| Author | Message | ||
| Michael 4905/MD Rating: N/A |
Hello All! I'm posting for a friend with no internet access. He wants to hang stuff (a hammock for sleeping) from the steel in the ceiling ribs and high on the ribs in the walls of his NJT MCI 9. I think it's 1" square high carbon steel. Does anyone have experience that leads them to think there are any good reasons not to do what he has in mind. As I understand it, his plan is to hang an eye at each end to hang it. I can't imagine he'll simply drill on hole and cut a thread in it. Seems to me he'll have to drill sideways through two walls and through bolt each with nuts and washers. Any opinions? Thanks for this help. Michael 4905/MD | ||
| Doug Dickinson (Dougd470)
Rating: N/A |
I think this is a really bad idea! The coach body is designed to do something very specific. The frame itself is not all that strong. It's purpose is to hold the real structural elements of the body in line so they can do their job - the skin in the case of an MC9. You will find the rails are not very thick and are not designed for the kind of point forces that will be generated by hanging the hammock. You will eventually pull in the side slightly, at the rib, and cause a weakness in the real structural element - the skin. The ribs can take some degree of downward force without distortion. Try a solid "cot" across the coach hung on the ribs if you need to increase sleeping space. This acts as a spacer and the forces remain mainly downward instead of lateral. The rib is 1 1/2 common steel (not particularly hard or soft - what I call common steel) and it is not a completely enclosed tubu - or is a stamped flange member toat is designed to take rivets in the flanges. It is designed to hold the skin in line. Hope this helps. Doug St Louis '83 MC9 | ||
| RJ Long (Rjlong)
Rating: N/A |
OTOH, gents, if he hung his hammock from the same points MCI hung the interior luggage racks. . . Well, let's just say that I often had teen-agers on long charters take naps up there and never had one fall down (the racks, not the kids!!  ) FWIW. . . | ||
| Doug Wotring
Rating: N/A |
HI RJ, I myself have taken naps in the baggage racks when I was younger, however over 6 feet your looking at at least 3 roof attatchment pints plus the entire length of the weight over the windows.....plus those forces that also reach beyond the persons length A hammock attached to two points is alot of stress | ||
| Michael 4905/MD Rating: N/A |
Thanks to all those who helped here. My friend sends his best regards and asked that I say thanks to you all on his behalf. He laughed at the thought of taking a nap in the luggage rack and was pleased to hear that although on occasion some youngsters may have fallen from up there while napping that nobody had said anthing about the racks having fallen down under their weight. My suggestion to him was, should he proceed with his idea of hanging any substantial weights either from the side wall or (particularly) a roof rib, that in any case the weight should at least be distributed between those two so as to cause them to support one another under the weight. An example of this might be (as was suggested here) to utilize existing mounting points that had secured the (now removed) luggage racks by using the following method. Bend a 1/2" to 1" square steel tube (or maybe just a 1/4" X 1/2" steel bar) into a curve fitting it up into the inside curve of the wall/ceiling between already existing mounting points. Drill holes at each end of this such that the holes will align over the existing mounting points and allow the curved part to be secured, one end into the ceiling, and the other end into a wall mounting point with a threaed bolt with an eye on it instead of a nut. That way whatever ennd it is to be hung from it can be attached to these eyes. By this means it won't matter which (the ceiling or the wall) the weight is suspended from. Which ever point the weight is attached to will at least be well supported at the other end of the curved piece that's secured between the tw mounting points. Thank you from me too, for your help. Michael 4905/MD |