
Really depends on interest...
