Everything I used to bore people on newsgroups and mailing lists with, now in one inconvenient place.
Help me, smart people
This is how the v-rack is attached to the rackThis is my new v-rack. The connection is simple and strong, but it’s too simple for me. It doesn’t allow for access to my hatchback – I could probably get it open a tiny bit, but I’m afraid of the sharp edge of the square bar and what it would do to the glass of the hatch. What I want is either a quick and easy way to remove the rack entirely, or to undo the back clamp and pivot the whole thing forward around the front clamp, or even better, a quick and easy way to loosen up the connection once I take the boat off, so that I can slide the whole rack forwards so it’s not interfering with the hatch, and then slide it back and tighten it up again.
Some of the ideas I’ve had:
A quick release skewer from a bike. Not sure if I could get the size I want or whatever.
Something like a cable clamp, preferably one that goes over center and locks down really well.
Something like a cotterless hitch pin.
A plastic knob or wing nut to make it easier to unscrew.
Better ideas, or better explanations of my half-assed ideas above would be welcomed in the comments.
2 thoughts on “Help me, smart people”
Replace the bolts with socket head screws of the same size (basically bolts where the head is a cylinder rather than hex, and has a Allen wrench socket) http://www.boltdepot.com/socket-products.aspx
Tack weld the nuts to the bottom plate
Get an Allen wrench with a plastic T handle, that way you can easily loosen off the bolts just with the Allen wrench enough to slide the whole thing forward out of the way.
I was thinking something similar, except I was thinking to glue/weld/somehow attach the bolts, and replace the nuts with wingnuts. Same basic idea: Loosen and slide the whole mess forward.
I’m picturing something that I’m not sure exists. Something that replaces the bolts with a spring-loaded latch, kind of like a Grolsch bottle, maybe with a cotter pin to hold the lever in place. Easy enough to pop open and slide, but secure in motion. Does that make any sense?
Replace the bolts with socket head screws of the same size (basically bolts where the head is a cylinder rather than hex, and has a Allen wrench socket)
http://www.boltdepot.com/socket-products.aspx
Tack weld the nuts to the bottom plate
Get an Allen wrench with a plastic T handle, that way you can easily loosen off the bolts just with the Allen wrench enough to slide the whole thing forward out of the way.
I was thinking something similar, except I was thinking to glue/weld/somehow attach the bolts, and replace the nuts with wingnuts. Same basic idea: Loosen and slide the whole mess forward.
I’m picturing something that I’m not sure exists. Something that replaces the bolts with a spring-loaded latch, kind of like a Grolsch bottle, maybe with a cotter pin to hold the lever in place. Easy enough to pop open and slide, but secure in motion. Does that make any sense?