Roof Rack

Roof Rack Part II

	I had a friend weld up a spare tire carrier that could be locked. Garvin Industries also makes a spare tire carrier, and again I ended up with this one as a cost-saving measure. It consists of a piece of plated all-thread rod welded to a piece of flat stock which was welded to the rack floor. Handles made of round steel bar were then welded to a hex nut that matched the all-thread rod. An "L" bracket was welded to the handle that is part of the lock.
	Here is a close-up view of how the tire mounting system locks in place. A special bracket was made that slips over the threaded post, with a pin on one end that slips into any of the mounting holes in the wheel. This bracket mates up with the ("L" bracket) tab on the handle. When the bracket meets the handle tab, a pad lock can be passed through both pieces to lock the tire securely to the rack.
On the passenger's side of the rack, I mounted an axe. I originally used two electrical conduit hanger clamps. Once again, I found this to be more affordable than the Wilderness brackets available.
After repeated use, one of the clamps broke. So, I replaced it with a stainless steel repair coupling used for plumbing, which I purchased at a local hardware store. The stainless couplings are not cheap at around $10 each, so I decided to wait until the other clamp gives out before I replace it. It's holding up so far. Q: "What about a shovel?" A: "Yes, I have a military issue folding shovel/pick tool that I keep under the cargo deck."