R3 Paddock Stand & Lift Aid

[Sidecar Flip]

Well dont take this the wrong way but I'm way excited it for it more so than the other products (all are great designs BTW). This is one "accessory" I certainly need. Have you considered stainless? Maybe polish it so you dont have to paint it and only little rust concern. Maybe the extra cost of stainless (above and beyond steel of course) will be slightly cheaper than paint. And if your feeling froggy, you can buy a plasma cutter and make a hardened steel template and cut them yourself! (Although outsourcing this is obviously easier but more costly). I would imagine your making any hardware necessary like pins and such. Are you going to weld them yourself? Ill be watching for this paitiently. Also one hundred dollars wouldnt be too far out of reach.

Merry Christmas to you and yours!

mutt

I already own a plasma CNC unit.. These parts are Laser CNC cut. Plasma leaves striations on the cut edge no matter what the dwell time is whereas Laser cut is comparable to a machined finish plus you can hold tolerances closer. I'd love to own a laser but at half a million dollars, they are a little out of my price range. If I had a half mil, I'd be going to Australia this winter instead of next.

The stainless inserts as well as the intrinsic parts for the paddock stand are cut on a Prima 5,000 watt 12 x 12 bed CNC laser. As always, the steel speciffically A36 Stretcher Levelled HRPD Low Carbon Sheet was sourced from an American Mill (Steel Dynamics, Butler, Indiana and purchased through a local supplier. The 304 #8 polished stainless 0.041 sheet the inserts are cut from is domestic material sourced through the same supplier as well.

The 6000 Series aluminum billet the handlebar clamps are machined from is sourced through a non ferrous supplier. The parent material is Alcoa Aluminum and finally the Bar stock that the brakeline clamps are machined from is a product of Carpenter Technologies, Alloy metals division. Car-Tech is the only domestic supplier of high alloy stainless bar stock in the United States.

Guess I have this Made-in-America thing. Might have something to do with the employer I retired from and now work part-time at.

Some of the operations I will perform. The intrinsic machining will be done in my shop. However, because of the stresses imposed on the stand by it's intended load, the welding will be done by a certified weld shop, on weld jigs that I make in my shop to my specifications. They will be MIG welded and the welds heat relieved. The finish, powdercoat or baked enamel will also be outsourced. I have no way of painting anything other than with a rattle can and that's not gonna work.

Though I like stainless for it's lasting beauty and oxidation resistance, stainless isn't a good structural metals component. Going the have to be Hot Rolled this time.

They are coming along. I haver all the cut components in my hot little hands and I'm sourcing the last of the hardware parts. A week or two should do it and I'll have a prototype, test that, make minor adjustments (hopefully not but maybe) and then offer the stand.