New chainsaw rack

[gr8scott72]

I carry 14 saws in my truck and it's a pain to try and keep them still. Looks like a good setup, maybe not 100% safe but at least they stay put.
"Possum"

Ok, I've been thinking about the safe part. I went back and added straps from the d-rings in the floor up to the log on each side. Maybe still not the best but I'm willing to accept it this way.

 

[gr8scott72]

I'm not sure I could handle the oil stains in the carpet and smell in anything I drive. I always take the bars off the powerheads and put the powerheads in rubbermaid containers if they must ride inside.. But then I usually take the bars off the poweheads for just driving around, too.

The smell really isn't bad. It's worse inside when I carry the diesel cans to refill them.

I have 2 small pieces of carpet under each saw incase either one decides to mark his spot, er, I mean leak.

I will soon have a Husky liner or just pull the carpet out altogeth back there and do something like this:

http://www.auto-interior.com/moldedvinyl.htm

 

[Nitro-Fish]

What kind of straps? The little 1" wide ones will snap if you're ever in an accident, I don't know that I would take the chance with the saws at head level. I have a friend (HVAC contractor) that was in a head on collision, his little MS 200T that was in a home made holder similar to yours (without the logs, but with 4 x 4's) it came flying up from the rear of his van, cut a gash in the back of his head (required 85 stitches) and still exited the vehicle through the front windshield & bounced off of the pavement for several more feet. Just food for thought! The added weight of the logs will just add additional strain for the straps if you are ever in an accident. Is there a way to build up a platform above the saws (sitting directly on the floor) to hold all of the things yo have on the floor now? I'm sure you could build an organizer that would have the saws directly on the floor and still have room for covered storage for everything else, just another idea.

 

[BobL]

The rack is roped down to the D-ring in the floor. It is not going to be flying anywhere.

It doesn't matter if you rope parts of it down. In a collision, unless the frame is really strong, or every bit is restrained, the whole thing will want to come apart and only the bits actually held by the rope will remain on the end of the rope.

One way to look at this is, would that frame remain together if you were to throw it off a ;

60 ft cliff? (that's a 30 mph collision)

200 ft cliff (that's a 55 mph collision)

Somehow I doubt it, the whole thing would just fall apart (even without the saws on it) and then all those bits are gonna come flying through the cabin like large shrapnel.

The other thing is all that weight up so high. Pickups are already top heavy and extra weight up high just adds to the problem.

One of the neater solutions I have seen is a false bottom that allows you to put the saws underneath and still leaves a flat bottom to put stuff on top.

BTW I have a steel cargo screen in my van that separates me from all my gear.

 

[gr8scott72]

It doesn't matter if you rope parts of it down. In a collision, unless the frame is really strong, or every bit is restrained, the whole thing will want to come apart and only the bits actually held by the rope will remain on the end of the rope.

One way to look at this is, would that frame remain together if you were to throw it off a ;

60 ft cliff? (that's a 30 mph collision)

200 ft cliff (that's a 55 mph collision)

Somehow I doubt it, the whole thing would just fall apart (even without the saws on it) and then all those bits are gonna come flying through the cabin like large shrapnel.

That's why I went back and strapped the log to the floor on both sides.

 

[olyman]

personally scott--id get the saws down a bit lower--while not ideal--its better than your head getting hit--and you could make a removable headache rack--

 

[whitedogone]

I had a buddy in high school that bolted some speakers in his rear deck. They were BOLTED through the metal deck pan. He was in a 40ish mph crash. They both broke loose and one took his cranium off.

 

[husky455rancher]

I think you need a truck.

i thought the exact same thing lol. but looks good man, you do what you gotta do sometimes.

 

[MS460WOODCHUCK]

I prefer my trucks over my Expedition for myself. The family prefers the expedition. (at least til we get to the mud races and the truck backs off the trailer then they all want to ride in the truck):greenchainsaw:

 

[WesternSaw]

Saw Rack

Okay this is the last thing I am going to post in this thread before someone thinks I'm a nag.I just thought, you know that setup just doesn't look that safe.Now (jeeptj19992001) you never did reply if I knew you or not.And your other comment about if someone was going to buy Scott a truck when that was suggested ,seemed rather immature to me.I think you need to mellow out a bit, your in attack mode.What is it the young guys say, Chill Man Chill!And Scott you take care of yourself and I wasn't trying to slam you in any way
Lawrence

 

[Slamm]

I see the safety police have pulled up and started their thing, what else is new, LOL.

You can't fight them, and win,

Sam

 

[JONSEREDFAN6069]

Lol, nice rack bud.

 

[BobL]

I'm all for bushy (aka redneck) solutions if they are safe but unfortunately even this setup is not going to defy the laws of physics

That's why I went back and strapped the log to the floor on both sides.

Then you can do a similar thought experiment. Take your frame and rope it to a 1/2" flat steel plate in the same way you have roped it to the floor. Now drop it over a cliff so the steel plate lands on edge. Do you still think the frame will hold together just because there is a strap there?

The geometry is just not working for you.
Firstly the frame will disintegrate and even though the log is restrained it will still be pushed forward by the accident as well as being pulled down to the floor by the rope. This leaves the saws in mid air to propel forwards. At a minimum I'd be strapping the saws to the log. My guess is the log with the saw cuts will also snap with the weights of those saws behind it so the strapping is a moot point..

If you want to have these saws up like this I would make a rectangular welded steel frame using 1 1/2" SHS and bolt it to the floor, sides and even roof of the pickup using a dozen or so 1/4" tensile steel bolts.

The thing that would annoy me about having the saws up there would be the oil dripping over everything underneath.

 

[rxe]

I see the safety police have pulled up and started their thing, what else is new, LOL.

There's a difference between "safety police" and just pointing out what might go wrong. I'll admit, I often have stupid loads of logs in the back of the van, and I'm well aware that if anything goes wrong, I'll be in real trouble. As a result, I'm much more cautious when driving with a back full of stuff.

It isn't the braking - stuff moving under braking is just annoying and bangs you on the head. The problem comes with a perfectly survivable 40 mph impact into something large, those saws and most of the rack will go through the windscreen and end up about 40 feet in front of the car.

It is a nice rack though!

 

[BobL]

The problem comes with a perfectly survivable 40 mph impact into something large, those saws and most of the rack will go through the windscreen and end up about 40 feet in front of the car.

Not quite, If they exit the windscreen horizontally at a height of 6 ft at 40 mph they can only travel 36 ft before they will hit the ground! Most likely the windscreen will knock 10 mph off the 40 and so they will end up hitting the ground 26 ft in front of the car! (less air resistance effects of course).

 

[rxe]

Hmmm. Although they would hit the ground, they would still be travelling in a horizontal direction, so they would skid along the road. It would be extremely complex to model the skid, depending on the coefficient of friction between the road and the saw, the point of impact of the saw etc etc. So I'll settle for somewhere between 26 and 40 feet....

 

[Stihl Does It]

I agree about the safety of having those saws at such a high center of gravity in case of any accident. Those saws appear unsecured too.

I'd build out of plywood or other material a lower storage compartment that would accomodate your tallest saws. Your saws would be accessable from the rear only. On top of that removable compartment I'd have bins or storage containers for your supplies. Bar oil should be in a plastic bin of it's own, as well as your gas mix.

If you frequently take your gear with you when you shop, rather than leave it in your shop/garage, then I'd get your windows tinted and make sure your gear is properly covered. Use your car alarm when you shop too.

 

[nilzlofgren]

Trucks are great but what do you do when you go to Wal-Mart? I don't want my $1,500 worth of saws or anything else disappearing.

Maybe a van converted to 4 wheel drive.

 

[gr8scott72]

Okay this is the last thing I am going to post in this thread before someone thinks I'm a nag.I just thought, you know that setup just doesn't look that safe.Now (jeeptj19992001) you never did reply if I knew you or not.And your other comment about if someone was going to buy Scott a truck when that was suggested ,seemed rather immature to me.I think you need to mellow out a bit, your in attack mode.What is it the young guys say, Chill Man Chill!And Scott you take care of yourself and I wasn't trying to slam you in any way
Lawrence

Your comment didn't bother me. The "get a truck" comments kind of did. I mean, you don't know my situation, you aren't the ones paying my bills. I've worked hard for what I have and have to make do with that.

 

[Banshee]

I think by now Scott knows our concerns. Any of us would hate to see what could happen with this set up.
I've seen a guy hit a telephone pole at 70. They found the engine a 100 yards away. They found him in the engine compartment or at least the most of him there.

I hope Scott you never get into any kind of crash. And what you do is up to you just be careful, specially if you have anyone ride with you.