Gearbox

[Mjgman]

Is anyone able to take some photos of their Gearbox frame? Mine had some bending on our trip across the country and the owner of gearbox is telling me that the hat brackets are supposed to be bent a little.. I think mine are bent a lot..

He said mine look normal from the photos but I'm not so sure..

[Protagonist]

I don't have a GearBox, but I can tell you from an engineering point of view those brackets are bent too much. You need to have washers or spacers under them so that the locknuts press flat against the bracket.

If you need to ensure that nothing slides around, you're better off using a layer of rubber (which is compressible as well as friction-inducing) wrapped around the black square tubing at the bracket location. That will help ensure there's adequate tension on the bolts without deforming any metal pieces.

[Mjgman]

That was my thought.. The owner of the company said there should be a 15% deflection on the brackets, I showed him those photos and he thinks they are normal..

[BurntAsphalt]

Here is a photo (sideways, of course!) from my Gearspace frame. The "hat" brackets are definitely angled apparently to keep tension on the frame. The cross members also have a slight bend but this has not worsened with use. I'm no engineer but it could be designed better for what it cost. I have several thousand miles of use now and the biggest complaint I have is that it is not watertight.

[BurntAsphalt]

Here's another angle. I'm not smart enough to reduce photo file size so it posts correctly. I'll have to wait for one of my kids to get home so they can show me how

[Mjgman]

Thank you... They are sending new hat brackets and cross members.. It's a very weird design, I'm not an engineer but I just don't think eight bolts and a slim safety strap are enough to hold a box onto a frame, loaded with 300lbs rumbling down some of our bumpy interstate highways...