What is the rubber material under the bike rack support arms?

[John E Davies]

For those owners with factory bike racks, do the mounting bolts stay tight, and have you seen any sign of distress in the parts? Cracks or signs of movement between the big square “receivers” and the diamond plate cover?

 

I am building my own cargo rack and need to know what the factory uses under the square tubes and over the diamond plate. It needs to be hard enough to not squeeze out and not let the parts move, yet be soft enough to allow the sharp diamond points to work their way into the rubber so that the parts fit tightly.

 

Durometer (hardness), thickness, material type, fiber reinforced......?

 

I found some plain neoprene at Grainger but it has a 30 durometer and is just too squooshy. McMaster has a bunch of choices but they are $$$ and I need to know what works best. The stronger stuff is 70 durometer... https://www.mcmaster.com/rubber

 

I also thought about just sanding down all those nasty razor sharp points and having a proper “intimate” fit of the rack parts. I have requested info from Oliver, and asked if they would sell me some strips, but I wanted to also ask here.

 

As I type my Oliver cargo basket is at the welder to get modified to bolt down to my new rack, and I have 30 pounds of raw aircraft aluminum in the back of my truck, I just need to figure out this rubber part.

 

Thanks,

 

John Davies

 

Spokane WA

 

 

[topgun2]

So, I'm guessing that "rubber baby buggy bumpers" will not work?

[John E Davies]

So, I’m guessing that “rubber baby buggy bumpers” will not work?

I think this forum needs an extra button at the top right, one that says......

 

.

 

”NO THANKS.”

 

It is nice hearing from you, otherwise.

 

John Davies

 

Spokane WA

[bugeyedriver]

Could it be the same sort of rubber baby buggy bumper material found underneath the trailer, between the frame and the fiberglass?

 

 

[Trainman]

I don't know how thick of rubber you want, but the stall mats sold at Tractor Supply are pretty tough rubber, the smaller ones are 1/2" thick and are around $20 for a 3x4' panel. I've used them for rear bed mats for my pickup and bed mat for my 4x4 Polaris. I believe Tractor Supply sells small ones that lock together, but don't know the price. Checkout the website for prices and styles if that's something you can use.

 

 

 

trainman

[John E Davies]

Here is a closeup of the area in question, with those pesky diamond plate ridges.... this stuff really does not bend neatly, notice the small crack right beside a diamond in the corner. I much prefer smooth plate.... I don’t think the crack will go any further but it should not be there. Those raised edges will make you bleed, they should be filed down. I am not impressed.

 

 

John Davies

 

Spokane WA

[Overland]

I’ve considered putting down a base of epoxy beneath mine. That’s the only way I can think of to keep them aligned when tightening them down.

[Maverick]

We had the very first bike rack that Oliver installed on any trailer and it was a joke.  After many calls and emails to Oliver they sent me a replacement bike rack hitch, which was not much of an improvement.  That started another round of calls and emails to Oliver about the replacement bike rack hitch.  The third and current rack was installed by Oliver at their factory, which has handled our two bikes and rack weighting 121 lbs.  We also have a cargo basket for our Honda 2000 generator and a 2..5 gal gas can plus the cover and it's weight is 121.5 lbs.

 

You can see in the attached picture that Oliver used under the bike rack the same rubber that is placed under all supports between the aluminum and fiberglass body.  With the current rack I have had no issues, the mounting bolts remain tight over many miles.

[Overland]

So does your new rack slide in and out easily?

[John E Davies]

You can see in the attached picture that Oliver used under the bike rack the same rubber that is placed under all supports between the aluminum and fiberglass body. With the current rack I have had no issues, the mounting bolts remain tight over many miles.

Thanks for the closeup pic, I have seen pics of the various rack versions, but didn’t know what material was used. Do you actually check the bolt torque routinely and have you ever had to tighten them, or do they stay pretty much solid?

 

John Davies

 

Spokane WA

[Maverick]

So does your new rack slide in and out easily?

 

The rack slide in and out very easily; after Oliver replaced the rack, I did use a very light file and run over the square edges with one pass.

[Maverick]

Maverick wrote:

You can see in the attached picture that Oliver used under the bike rack the same rubber that is placed under all supports between the aluminum and fiberglass body. With the current rack I have had no issues, the mounting bolts remain tight over many miles.

Thanks for the closeup pic, I have seen pics of the various rack versions, but didn’t know what material was used. Do you actually check the bolt torque routinely and have you ever had to tighten them, or do they stay pretty much solid?

 

John Davies

 

Spokane WA

 

John:

 

I check these bolt every three thousand miles when I lube the EZflex system with a torques wrench and have never had to tighten then at all.

 

Good luck.