Homemade cab guard rack/winch mount - pipe too small?

I want two things, a "headache' type cab guard for lumber and a place to mount my small HF 2500 winch for pulling motorcycles into my bed. I was thinking of combining them into one dual purpose thing. I want to build it myself and I have a lot of pipe from an old soccer goal, and it's already nicely bent in the exact angles I would need...I mean, it's perfect. Only bad thing is that it's only 1-5/16" OD and 1/16" wall thickness. Is that too anemic for what I want? I can weld pretty good and where two pipes meet I will machine steel bushings to go inside to join them so they'll be strong. All attached to the bed rails with maybe three bolts.

Here's a crap picture of my design.

 

Its a little thin. But you have the material and the ability to weld it up, then do it. You can always re do it with thicker material later. Maybe think of a different winch mount. Something that Maybe bolts to the rails in the bed. Or using the bed bolts somehow. I think that would be the weak spot in your plan. Other than that its mostly looks and protection.

 

Hmm, yeah I was thinking of doing the winch in the bed on attached to the frame bolts but I wanted to combine these two things together. Thanks for the help, I'll build it and see how it goes. If it's a little weak (which it will probably be) I might add a removable brace from the winch mount down at a 45º angle to the frame...that should help.

Main reason I wanted to use this goal post is because my father forced me to play soccer as a kid and I hated it. It will be like therapy to take a goal post and build something I'd actually use out of it, haha.

 

ohh

 

Just now finished the truck rack. Welded it all up, got it blasted and powder coated black texture and used it to pull a bike up into the bed and back down to test and it’s perfect. Barely flexes. The winch will not live on the rack, only when I’m going to get a bike. I have pictures if anyone is interested how it was made. It’s not bolted to the plastic bed rails, I made spacers and it’s bolted directly to the metal bed sides underneath. Quite strong.

 

Looks sick! That'll probably hold up.

 

Looks great, glad it worked out for you!

 

Thanks guys, I’m very happy with it.

 

Nice man. Looks great.

 

Nice, this came out much better than what I was picturing. (Not trying to be offensive.) Very glad I worked out so well for you and great looking welds. Welding thin stuff is a real pain but it looks great.

 

You and me both! I am surprised it came out this good actually and that it’s totally strong enough. I can sit on the top bars and there’s zero flex – more than enough for when I carry lumber. And when I pulled my bike up (around 500lbs) there was a tiny bit of bouncing because I stopped and started the winch while on the ramps. I feel I could pull a fairly heavy Harley style cruiser with minimal flexing. Also the place that did the powder coating was half the price of others I was quoted. Blasting and coating with a week and a half turn around time was $160 out the door.

For CT members looking for powder coating, blasting etc. I went to American Dry Stripping in Milford. They do all kinds of blasting and coatings.

 

If I was to wager even with thin wall tube it's likely as good as a lot of commercial ladder racks. Looks real nice.