Extending my frame need info
- Thread starter biggoolies
- Start date
biggoolies
Adventurer
I will be updating this thread as I get the frame done
dan85
Observer
Hey mate can you post some pictures of that? we are planning on something similiar.
biggoolies
Adventurer
Sure. Will do.
biggoolies
Adventurer
Well the work has started...
biggoolies
Adventurer
I did not mention why we chose to change the frame. after adding a hydraulic motorcycle rack and the weight on the back with everything on it a short wheelbase could not cope with that added stress. Also the company that made the initial conversion without the rack did not extend the reinforcement forward enough to the frame drop to have the extra strength added to that point. With the Mexicano Roads with multiple speed bumps it proved to much for the frame and it cracked. The teeter totter effect was too much for the frame. With the longer wheelbase, the weight will be transferred more over the rear wheels and will be reinforced at the frame curvature. Also we are replacing the original frame with one the will be 1/16 inch thicker.
I don’t place fault with the original frame but rather the shorter wheelbase and the company not placing the reinforcement further up the frame. Also adding the rack afterward exacerbated the situation. I believe that if we didn’t add the rack that we would be still with the original frame. We had seven years with the conversion. I have no regrets in building the rack and realized that it would be experimental. Now with all the information and improvements I am confident that it will be great for years to come. Also the company that built the rack did not stabilize the rack properly and that added to the stress. There was too much movement back there. I had fixed that but it was not enough to stop the relentless stress from the rear. In other words the damage had already been done.
the stress was not from any twisting that I could see but the bouncing in the vertical plane.
I don’t place fault with the original frame but rather the shorter wheelbase and the company not placing the reinforcement further up the frame. Also adding the rack afterward exacerbated the situation. I believe that if we didn’t add the rack that we would be still with the original frame. We had seven years with the conversion. I have no regrets in building the rack and realized that it would be experimental. Now with all the information and improvements I am confident that it will be great for years to come. Also the company that built the rack did not stabilize the rack properly and that added to the stress. There was too much movement back there. I had fixed that but it was not enough to stop the relentless stress from the rear. In other words the damage had already been done.
the stress was not from any twisting that I could see but the bouncing in the vertical plane.
biggoolies
Adventurer
I trusted the companies to do a proper job. I was not a design engineer or structural engineer but with all the experience now I have my degree I believe. ;-) I would recommend to anybody though is take the time to find the right companies for the job even if you have to pay more in The long run you will benefit. A company that has done this type of work before would be of benefit. That may prove difficult to find.
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Then it makes perfect sense to have the work done in Mexico.
biggoolies
Adventurer
Actually the skill sets here are pretty amazing. All the work I had done here has been top notch. Of course it helps that my girlfriend is Mexican and knows people in the City she grew up in. Are you saying this from experience or just what you hear? I have found the total opposite of what you say. You don’t think they know about chassis? The Mexican roads are so bad here they are experts.
biggoolies
Adventurer
Here are the pictures of the damage. I noticed it in Oregon on the way down to Mexico. We had to drive all the way to Ensenada in Mexico to get the chassis welded. That weld job got us through all the rough roads in Baja and probably would have lasted for months or years. The shop owner made sure it was perfectly done to last the roads in Baja until we could get it to replaced in Torreón. 
biggoolies
Adventurer
I want to put this in perspective also. My girlfriend went to El Paso in Texas in the heat of the summer. The air conditioner in her car stopped working. The shop she brought to told her that it was going to cost her $400 for a new compressor. She opted to drive back to Torreón Mexico to have them check the system. They fixed the compressor for the equivalent of $13. IT worked perfectly until she sold the car 3 years later. And she used it a lot.
biggoolies
Adventurer
Just want to update this thread. Our frame was completed about two weeks ago. They did an excellent job. The rear axle has been moved back 60cm. We are now reconnecting the multiple wires and motorcycle rack. Preparing for out trip from Torreón Mexico down the pacific coastline to Guatemala. We should be leaving in about a week. ?
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biggoolies
Adventurer
Here are some pictures for the poster that wanted to see them. If you want more detailed pictures and with the rack remounted let me know. Sorry. A little dark tonight
