sleeving stainless steel tubing

SteveGorst

SteveGorst

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I have acquired a gantry and want to extend the legs a bit to make it taller. The OD of the tubing is 22.3mm. I would like to get a tube that fits over that so I can adjust the length of the legs and then secure it. Does anyone have any idea what size tubing I should buy? With the odd size I suspect it is imperial and I have found 1" 16SWG with a 1.63mm wall which I reckon leaves a 22.14mm ID, too tight, and the other one I have found is 1" 18SWG with a 1.2 mm wall which would be 23mm ID, a bit loose.

Any ideas? If I heated the tight one do you think it would expand enough to slip over? All I need is 0.16mm
 
I found a supplier that did 25od with 1.2mm thick walls so that should give me 22.6 which will be fine I reckon.

The 22mm section has 2mm thick walls so although the OD is not much the tubes are pretty heavy duty and being thinner the windage should be less. I'm just going to put a solar panel on it. No radars or wind farms.
 
SteveGorst said:
I found a supplier that did 25od with 1.2mm thick walls so that should give me 22.6 which will be fine I reckon.

The 22mm section has 2mm thick walls so although the OD is not much the tubes are pretty heavy duty and being thinner the windage should be less. I'm just going to put a solar panel on it. No radars or wind farms.
Click to expand...

That is very thin and small dia tube for a "gantry" I would not wish to pick up much weight with that as the thin wall will tend to crumple with any real load. I am 80kg and would not lift myself up a that size of tube.

Give us some idea of load and span you are considering.

My outboard gantry is made of 42mm o/d 6mm thick wall tube.

My solar panel gantry is 2 x 50 mm dia 1.6mm wall tube well braced with crass braces to the pushpit rails which are 38 mm dis tube.
 
Rogershaw said:
That is very thin and small dia tube for a "gantry" I would not wish to pick up much weight with that as the thin wall will tend to crumple with any real load. I am 80kg and would not lift myself up a that size of tube.
Click to expand...

Agreed, that's more like bimini frame material. Our gantry is 40mm x 1.5mm and easily supports solar panels and dinghy + outboard.
 
hmm I take than on board but I'm 90kg and I've just tested it by sitting on it and bouncing up and down and it doesn't appear to move at all. I have ordered 3m of 25mm tube which I am going to use the reinforce and extend the legs. Perhaps I'm using the wrong word and gantry sounds like some kind of crane. I'm just mounting a 1m x 500mm solar panel on it and not using it to lift engines out or anything.
 
If it comprises two inverted U tubes with ladder type bracing between them, then that should be OK to support the panel. It's surprising what the forces are when rolling in heavy seas, with top of the gantry maybe 8 - 10 ft above water. Maybe get Big T to test it:)
 
I have attached the photo with me sat on it and the subsequent picture to show it still in one piece.
 

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We’ve just had a gantry built and fitted, the push pit rails are 23mm so we made it from 25mm ID tube, anything bigger would have made the rail and stantions look silly. I can easily hang mayself without a problem on it, I’m 115kg so not worried about it not being strong enough, gantry is 2900 wide and 1800 high made from two large goal posts with cross braces and brackets for radar, small solar panel and antenna on top.
 
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