Telescoping rack questions

[cr500taco]

Posted this in Expedition Campers section by mistake, so sorry for the repeated post.

Going to build a rack on my utility trailer. It will be used fir my kayak and bikes for now and possibly a RTT in the future, so I am getting it set up for the RTT minus tge lift assist, right now. What I have in mind from searching online is as far as tubing goes, the upper section will be 1.5" .120 wall square tubing. I saw one rack build process, where someone was going to use UHMV tape on the uprights of the uppper section to help it slide up and down in the base. Thought this will also be a good way to protect the paint on the uprights. The base section, I am either going to use 2" .120" wall (which will have .25" of play with the .005" thick UHMV tape) or preferably 1.75" .083" (14 gauge) wall, so there will be a tighter fit, so there won't be any play.

First question, is stainless steel recommended to use or needed for the rack or is regular steel fine. Second question, what wall thickness should be used? Is the .083 fine or should I use the 2" .120 tubing? Third question, will the UHMV tape be a waste of money and time and if so, how do you keep the paint from scratcing up when the rack is lifting up and down?

 

[cr500taco]

Anyone with any input?

 

[ToRo13]

There aren’t a ton of people that have done telescoping lifts.

1- don’t paint, tape or do anything to the inside tube, you’ll regret it. I’ve been using white lithium to protect and lube the raw steel on the internal tubing.

2- you don’t need stainless...it’s nice but pricey to work with the thickness you need.

3- I did 2.000 X 0.125“ with 1.750 X 0.125”. I ground down the internal square tube to the proper tolerances on a commercial belt sander so it was a perfect fit. And I didn’t have ebrasion marks.

The outside larger tube should also be on top, otherwise it will accumulate dirt, water and debris.

 

[Martyinco]

1- don’t paint, tape or do anything to the inside tube, you’ll regret it. I’ve been using white lithium to protect and lube the raw steel on the internal tubing.

2- you don’t need stainless...it’s nice but pricey to work with the thickness you need.

X2

 

[RogueWon]

X2

X3 ... double agree with White Lithium grease! https://www.lowes.com/pd/Lucas-Oil-Products-8-oz-White-Lithium-Grease/50353744 ... and it's also miraculous on door hinges!

 

[afbond03]

I was going to build a telescopic rack for mine but after scouring the internet and seeing what others have done, I just bought the Thule Xsporter.

 

[ottsville]

I was going to build a telescopic rack for mine but after scouring the internet and seeing what others have done, I just bought the Thule Xsporter.

Thule xporters come up quite regularly on my local craigslist - Thule stuff is crazy expensive new.

Here's a thread with some discussion:
https://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/trailer-roof-rack-lift-how-to.171729/

Another thing I saw recently that would be a simpler solution would be a set of double hinged legs that folded down/up, assisted by some gas struts. Something like this:

 

[FlightMedicJP]

check out the Toby The turtleback trailer thread. He has a rack that lifts up. looks good too.

 

[PacificNorthWestJeeper]

X3 ... double agree with White Lithium grease! https://www.lowes.com/pd/Lucas-Oil-Products-8-oz-White-Lithium-Grease/50353744 ... and it's also miraculous on door hinges!

X4 Quadruple agree, no paint - Lithium it.....

 

[84-4runner]

good morning
I built a telescoping rack for my J-series dinoot. there are some pictures on the dinoot site.
I used1.50x1.50 by .120 square for the rack and legs. Then I ordered some square tubing that
is made without an internal seam. I forget the actual name. It was 2.00x2.00 by .120
that worked for me. I have now found out I could have used 1.75x1.75 by .095 and that would work as well.

 

[slimtwo]

This is how I solved my need to get the tent higher. I use a hand winch to lift the tent into the upright position, it works great.

 

[Hoghead]

For those of you suggesting lithium grease, does it leave a residue? I have been hesitant to use it because of that reason. I did find a Teflon paint at my local TSC, but I haven’t tried it.

 

[amoya1986]

yeah i figured that out the hard way, i have to drill holes at the bottom to let water drain out

 

[dstock]

Just my 2 cents...

You really don't need to go crazy with the grease on these, especially if you use telescopic tubing. I painted my inner tubes and yes they have a few scratches but there really isn't any binding that necessitates a bunch of grease unless your clearances are really tight. I just wipe mine down every so often to clean them up and use a bit of Tri-flow on them. If you have a bunch of grease it's going to attract dirt and probably get on your RTT annex if you are running one.

Also, depending on your build, having the outer tube as a top piece may not be an option. Drilling a hole in the bottom as a drain seems to prevent any build up.

 

[ToRo13]

For those of you suggesting lithium grease, does it leave a residue? I have been hesitant to use it because of that reason. I did find a Teflon paint at my local TSC, but I haven’t tried it.

Yes — It’s essentially like a soap substance. It just doesn’t breakdown when it gets wet or bubble. It can be wiped off pretty easily however. Nothing like grease or WD40