Well, they're home...
These things are insanely flimsy when not screwed to something, and with no weight on them.
I started taking one apart, thinking that taking them apart would make it easier to get them all home in one shot. Unfortunately, the steel is such a thin gauge, it bends if you look at it funny.
So, with some coworkers, we muscled them out of the loading dock and onto my trailer. Pieces were falling off as we did that.
Ultimately, I strategically tie-wrapped them together, and strapped them down with two ratchet straps. Had to stop 3 times within the first HALF mile, to tighten the straps, as the potholes and general bumps around here shook the racks so much that the straps were self-loosening.
My commute is around 25 miles (each way). I took back roads (not the interstate) just in case things blew up. I dodged all the bumps that I could, and only had to stop one more time, just a few miles from home.
I'm going to have to cut these down to fit into my shed and / or basement. My boss was in more of a rush to get these out of the building than I am to have a space ready for them to go, so this is not a priority task...
Couple of side notes:
If you look closely, the wire to the left (amber) fender light is broken. Pretty sure I've had to fix that before (it's in a pretty exposed spot). I'll probably add a piece of conduit to protect it better.
This is the first set of straps that I've owned with the short style of hooks, and I hate them. I like the bigger / rounder hooks, because you can loop the straps around the top rail of the trailer, and connect a hook back onto the strap, meaning there are infinite tie-down locations along the sides (and front) of the trailer. I do like the ratchet mechanisms on these, though. Not sure where I bought them, either.
Mike
