Swing out cooler carrier

bruzer1123

Observer
Hello folks,

I thought I would share my latest project: a swing out cooler carrier mounted to be mounted on my rear bumper (think tire carrier without the tire!).

My plan was to use my existing bumper (2"x4" 3/16" wall) and mount the carrier to the passenger side (in case I ever do a tire carrier I want the ds clear). I intend to drill a hole through the ps corner and weld in a piece of rod, then have some DOM tubing welded to the rear length of the carrier, and then cap the rod off with some DOM tubing welded to a removable chunk of 1/4" stock. Should make sense when I load pics.

The materials that I am using are the following:
1.5" OD rod
2" OD x 0.25 wall thickness DOM tubing
2"x2" 3/16" wall square tubing for the portion that will sit on the bumper
1.25" square tubing for the main base of the carrier
1" square tubing for the upper portions that will hold the cooler in case
3/4" 13 gauge flattened wire mesh for the sides
various chunks of 2" flat stock 1/4" thickness for securing the DOM cap and fastener to the bumper
3/4" threaded rod with a handle to keep things tight.

Thus far I have all of the materials mostly cut. It sure takes awhile using a hacksaw. I did manage to get most of the cuts fairly square by utilizing some scrap angle iron mounted in the vice and using it as a guide for the hacksaw. The upper "cage" portion is all welded together (not as square as I would like but better than my welding cart!).

The next step I think will be to drill the bumper hole and weld the rod in place. Will post pics later. Any input would be appreciated.

:smiley_drive:
 

motochain

Wanderer
Sounds like a good idea. I started thinking about making a flip down tire carrier instead of a flip out. Then once the tire has flipped down the backside would work as a table (possibly mount a vise on it).

All sorts of things you can do.

How is the cooler going to mount? Is it going to sit on a plate, or just attach to the rod?

Pics!
 

bruzer1123

Observer
I like the idea of the tire carrier. I saw one that was built for a 4runner that tilted up and to the side. was pretty cool. It was made by Scotty @ Addicted Offroad (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uem6_tw8pKQ).

The cooler is going to sit on top of some expanded metal and some 1.5" square tube which is attached to the 2" square tube which will be welded to the DOM tubing.

Pics to follow:smiley_drive:
 

bruzer1123

Observer
IMG_4137.jpg


This is the basic structure of the carrier with the stout tubing in the back and the 1.5" on the front and sides, with the cooler portion being 1" tubing. Overbuilt?

IMG_4138.jpg


Add the flattened sheet to the sides and bottom. Yup I realize the diamonds on the back panel are orientated differently but it allowed me to leave most of the 4' x 8' sheet uncut for other projects.

IMG_4144.jpg


I plan on adding these tie downs to the sides and front/back. The way the cooler sits I have to mount the ones on the side at 90 degrees (see next photo).

IMG_4143.jpg
 

KLAKEBRONCO

Adventurer
I'm going to build something similar. We use the large blue water jugs for camping duties, and once one or two of those is loaded, and the cooler is loaded you lose a BUNCH of interior space.

I'm thinking something that attaches with pins so that it can be removed in normal driving but used when going out camping.
I was considering mounting it above the tire like some of the jeep racks. Since then I've decided to build a ladder into my tire carrier so that's going to modify my original plan I think.

In any event getting such a large space taker out of the interior is a good idea.
 

KLAKEBRONCO

Adventurer
IMG_4137.jpg


This is the basic structure of the carrier with the stout tubing in the back and the 1.5" on the front and sides, with the cooler portion being 1" tubing. Overbuilt?

IMG_4138.jpg


Add the flattened sheet to the sides and bottom. Yup I realize the diamonds on the back panel are orientated differently but it allowed me to leave most of the 4' x 8' sheet uncut for other projects.

IMG_4144.jpg


I plan on adding these tie downs to the sides and front/back. The way the cooler sits I have to mount the ones on the side at 90 degrees (see next photo).

IMG_4143.jpg


That was one of the reasons why I was going to mount it up higher some how. That sticks out pretty far, and I intend to use the Bronco for some trail riding at various O/R parks in my area.

It looks very well built that's for sure.
 

bruzer1123

Observer
IMG_4142.jpg


This image shows the basic idea. A 1.5" diam. hole will be drilled into the bumper and the rod will be welded on the top and bottom. The DOM tubing will slide over it (the rear arm of the cooler carrier will be welded to this larger piece of DOM). The little piece I am holding will be welded horizontally to a flat piece of stock, which will have another piece of flat stock welded to the bumper vertically. I plan on making it so the small piece of DOM can be easily removed so I can take the carrier off when needed. I also plan on using some of these to keep the carrier in the open position as needed. http://www.mcmaster.com/#orders/=6f16i7.

IMG_4140.jpg

This piece will be welded to the rear arm and strike the bumper.

IMG_4141.jpg

The threaded rod will have a handle of some type on the left-hand side. The flat plate with the welded nut will be welded to the backside of the bumper. The pipe will sleeve the hole through the bumper so moisture doesn't get into the bumper. The little pin might get a small piece of cable so it will be permanently attached to the bumper, but it might not.
 

bruzer1123

Observer
I probably will reinforce the bumper by creating side protection that is mounted back to the frame, but first things first! :smiley_drive:
 

bruzer1123

Observer
Yeah, it probably will sit a bit lower than it should, but we'll see. I don't really off-road, so it will likely only see Forest Service roads. Plus I am still running weenie 235 75 15's. I could gain more clearance for the carrier by running some 34" LTBs! I think if you mounted it above the spare tire like some of the Jeep racks that would work slick. Maybe if I ever build a spare tire carrier I will do that.

I sized the cooler carrier to fit our cooler, or the single jerry can we have, or a propane tank, or a milk crate, etc. Should be pretty functional once it is all done.
 

bruzer1123

Observer
it took awhile....

Well, I had some more time to work on the cooler carrier and thought I would upload my progress. I welded the carrier all together and then welded the pin to the bumper. In hindsight, I would probably start with the welded pin in the bumper, move to welding the DOM to the square tube and go from there. I finally drilled the hole through the bumper and sleeved it with pipe. Anyway, onto the pics.

The handle
IMG_4591.jpg


Handle in place
IMG_4584.jpg


The backside
IMG_4585.jpg


View from the side
IMG_4593.jpg


Open with tailgate down
IMG_4592.jpg
 

bruzer1123

Observer
Next on the to-do list is to figure out how to put the pin in double shear. I have the little piece of DOM cut and I have some 2" flat stock (1/4" thick). My thought is to create a "2" with the flat stock covering the top of the DOM (and pin), then bent vertically, then bent horizontally. I could then weld a horizontal tap to the rear of the bumper and add a bolt to connect the "2" to the bumper. Not sure if that makes sense or not. Then I need to get a weld-in ball lock pin from McMaster-Carr to keep the carrier in the open position. The next step would be to increase the strength of the bumper by making it wrap around the quarter panel and re-attach to the frame. Whew! Plus gotta paint it and the carrier.

Any thoughts or comments?:smiley_drive:
 

BigAl

Expedition Leader
Open with tailgate down
IMG_4592.jpg

I like it, once in camp, it looks superiour tothe slide outs I've seen. With your tailgate down, you have a nice kitchen. I made a rack that dog legs down from the center of my spare tire. Easy access is very nice on group rides with frequent stops.
 

bruzer1123

Observer
Thanks. I spent some time "finishing" the welding on the carrier. Once it dries out and warms up I will throw some primer on and paint it. If you don't mind, I would like to see a pic of your set-up. :smiley_drive:
 

BigAl

Expedition Leader
These are crappy cell phone pics. I used a piece of receiver stock at the top of my tire carrier. This tray or the shovel mount can be inserted into the center of the wheel. The tray can also be inserted from the back side of the tire if I open the tire carrier. This gives me a table if I am in the back of the jeep for cooking
 

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