Outer Limits 4x4 Board

With work getting busy and needing to tow bigger and heavier loads I thought it was about time to reinforce my coil hats to save chassis damage / fatigue.

This is how I have done it and am welcoming comment or suggested improvments.

Its easier on a ute as you dont have to worry about body lifts etc etc.

I simply Ran some 50 x 50 2mm SHS across the bottom of my tray - Its sits a little higher than tray rails to aid clearance of the exhaust and so it rests against the bottom of the checkerplate - This should help stop the SHS bending - not that I expect this to be an issue.

From that I have run 2 x 30 x 30 SHS 3mm vertical supports and 2 feet 160mm long, the feet sit across the outside edge of the coil hat to stop it bending up and bolt through the existing hole in the coil hat with some high tensile nylocked bolts.

In the pics it hasnt been all tacked into position yet.





I lifted the first brake pipe up to clear more area for the foot to contact the coil hat, and beveled the end (when looking from above) so it could run as far along the hat without interfereing with the other brake lines.

I figure with the outeredge of the coil hat supported it will remove the torque on the hat, the torque puts the on the strap designed to hold the hat down under tension- it is that part which gives out and then allows the chassis to crack.

It only took about an hour to knock up and should save money and hassels in the future.

I would recommend getting rid of the horizontal RHS , their is no strength in those peices, just plate ontop of the coil tower properly and extend the RHS down further.
what you are doing will depend on your tray flex and what material the tray is made of and of coarse the weight you put on your vehicle.

SuperiorEngineering wrote:I would recommend getting rid of the horizontal RHS , their is no strength in those peices, just plate ontop of the coil tower properly and extend the RHS down further.
what you are doing will depend on your tray flex and what material the tray is made of and of coarse the weight you put on your vehicle.

Do you mean the horizontal piece that runs right across the top? or the piece that sits on top of the coil hat (the feet).

I wouldnt think its needs to be hugely strong, more that it needs to remove the torque effect out of the design??? but then again i didnt finish my engineering degree

thehanko wrote:

SuperiorEngineering wrote:I would recommend getting rid of the horizontal RHS , their is no strength in those peices, just plate ontop of the coil tower properly and extend the RHS down further.
what you are doing will depend on your tray flex and what material the tray is made of and of coarse the weight you put on your vehicle.

Do you mean the horizontal piece that runs right across the top? or the piece that sits on top of the coil hat (the feet).

I wouldnt think its needs to be hugely strong, more that it needs to remove the torque effect out of the design??? but then again i didnt finish my engineering degree

No genuis here, but your logic seems sound to me.

Perhaps eliminate the bar across top, and instead run a piece of RHS from your foot, back at and angle to the Frame rail?? If you could get a 45 or more degree angle (Between foot/horizontal plane of hat, and plane of RHS) then it should act as a decent brace and still majorly reduce the torque loading...

I'm just an IT Guy though...

tehekho wrote:

thehanko wrote:

SuperiorEngineering wrote:I would recommend getting rid of the horizontal RHS , their is no strength in those peices, just plate ontop of the coil tower properly and extend the RHS down further.
what you are doing will depend on your tray flex and what material the tray is made of and of coarse the weight you put on your vehicle.

Do you mean the horizontal piece that runs right across the top? or the piece that sits on top of the coil hat (the feet).

I wouldnt think its needs to be hugely strong, more that it needs to remove the torque effect out of the design??? but then again i didnt finish my engineering degree

No genuis here, but your logic seems sound to me.

Perhaps eliminate the bar across top, and instead run a piece of RHS from your foot, back at and angle to the Frame rail?? If you could get a 45 or more degree angle (Between foot/horizontal plane of hat, and plane of RHS) then it should act as a decent brace and still majorly reduce the torque loading...

I'm just an IT Guy though...

Exhaust gets in the way, I cant have anything other than vertical on the outer edge of the hat. and would rather not move the exhaust.

thehanko wrote:

tehekho wrote:

thehanko wrote:

SuperiorEngineering wrote:I would recommend getting rid of the horizontal RHS , their is no strength in those peices, just plate ontop of the coil tower properly and extend the RHS down further.
what you are doing will depend on your tray flex and what material the tray is made of and of coarse the weight you put on your vehicle.

Do you mean the horizontal piece that runs right across the top? or the piece that sits on top of the coil hat (the feet).

I wouldnt think its needs to be hugely strong, more that it needs to remove the torque effect out of the design??? but then again i didnt finish my engineering degree

No genuis here, but your logic seems sound to me.

Perhaps eliminate the bar across top, and instead run a piece of RHS from your foot, back at and angle to the Frame rail?? If you could get a 45 or more degree angle (Between foot/horizontal plane of hat, and plane of RHS) then it should act as a decent brace and still majorly reduce the torque loading...

I'm just an IT Guy though...

Exhaust gets in the way, I cant have anything other than vertical on the outer edge of the hat. and would rather not move the exhaust.

Aahhhh...

From my point of view - moving the exhaust is an easy peasy job....

I'm just an IT guy with access to an exhaust shop...

tehekho wrote:

thehanko wrote:

tehekho wrote:

thehanko wrote:

SuperiorEngineering wrote:I would recommend getting rid of the horizontal RHS , their is no strength in those peices, just plate ontop of the coil tower properly and extend the RHS down further.
what you are doing will depend on your tray flex and what material the tray is made of and of coarse the weight you put on your vehicle.

Do you mean the horizontal piece that runs right across the top? or the piece that sits on top of the coil hat (the feet).

I wouldnt think its needs to be hugely strong, more that it needs to remove the torque effect out of the design??? but then again i didnt finish my engineering degree

No genuis here, but your logic seems sound to me.

Perhaps eliminate the bar across top, and instead run a piece of RHS from your foot, back at and angle to the Frame rail?? If you could get a 45 or more degree angle (Between foot/horizontal plane of hat, and plane of RHS) then it should act as a decent brace and still majorly reduce the torque loading...

I'm just an IT Guy though...

Exhaust gets in the way, I cant have anything other than vertical on the outer edge of the hat. and would rather not move the exhaust.

Aahhhh...

From my point of view - moving the exhaust is an easy peasy job....

I'm just an IT guy with access to an exhaust shop...

Did you just say full stainless polished exhaust for a 6 pack? I'm sure thats what you just offered

thehanko wrote: Did you just say full stainless polished exhaust for a 6 pack? I'm sure thats what you just offered

Woah woah woah - now you're pushing the friendship bud

Can bend pipe - but wouldn't be worth your time to come down here, could just ask really nicely at a shop in your locale, thats what I'd be doing - and then do the 45 degree thing

tehekho wrote:

thehanko wrote: Did you just say full stainless polished exhaust for a 6 pack? I'm sure thats what you just offered

Woah woah woah - now you're pushing the friendship bud

Can bend pipe - but wouldn't be worth your time to come down here, could just ask really nicely at a shop in your locale, thats what I'd be doing - and then do the 45 degree thing

funny you say that ill be in nowra next week. but dont worry im not changing exhausts lol

I was refering to the small horizontal peices you have angles cut on , the reason is you do not have them capped , they are thin walled and they will just deform and flatten out when you put to much weight on the truck again.

Just out of interest, did you have a look at the Superior brace kit? It seems to be a hassle free bolt on solution.

Cheers
Joachim

JBE wrote:Just out of interest, did you have a look at the Superior brace kit? It seems to be a hassle free bolt on solution.

Cheers
Joachim

Interesting, the only kits i had seen were not bolt on - hadnt looked at that one. will check it out.

Superior, how much weight would it take to crush 3mm 30 x 30 rhs? I would have thought it would be alot more than the payload of a patrol?

Cheers
Ben

I don't think, it's just a matter of the structural strength of the brace. Mounting the brace directly on the tower will prevent the towers from tilting under force straight away.
Your solution, basically transfers the vertical force into the brace which then transfers the force into the tray structure which inherently allows more movement.
This is not to say that your solution might be sufficient enough to prevent the cracking.

That's just my 2c

Cheers
Joachim

thehanko wrote:

JBE wrote:Just out of interest, did you have a look at the Superior brace kit? It seems to be a hassle free bolt on solution.

Cheers
Joachim

Interesting, the only kits i had seen were not bolt on - hadnt looked at that one. will check it out.

Superior, how much weight would it take to crush 3mm 30 x 30 rhs? I would have thought it would be alot more than the payload of a patrol?

Cheers
Ben

to be honest i dont know without putting a piece under the press and looking at the guage, but that would not be a good indication because when you hit a pot hole with a load it will be a much greater pressure on those peices of RHS, the idea is fine i just recommend using something a bit stronger their , maybe even solid or some heavy flat plate with a bend in it , that way it cant crush.
It may never crush but why take the chance and maybe have to do it again.

SuperiorEngineering wrote:

thehanko wrote:

JBE wrote:Just out of interest, did you have a look at the Superior brace kit? It seems to be a hassle free bolt on solution.

Cheers
Joachim

Interesting, the only kits i had seen were not bolt on - hadnt looked at that one. will check it out.

Superior, how much weight would it take to crush 3mm 30 x 30 rhs? I would have thought it would be alot more than the payload of a patrol?

Cheers
Ben

to be honest i dont know without putting a piece under the press and looking at the guage, but that would not be a good indication because when you hit a pot hole with a load it will be a much greater pressure on those peices of RHS, the idea is fine i just recommend using something a bit stronger their , maybe even solid or some heavy flat plate with a bend in it , that way it cant crush.
It may never crush but why take the chance and maybe have to do it again.

Cool thanks for the help.

Here is one ATOC did (from patrol4x4). ATOC also do the weld in units which is the way I went.



Sav.

sav wrote:Here is one ATOC did (from patrol4x4). ATOC also do the weld in units which is the way I went.



Sav.

wow that kits look s the part & strong, i personally just went with the superior bolt on bracket bolted straight on
no fiddling & strong well designed product well worth every cent i think it was $130 to my door
http://www.superiorengineering.com.au/p ... ts_id=5949" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

hope that helps