Lumber rack material size and wall thickness

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Hi. I have been wanting to build a lumber rack for myself for a long time. I really like the look of rectangular tubing for lumber racks. I would like to make it out of steel. Does anyone have suggestion on the size material to use and wall thicknesses? Thanks ahead of time for you input.Miller Mulitmatic 200Lincoln POWER MIG 180Thermal Dynamics Cutmaster 51Oxy-Acetylene TorchMiller Digital Elite Vintage USA
Reply:Taller material is more resistant to bending than "heavier" material in general. Typically you would usually get greater resistance to bending by going to say 2x3" or 2x4" tube ( tall direction up) than you would if you went up one size in wall thickness on say 2x2" tube.I can't remember exactly what we used on our trucks when we built them. It was either 1 1/2" or 2" wide, 4" tall and we used the lightest wall size our supplier stocked. We used 4" vs 3" because we ran the rack out from the bed over the crew cab and hood to a vertical at the bumper. On the truck that just had a short cantilever over the standard cab, we used 3" instead of 4" tall tube.On two or three occasions we used the rack as mobile scaffolding with 2 or 3 guys standing on 2x12's with no issues..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:Here is a lumber rack I built years ago. I got the rectangular tubing for free. I just bought the round stock, and paint. The tubing is 3/4” x 1 1/2”, 1/16” wall. It will carry anything the little Toyota can haul.



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Reply:The truss is another good way to increase "height" and resist bending. It's a great example of what you can accomplish with minimal size tube and a good understanding of basic engineering principals. It wouldn't surprise me if his truss isn't more resistive to bending than the 4" tall tube we used..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:Get a length of the material you think will work, put a couple blocks under it about 6' apart, put as much weight as you could ever imagine carrying centered in between the blocks and jump up and down on it. That should tell you what you need to know.Not something you want to under build.
Reply:Where should the lumber rack go? What should it look like? How much weight? Picture of something similar?