Dave Bennett
Adventurist
Absolutely! :campfire:
Doc's AT FlipPac Build Thread
- Thread starter Dave Bennett
- Start date
Absolutely! :campfire:
Dave Bennett
Adventurist
That was me, just transferred there from 1st Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment at Camp Horno... counting down my time in Purgatory before I can go back to the Infantry :snorkel:
Dave Bennett
Adventurist
Expensive!
SilverSurfer
New member
I really have to say your rig looks awesome with it so far. Quick question though, I'm thinking about purchasing a flippac, but was just wondering if its possible to mount surf racks on the flippac, since I do have quite a few boards and take several trips down to baja and mainland every year.
Cheers.
Cheers.
Wiley
Adventurer
There are not many options to the surfboard question that I know of. You can strap them to the top and take them down each day, which I don't think would be too much work personally...but it may get old fast. I have seen others do it their trip reports and it doesn't seem to bad. I would get a lock that attaches to the surfboard leash pin, for a bit of security though, they are pretty cheap.
Dave Bennett
Adventurist
VikingVince had a rack on his FlipPac that he used for firewood etc, I see no reason why a guy could not carry surfboards or kayaks in similar fashion (the roof of the FP is very stout since it bears the weight of the bed).
The only drawback would be removing them when it's time to make camp.
The only drawback would be removing them when it's time to make camp.
SilverSurfer
New member
Yeah I'm just wondering if there is enough space between it and the cab when the tent is out that you don't need to take them off, since i would try and make mine permanent racks some how like you see on most other shells.
Dave Bennett
Adventurist
Vince's rack was designed to stay on permanent, he just emptied it out to flip open the tent. Surfboards secured properly may not need to be removed for that if you design it right. A guy could even design a "sleeve" or "cage" type rack where you slide the boards in from the rear and secure the end opening. That would keep them in place when flipping and provide physical security of precious boards
mountainsoul
Adventurer
Amazing rig Doc. You did a great job on the interior.
elcoyote
Supporting Sponsor, Overland Certified OC0004
It's true that Viking Vince has added a rack. SafariPacific has mounted Maxtrax on top of his as well. The problem is, and both will tell you, their tops are now difficult to open due to the additional weight. The stresses of additional weight are multiplied along the length of the lid, basis physics. The torsion bar spring rate is designed to assist with the lifting of the lid weight, not more than that. Additional weight added to the top may lead to premature failure of the torsion bar. For this reason we advise against adding anything to the lid and cannot warranty any top that has anything mounted to it.
JamesDowning
Explorer
Simply adding weight to the top won't load the assist-spring any more. The spring's stress is only related to the deflection. As long as the roof isn't over-rotated, the spring should be fine, right?
elcoyote
Supporting Sponsor, Overland Certified OC0004
If you rotate the roof with any additional load on it, i.e. roof racks, surfboards etc, you will be adding additional stress on the torsion rod spring that can lead to premature failure.
Dave Bennett
Adventurist
There it is then folks, the Master speaks. Nobody knows more about this stuff than Mario
VikingVince
Explorer
Re my roof rack...if I were to do it over, I would NOT do the rack. It's too heavy and I have to be "creative" when opening and closing the flippac. (I also changed mattresses to a denser 4" foam...that also added about 12 more pounds but is very comfortable)
What I definitely WOULD do instead of the rack is just add two load bars/cargo bars on the top. I really like having something up there to carry camp chairs, wood, etc. The load bars would be sooooo much lighter than the rack I installed. I don't think the load bars would overload the torsion bar...but they could. Also, you can place them so they don't interfere with opening the flippac.
Note on changing the mattress...my flippac is 15 years old now...still in good shape. But after that many years the original foam had compressed and I had to change the mattress...so I went for comfort. Mattresses on new units should be fine for years.
My torsion bar has never failed....so far!
But I also don't open the way others do. I manually prop the flippac almost half way open with my hiking stick...and then use the crank bar. Get this...I close it with a rope tied to the front of the rack and pull from the back...LOL. Because of the added weight, no way I could use the crank bar for closing. But if you just had load bars up there, I think you could still close it with the crank bar.
What I definitely WOULD do instead of the rack is just add two load bars/cargo bars on the top. I really like having something up there to carry camp chairs, wood, etc. The load bars would be sooooo much lighter than the rack I installed. I don't think the load bars would overload the torsion bar...but they could. Also, you can place them so they don't interfere with opening the flippac.
Note on changing the mattress...my flippac is 15 years old now...still in good shape. But after that many years the original foam had compressed and I had to change the mattress...so I went for comfort. Mattresses on new units should be fine for years.
My torsion bar has never failed....so far!
But I also don't open the way others do. I manually prop the flippac almost half way open with my hiking stick...and then use the crank bar. Get this...I close it with a rope tied to the front of the rack and pull from the back...LOL. Because of the added weight, no way I could use the crank bar for closing. But if you just had load bars up there, I think you could still close it with the crank bar.
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