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Material needed for swing out.

1K views 18 replies 10 participants last post by  ckupq 
#1 ·
S I need to refab my swing out, when I originally made it I used 1 1/2 X 3 channel, and I don't like it that much but that is what I had. So, I see a lot of what looks to be 2 x 2? Anybody know what is best to use and what thickness to use? I don't need to be haulin around an anchor but I don't need it bounding back and forth.
 
#5 · (Edited)
I cut up an old twisted YJ frame and turned it into custom front and rear bumpers (after I scavenged shackles, shackle mounts, shock mounts, etc off of it). Its 1/8" thick rectangular box. I have been seriously thinking about making a swing out tire carrier so I can mount a Jerry can and Hi-Lift on it too. I wouldn't put a bigger tire on my tailgate carrier (30x9.5r15 now).

Let me know how your project works out. I've heard and seen that you can use a trailer type tire axle with wheel bearing, welded vertically. Let us know how yours turns out.

I have a Viair air system installed and I seriously thought about capping the ends of my bumpers for the air tank but I opted for the 2.5 gallon tank. Everything is mounted under the hood and fits like it was built for it.



 
#7 ·
I considered the same thing (about having pressurized air in the bumper and getting into a wreck. If it ruptures the air would bleed down pretty fast...so no worries there. I was worried about contaminants inside the bumper but to be honest, my biggest concern was welding up all the holes and making the thing airtight at 145#. Then welding in threaded bungs for all the fittings (the 1/8" wall thickness is not enough to securely hold in fittings at 145#). It was a lot less painfull to buy the system as a kit and install it.
 
#8 ·
If you don't mind me asking, what did you pay for your system? Did you buy a compressor also? I was talking to some guys and they mentioned getting an old A/C Compressor from an Old Wagoneer (the york) and mouting that where the compressor is on my XJ. What are your thoughts on that?
 
#9 ·
I got the Viair 450C air compressor, 2.5 Gallon air tank, fittings kit, and train style air horns for ~$500 shipped to my door (eBay). I had a buddy of mine offer me an unknown York style air conditioning compressor from a diesel Mercedes he had (for free) and thought about building that up. But it seemed like such a pain that I bit the bullet and paid the big bucks for the system. I was worried that I'd sink $200-$300 into that A/C compressor and have no guarantees that it'd work reliably. And I wanted that A/C bracket free for my future weldernator.
 
#13 ·
The main bumper I would do out of 4"x6"x3/16", the swing out with 2"x21/2"x1/8" for the main swing beam, the rest with 2"x2" sq. or 13/4" round tube your choice.
 
#17 ·
I used 3.25 x 3.25, 1/4 thick angle for the bumper and 2x2 1/8 thick square for the swing out. Even with a 33 12.5 15 spare, hi-lift jack, axe and air tank its still solid. I usually figure use whatever's in your pile first, if it doesn't work then buy something else.
 
#19 ·
FlamesFearMe said:
Thanks for the info. I might just mount the tank under the hood. I wonder if there would be a problem if I were to have compressed air in the bumper and then get into a wreck.


Yes, you'll have a simple gush of air come out but not enough to hurt anybody. This was a debate a while back on pirate till an engineer crunched numbers. Turns out that you would have to get the pressure pretty high to get that pipe to break. 100-150 psi will just leak out of the impending cracks.
 
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