Okay, I'll try this again...
How many of you have been in the process of posting a long thread and get side tracked with your pet and then come back and do a preview just to find out you've timed out and you lost all the thread you just spent half an hour putting together??? It does suck! I guess I should always copy and save before I do a preview or submit the thread.
I have a Raptor 395LEV with the 12' garage. How many have used the B&W Biker Bar motorcycle tie down system?
For those not familiar with the B&W Biker Bar, here's the link to go to for a little look.
https://www.bwtrailerhitches.com/product/biker-bar
So I've purchased on Biker Bar as of now and still looking for another used one to add to my garage so I can haul two Harleys or one Harley and my Honda Helix CN250 scooter.
B&W say that they can just mount their system to any floor that will support the weight of the bike, but I'm not totally sold on that concept. I tend to do overkill on my projects and installs.
I've done a little AutoCAD sketch showing what I plan to do. The hopes were that there would be some factory cross bracing that came in contact with the plywood floor, but that did happen. All that's there are the two outside "I" beams and a center "C" type laminated channel running North/South under the floor. These are the only braces that contact the plywood flooring.
The Biker Bar has two under bed 4.5" x 6" x 1/4" thick steel plates and each have one 5/8" nut welded to them. The plates are normally bolted under the garage or trailer bed with carriage bolts and the 5/8" nuts are what the topside Biker Bar mounting system bolts through to the floor.
My thoughts are to add 1.5"x1.5"x35.75"x1/4" steel angle iron cross braces, two per mounting system. They will span between the center North/South "C" bracing and the outside "I" beam. The angle braces will be approximately 1/4" below the bottom of the plywood floor and that will allow me to slide the two under bed mounting plate between the braces and the plywood. They will all be bolted in place with carriage bolts.
I've upgraded the 5/16" carriage bolts to 3/8" carriage bolts, again for a more robust mounting application. Probably overkill, but that's the way I roll...
Here is the sketch of the full side to side plan.
Here's the center "C" channel mounting close up.
Here's the "I" beam side close up.
That's it in a nut shell.
I've been under the floor and there are no cross braces that come in contact with the plywood directly and the cross braces that way under the plywood are not really perpendicular to the main "I" beams, a bit skewed. In practice it really doesn't matter how perpendicular they are, they're just there for support etc. But for me to align to, makes it a bit more difficult.
Also there are the two fuel tanks under the garage and there's only about 5" of true vertical access to the plywood area. I guess my angle air drill will be utilized a bit.
I wish there were a better way to do all this, but so far I'm thinking it's going to be a rough install doing it alone in my driveway in the low 40's...
Any suggestions or anyone use the Biker Bar before and how did you mount yours?
Thanks in advance!