Trail Rack "Over H3 Spare"

Trail Rack "Over H3 Spare"
New title. I inserted this in the first post after that I left most of the comments that may answer some questions.
Is there still any interest in these? I still have a list of those interested.

The new skid fabricator saw mine and asked if I wanted any of these made.
Negotiations have begun!
I searched for some made for, what else, Jeeps since they seem to have everything aftermarket.
Depending on size, some Garvin Wilderness racks I saw vary from $346 for a 32 1/2 inch wide to $520 for a 40 in.
This design I will repeat, I got from "Paul" who has written me permission to use his as a basis for a Hunner modded version, of course I have to do my spin on this after some field testing. Why reinvent the wheel. He did a masterful job of design.

It is aprox. 4' by 18" x 4"
shipping is approximately $60 on those Garvin. Not sure if I can do that good. Maybe if I open an account with a shipper.
Shipment is still a problem because of this designs awkward shape. It needs to be partially left apart to ship flat. There would only be two easy welds on each bracket to be made.
I still want to stay away from bolt together because I know this works and that would require more brace brackets and hardware and more testing before I put my name on it.
The basket does bolt to the frame work very securely.
I have to see how the price is to decide on offering them anyway but bare metal. If powder coated, the welds would have to be touched up.
If they hose them down with paint, I'm not sure the quality of that finish.
If I painted I would want to media blast and prime and paint adding to the cost. Size is also a problem for me because of the media cabinet or just lay them out and sand blast, for a fee.
If the skid production run is a success I will pursue this some more if there is still interest this time.

Fully loaded



Moab tested/passed no problems

Here is mine in my radiant heat paint booth.

After I bolted it on and without the brace on the spare I hung my 200 lbs on it and it is solid.

It does not touch the door panel just the same mounts as the spare. As before I had mine cut to ship and should have spent more time grinding this weld but I was of course ready to get it done and mounted.

If you are going to start making these I will be VERY interested in purchasing one....Put me on the list

f5moab said:

If you are going to start making these I will be VERY interested in purchasing one....Put me on the list

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x2, I would be very intrested. Does anyone know if the AMSTAR/Boulder Accessories one was every produced?

Im definately interested in one. My only concern is that my tire will stick out further than the rack and i think that would look funny. My wheels have a 4.5'' backspace and my tires are 325/65-18 what do you think?

Thanks JoshuaL

I guess we could figure the width and height of your tire and how that backspace compares to a stock rim. I can't recall how much stock is but can check. I thought it was about that much. I also remember something about flipping the spare carrier but I don't remember if that moves it up and how much.You can see from that side shot there is room for more tire. That was 33 and I have a 35 on there now. I need to get a shot of that also.

Ok that input of interest helps cause I know the next question the fabricator will ask, how many? Always does. These things take time to get started. I have it figured out that it will need to be made up but left in two pieces to ship in crates flat. It will only require welding the rear bracket to the basket in four places. Otherwise it is way too big to ship without paying even more. That is the way we figured out to ship the one I got which is the original and only one I know of.
I could never get my dealer to come up with an answer on the BA one when those accessories were supposedly only available only thru a dealer. They kept saying the stuff came from Hummer. Maybe they meant AM General but I do not know if that is true. Maybe just a supplier for GM.
Is this the BA? Looks maybe too small for fuel and water cans, maybe a small iceboxa? Only as deep as a spare with cover. What is that saying, something like go big or stay home, ha ha you never have enough room. Great thing about these is it gets that sloshing ice chest out of the cargo area. Wet sleeping bags are not good. I have been warned not to back into anything or lose the window, seems there was story by the designer of the smaller one I have??:wink:

If GM parts designed, either in-house or via an aftermarket supplier, and approved an accessory, they had to follow all federal safety and emission laws, if applicable. Example, the GM brush guard will not affect the supplemental inflatable restraint system (air bags), approved intake or exhaust accessories cannot affect emission compliance, rocker panel protector cannot affect the side air curtain sensors, etc. Therefore, in some regard, GM service parts accessories were limited. Whereas, aftermarket suppliers did not have to follow all the same requirements. I'm pretty sure that my winch will affect the dual stage airbag system if I hit something. (Default is stage two so I'll get a broken nose vs. a bruised nose.:whaa

Someone else (was it CB Photo?) had a smaller rack, similar to your larger rack, but not like the tiny rack shown above.

Run a poll, get some early results without a price, then once a price is determined, start taking orders. Right now many will say they want it, but if the price is too high, the Yes I want one will drop.

For me, I don't want to spend as much for one of these as I would a Gobi rack, but I am starting to run out of room on my roof rack (I keep adding camp supplies), and admittedly, a Gobi would give me more room; especially since I seldom use my sun roof. But then again, I can't keep adding and adding to the roof before I compromise the max weight of the roof. So, something like this is the next best thing. Just getting my cooler and water off the roof would be a major improvement.

if this one isn't made, can the jeep one (like the one from Rock Hard 4x4) be modified to work?

With metal and a welder, anything could be modified to fit. But, I have not heard of anyone trying to modify one.

Hunner...
I see in the top photo you have a support running from the center outside of the rack, down to the lower nut on the spare tire carrier. However, it is not shown in the other photos. I like this idea of added support, but would it interfere with the removal of the spare tire?

hey Hunner i measured how far my tire sticks out by measuring off the back glass. Its about 18'' from the glass to the out side off the tire. If you don't care could you measure from the glass to the out side of the rack?


Thanks JoshuaL

JoshuaL said:

hey Hunner i measured how far my tire sticks out by measuring off the back glass. Its about 18'' from the glass to the out side off the tire. If you don't care could you measure from the glass to the out side of the rack?
View attachment 765

Thanks JoshuaL

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Of course I don't care, it's my job. That and being retired.
Would you believe 20"?

f5moab said:

Hunner...
I see in the top photo you have a support running from the center outside of the rack, down to the lower nut on the spare tire carrier. However, it is not shown in the other photos. I like this idea of added support, but would it interfere with the removal of the spare tire?

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I closed the door a few times on the big one without one and it had just a little recoil movement. Not much but enough I wanted a brace. It has a bolt at the top and uses one of the lug nuts to mount the bottom end. Ya gots to take that off anyway to change a tire and then the bolt at the top. I use the wheel lock on my spare and this just adds some time a thief would have to consider. This rack is engineered very well. It would haul a deer or elk, you know if one ran out in front of you. (probably not rated for a Prius) Maybe even a Roo! I think it is very solid and has been loaded on several trips. Hinges are still tight and latch is holding up. You can just see under it enough to see the hood or roof of a small car. Side mirrors work though.

Hunner said:

I have it figured out that it will need to be made up but left in two pieces to ship in crates flat. It will only require welding the rear bracket to the basket in four places. Otherwise it is way too big to ship without paying even more. That is the way we figured out to ship the one I got which is the original and only one I know of.

Click to expand...

May I make a suggestion? How about making it a 2 or 3 piece bolt together unit? I have access to a welder but not everyone does. Set up right a bolt together rack can be just as or at least almost as strong as a welded unit and plenty strong enough for this. I guess if it came in pieces and the average Joe could bolt it together and slap it on, would be a huge bonus IMHO. Its fine if you want to leave the finish raw, because anyone can spray a coat of paint or rattle can bedliner but maybe even consider offering a powder coated unit for a finished product look. Just a couple of suggestions.

The way this is presently designed where the angled brackets are tied in is what gives it the strength it needs. I would have to design some flanges of some sort. Right where the welds are a bolted bracket in my opinion would have leverage on it and would work like a hinge. I just feel the solid construction for an offroad use rack needs to be so nothing can work loose.
The welds are short and could be done at a muffler shop or general welding shop fairly cheap.
I have not had much favorable experience with powder coating items with lots of edges and angles. When it gets messed up what are you going to do, probably rattle can touch up. I will probably sand blast them, use Tractor Supply implement enamel primer and a color coat and add the hardener to that. Theeen rattle can will be needed to touch up. I did mine that way after I got it and so far it still looks great even after the salt water showerbath on High Island Texas Hwy 90.
Keep suggestions coming and I will consider all of them after all the point is to get something out there specific to an H3.
Here is mine in my radiant heat paint booth.

After I bolted it on and without the brace on the spare I hung my 200 lbs on it and it is solid.

I did forget to weigh it and I cannot find the shipping ticket but it has some mass to it. I will have to build crates for the two pieces or do a lot of traveling to deliver. We will see as this progresses.

Ok, more questions....
What's on the inside of the frame where it mates to the door? Is there a rubber coating or blocks to prevent scratches and obscene rubbing noises? I bet there is some flexing when on a gnarly road.

Hunner,
Damm, I love that rack! I saved pics of your Jamboree Rack way back when you first posted pics of it on some other forum and figured I'd have to have it fabbed by someone locally some day. Always hoped that i'd have a chance to get a Hunner-made original instead! Now it looks like that might happen.

I don't drive an H3, but I already know that I'm going to get one of those when you make them to put on either my wife's H3 or on my future "Project H3". thanks Hunner. :cheers:

F5 and all;
To mount this you remove the spare metal mounting bracket. Then you bolt the rack to the reinforced door. Then mount the spare carrier to that. It clears the body of the door by 1/2 inch at the halfway point and is further away up and down because of the door profile. Missed it by that much.....Not a peep! has never touched the paint.

I was trying to find in Larry Edsall's book on Hummer H3's where he mentions beefing up the hinges for the door it was interesting. I will search.
Ahh found it "The engineering team went through an incredible monumental job" says H3 chief designer Jon Albert. "When you open that swing gate now, those hinges look like they could hold a 16-foot farm fence"
I guess he meant gate? Anywho I have not ripped them off yet, but I drive like an old man.
ps I guess I should have ground on that weld a bit more. Old dry eyes. That is one of the places I was talking about to leave undone so it will lay flat in a box.

Hinges are very beefy. I'm surprised there is not more movement in the rack. Guess if you make these I'll have to reinstall my CB antenna. Was thinking of a short two footer to the top rear of the luggage rack anyway.

If I again get the go ahead from the designer, I want to confirm how we handle it. I will have to work with the fabricator and get a price and time line.
I will keep it posted when I hear back.

Stop farting around on the forum and get going on this rack.:giggle: If I go to TN in NOV, I want to swing throug and get it installed.:thumbs:

This is a very cool rack and I have seen it carry quite a it of weight. A great mod and one people should jump on if Hunner does a run of them.

I got the rights to use the original rack design from the designer for a base starting point, thanks Paul.
I spent two hours at the fab shop going over things. He is having a place that can laser cut tubing and cut the holes and location tabs for the welders and this might save some assembly time. They are using a welding jig for the other project and it works great. I love this stuff. He also said maybe with some fabricated brackets at the assembly points it could be bolted. I wanted reinforcing at those points and several bolts. Nothing is decided yet. If the interest keeps up on here I may shoot for 10 so it will be a worthwhile effort for both of us.
We looked at some new textured powder coating that was really nice on some irregular pieces he had. I asked if it was UV resistant. Gotta check on that.
So the ideas are churning. I want to ship UPS. Truck on some items he had about the same size is high.

One piece laying there was OD Green and was about 3 foot square with lasered holes all over it. He said guess what that is. Whew, I dunno looks like a platform. It was for working on Hummvees at the arsenal. I guess to hold a tech over the radiator stack so he can get to the engine. The other part of it was not there.

Hay Hunner you said that you sandwich the rack between the spare carrier and the door. So how far is the carrier off the door because that will add to how far my tire sits out.

Thanks JoshuaL

Good question. It moves it out 2 1/2 inches.

Hunner said:

After I bolted it on and without the brace on the spare I hung my 200 lbs on it and it is solid.

I did forget to weigh it and I cannot find the shipping ticket but it has some mass to it. I will have to build crates for the two pieces or do a lot of traveling to deliver. We will see as this progresses.

Click to expand...

This would not work with a Gobi ladder.