Thread: How do you calculate load bearing of metal tubes ??

So why not buy the Thule bike rack and adapt it to fit on your spare wheel? What I did, is not the same as what you want, but I had one of those ones that bolt onto your tow bar using your tow ball. Would be about 2" pipe. I cut it to length, welded it to a bit of heavy mild steel angle. Drilled holes in the angle so it could bolt to the studs on the spare. That was done by tapping the threads of the wheel nuts all the way through (I used the security nuts of 2 wheels for this) and shortening the studs so another bolt could be screwed into the end of the wheel nuts with suitable spacers to hold the angle iron that the bike carrier is welded to.

For the non mech eng amongst us SMOA is an acromyn for Second Moment Of Area.

Originally Posted by rijidij

SteveG just informed me that he has a Thule carrier, and interestingly the tube is only 1.6mm thick steel, but I would go thicker than that.

Murray

It's often really scary the difference between what is deemed safe and acceptable to an engineer in industry and what is produced and sold at a consumer level.

The hook style bike-rack I have was sold about 12 years ago. Many of that generation fatigued and broke at the lower weld on the main upright. Dropping many expensive bikes on the road. I welded on some reinforcement and mine is still going. The manufacturer simply went up a tube size and kept making them.

If you don't put 4 heavy DH bikes on it and/or drive thousands of km's on corrugated roads the Thule with it's 1.6mm wall will do the job nicely.