Jack brackets repurposed

Jack brackets are good places for a custom shower mount. An aluminum rod can be mounted to any of the brackets, then a swivel PVC support structure for the shower tarp enclosure. It works very well for us.
 
I think jack brackets for the spare would work with no problem since between the 2 of them you have at least 500# capacity.


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hebegebe said:
I think jack brackets for the spare would work with no problem since between the 2 of them you have at least 500# capacity.
Click to expand...
Maybe.

I think the two issues that make me nervous about the idea are that when the jacks are being used to raise/lower the camper, (1) the force is straight up/down and (2) the load is very static.

A spare hung off the back would exert some lateral forces and the forces might really amplify when going over bumpy terrain.
 
The only thing I've used the mounts for is a clothes line with a bungee. I think it would be a great way to attach an awning and/or PVC for shower.
Hittheroad said:
Always remove jacks before I travel. Brackets are used for: attaching bottom of poles holding out rear awning (home made), one end of clothes line (other in the trees), one end of ratchet strap (when turnbuckle hold down broke) other end some place under the truck, and I am pretty sure there were others. They are just about the first place I look when I need to attach something.
Click to expand...
Any pics of this awning? Sounds like a great idea.

RicoV said:
Jack brackets are good places for a custom shower mount. An aluminum rod can be mounted to any of the brackets, then a swivel PVC support structure for the shower tarp enclosure. It works very well for us.
Click to expand...
Do you have pics of this set up?
 
Here's a pic that should give you a good idea; you can zoom in on the gory details. It might not be pretty but it's a quick and easy setup-takedown, takes a stiff breeze fairly well, and we sure enjoy our showers after an active day out and about.
Rico
 

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Rico,

I like this setup. I especially like that when you aren't showering you can use the top and bottom as hula-hoops. :)

Alan
 
You probably noticed the center hoop occupies the middle portion of the inside of the shower tarp By leaving the oval 'unlinked' at the tarp opening, the hoop's natural rebound gives flex structure to the middle portion so that the wind doesn't blow the tarp up against you when showering. That's a big hit with my wife, she likey.

The pair of 30" scissor jacks ride on standard jack pads and are jacked up to support the left and right frame-bumper contact points, adding stability in high wind events (much less rocking) and providing a limited amount of truck leveling where needed in campsites, maybe up to 4" worth, haven't needed to try for more than that (yet).
Rico
 
Simple and inexpensive looking shower set up. Looks great. I've got one of those foldable kind with the metal frame inside the tent material. I like it but it does blow in the wind.

What is the jack resting on? Must be durable to hold the weight. Would it hold a hilift too?
 
Really rough Rule of Thumb is to guessimate the dynamic loading to be three times the static weight. So if the spare weighs 100 lbs sitting there it will "weigh" (roughly) 300 lbs. at the bottom of that G-out. Next consider that the CG of the spare is in the center of it, not at a sidewall, so there's some leverage involved because that weight acts at the CG - not where it's convenient.

Next think about how that 300 lbs. loading is not a one-time thing. 300 may be the max (& it could be more if you really badly misjudged something), but the spare is going to "weigh" almost that much over every bump. Then factor in that aluminum has a finite Fatigue Life. Mild steel has an infinite fatigue life, but typical Fatigue Life calcs done on aluminum parts & structures is for 500,000 cycles. That seems like a lot of cycles, but how many wash-board ridges have you driven over? Each one of those is a cycle. So are G-outs, potholes, etc., etc., etc.

Maybe by running thru all of the calcs the case can be made for hanging the spare off of the jack brackets, but educated intuition tells me it won't work for very long.
 
Those standard jack pads are cross-ribbed underneath and are as sturdy or more so than lynx-style levelers, same general type of material, inexpensive, lightweight, highly utilitarian. I can't see that a hi-lift would punch through or crack a pad, but could I be wrong? Sure, but I'd bet on it being OK.
Btw, another simple little thing we use the jack brackets for is to collect trash outside while we're docked in camp. A carabiner is attached to the lower hole of both the left and right rear brackets, and a standard plastic grocery sack (with a single knot in the handles to combat wind) is hung on it, then moved into the truck cab at night.
 
ntsqd said:
Really rough Rule of Thumb is to guessimate the dynamic loading to be three times the static weight. So if the spare weighs 100 lbs sitting there it will "weigh" (roughly) 300 lbs. at the bottom of that G-out. Next consider that the CG of the spare is in the center of it, not at a sidewall, so there's some leverage involved because that weight acts at the CG - not where it's convenient.

Next think about how that 300 lbs. loading is not a one-time thing. 300 may be the max (& it could be more if you really badly misjudged something), but the spare is going to "weigh" almost that much over every bump. Then factor in that aluminum has a finite Fatigue Life. Mild steel has an infinite fatigue life, but typical Fatigue Life calcs done on aluminum parts & structures is for 500,000 cycles. That seems like a lot of cycles, but how many wash-board ridges have you driven over? Each one of those is a cycle. So are G-outs, potholes, etc., etc., etc.

Maybe by running thru all of the calcs the case can be made for hanging the spare off of the jack brackets, but educated intuition tells me it won't work for very long.
Click to expand...
I totally agree with everything said here, I would not do a spare from those mounts. Ron
 
If one could fail safe the mount with replacing existing mounting screws with Rivnuts and add a 3rd triangulated arm to the mount for rigidity. I'm just sayin


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The problem isn't the fabricated mount, or the jack brackets. It is what the jack brackets at attached to. Not how they're attached, but what they're attached to.

If the weight of the spare was carried by something else and all that the camper's jack brackets did was hold the thing that holds the spare in place, then it *might* work. However if that thing bolted to the brackets moves with the camper and what the spare is sitting on moves even slightly differently then you've got a whole new set of loads and problems.

There are other, better ways to carry the spare that you can either copy or just buy.
 
Alright, hoping this is going to be feasible. If so I may not continue to bring my REI Alcove which has proven to be a reliable camp shelter for cooking and getting out of the direct sun.

What I'm gonna work on is using the standard adjustable tent poles with the rubber lined clamps and quick release pins with cotter pins to retain them. The poles could be mounted from any of the jack brackets meaning a tarp can be placed on any side of the vehicle.

Parts to be attained:
http://www.mcmaster.com/#pipe-routing-clamps/=12o38nu
http://www.mcmaster.com/#standard-quick-release-pins/=12o36wc

Parts in hand already:
http://www.usaoutfittersinc.com/167830_AdjustableTentPole?gclid=Cj0KEQjwj7q6BRDcxfG4pNTQ2NoBEiQAzUpuW_69sOklQJ7Ky0T2wWAiYruYVB5dDILi3SWWYWoqQxkaAk-d8P8HAQ
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B009R9FTW4?psc=1

It would be great to be able to hoist a solar shower too but for now I'd like to get the tarp worked out. Anyone have any thoughts to share? Pros/cons?
At one time I used small eyebolts placed into the yakima tracks up top. I used cheap carabiners which worked ok but made noise with the wind.
 
It works! I've posted in some other threads but wanted to update what I was planning. My cheap awning was fairly successful. It was pretty windy this past weekend on the White Mountains. Other than the telescoping poles all the parts can be found at most hardware stores. I want to get a second set of tarp poles in order to keep it horizontal instead of slanted down. Also want to find a 6x20 tarp to extend it further out for more shade. The reason I use a 6' wide tarp is because that is the width between my jack mounts. For wider/longer campers you can have a larger tarp. Really happy with this as of now. The true test will be in Death Valley where the "W" thing can be fierce.

This is the type of tent/tarp pole I used:
https://smile.amazon...d=ATVPDKIKX0DER
I'm thinking about getting a set of these since they are lighter and have less chance of corrosion.
http://www.walmart.c...-8.2FT/53728954








 
The attachment is very simple.
See post #36 above.
Place the rubber lined clamps around poles, line up holes on clamp to those on the jack mounts, insert pin, insert cotter pin, do same on other side. The tarp can be placed before mounting but I found it easier to place on the tarp poles after mounting the poles.

I found the needed hardware at Ace instead of McMaster.
This is the type of clamp needed:
http://www.mcmaster.com/#pipe-routing-clamps/=13kcz8t
Here is the type of pin I used:
http://www.mcmaster.com/#clevis-pins/=13kd9f6
 
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