1/4" deflection in steel stand with no weight

C

CaravanShaka

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Should I be worried about this?

I didn't notice it when I picked it up from a member, and live 2 hrs from him. I asked him to build it, and he followed my design exactly, but the main beam that is supposed to support the tank dips a full 1/4" in the middle. The tank is 180 gallons, so I can't say I am comfortable with that much weight on a stand that is not flat and level.

Here are a couple pics, it is the front main beam:

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Thats the most important aspect of a stand is that it be completely flat. If not you will have pressure points on your glass and the weight won't be evenly distributed. I wouldn't put a tank on it unless it was completely flat. For more info checkout the "show us your steel stands" thread in the RC DIY section.
 
If he won't fix it I guess you can try to shim it under the tank. Most weight is supported on the legs that's where I would be concerned if it's not level.

I would have him redo it personally

Is it me or does the corner looks the the bar isn't flush where they meet

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They should be flush in my opinion


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Don't risk a tank with that much volume not siting perfectly on the stand. I would get it fixed. It should be a simple fix for almost any welder. It appears the piece installed is warped.
 
Thanks, guys.

How do you feel about adding a center upright that was the correct length to lift that bar to level? It would be a removable brace that would be installed with a jack and bolted into place.
 
+1 on an easy fix^ that's something that can me moved and as simple as adding extra support. You should be jumping someone's ass for not having a support in the middle anyways


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You don't need a brace in the middle if they used thick enough steel.


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Why wouldn't a piece of plywood covered in the pink foam not work to even out things for the tank
 
The piece probably started straight and when the metal cooled it warped a little bit. It could be caused by not having it clamped properly or by welding it to hot.

A center upright should fix the problem:)


Jason
 
I have 1/2" foam and the tank has a plywood laminate on the bottom. I may add a plywood layer between stand and foam as well, but I am still not comfortable with 1/4". The removeable brace should bring it up enough to make me comfortable.

That said, no center brace was my design, as I wanted to be able to pull out the 48" sump without having to move the stand if something were to cause me to need to. I said at the beginning a removeable upright is fine, but we didn't think it was necessary until the bowing issue came up.

Thanks for all the input guys!
 
@Jason_b972 wrote:
The piece probably started straight and when the metal cooled it warped a little bit. It could be caused by not having it clamped properly or by welding it to hot. A center upright should fix the problem:-) Jason said:
Close (and too hot probably true) I believe the cause was that he accidentally welded the uprights on the front side that were supposed to be in back. The welds probably sucked in a little, but with the uprights in place it was fine. When he cut them out to put them in back, the metal had a slight bow left. I checked the bottom bar and it is bowed up, which would support this explanation. Again, center brace should fix both.
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Good thinking. Center brace will work fine, or you can cut it and have another piece welded in. Either should work.
 
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