Do Connect-It Aluminium Joiners LAST?!

Рет қаралды 9,894

Күн бұрын

I've been using Connect-It Aluminium joiners in my diy canopy projects for years, and they've allowed me to build some custom canopy setups that really suit my needs - but do they last?? Today we're pulling apart my diy canopy kitchen build to find out!
💻 www.explorebou...
📸 @explorebound on Insta for pics of the setup/camping trips.
#diy #4wd #setup

Пікірлер: 38

@michaelivory7606 9 ай бұрын

Hi, check out Flexliner Tubeconnectors.....Perth based I think....essentially the same except made from tougher nylon....slightly different aluminium square tubing dimensions , available from aluminium suppliers....cheaper than bunnings. The different connectors also come in white sometimes available from Stratco. Not compatible with connect-it. I haven't bought them for more than 12 months but assume they are still available. Cheers

@HammerRocks 10 ай бұрын

Good update. I prefer to use aluminium extrusions. I used them for my crossbars for my RTT and they work a treat. But the aluminium channels of my RTT itself makes bolting something to it easy. The problem I have is where to get them in person. I have nowhere near my local area where I can get them from. For some reason, Bunnings do not sell any aluminium extrusions whatsoever.

@matthalpin1981 10 ай бұрын

Thanks, as always, for your open and honest attitude in this update.

@andrewdyer2209 10 ай бұрын

I used these for a platform/false floor in my wagon. I figured they would get absolutely pounded and destroyed so I end up using 90 degree angle steel brackets to reinforce them on the inside corners. You need to drill the holes to screw/bolt them in before assembly otherwise you won't have room to do so. Anyway, the platform is still going strong 4 years later

@chriscuppywhitehead6722 10 ай бұрын

Thanks for your honesty. Looking at this id still heavily consider using them, just think what i sit on top i guess. Not to mention, tye moment one breaks, its adding so much more pressure onto the surrounding joiners.

@paullobwein1632 10 ай бұрын

I have used this stuff a lot in various scenarios shed, car and in the house within cupboards. In each scenario when they are braced with another material they are a lot more capable for example in a car make your frame but reinforce with ply surrounds. If shelves but a sheet of ply in to fit then make it snug. What’s that saying of psychics for every action there is a reaction. If you enable it to move (bouncing in a car it will react and in this case crack. 😉 just a thought! Love your content

@SirBigzalot 4 ай бұрын

Bunnings is exxy go to an aluminium supplier like capral. If you use some composite panel should strengthen it

@4wdadventureoz 10 ай бұрын

Thanks for sharing this as I was going to ask you how they were faring. It was great that you showed the alternative as well.

@worthy_escapes 10 ай бұрын

Good update. Thanks for sharing. I feel like a big part of that failure may also have to do with the long run in the tube. I think if you had shorter runs with more cross bars you would eliminate this failure point. But, there always needs to be a weak point somewhere and this being it is probably a good thing rather than something harder to remove.

@explorebound 10 ай бұрын

That's a good point and no doubt a contributing factor - especially when you consider the other joiners were still fine after the same abuse 👍

@adamgregg6745 10 ай бұрын

I used the 4 slot aluminium extrusion you showed toward the end of the video for the internals of my canopy fitout, works super well, but yeah a bit more expensive

@NAGoodness 10 ай бұрын

I find this failure quite interesting. My whole canopy set up is made the same way, but for the most part has composite panel over the overside which I think adds a lot more strength. Its been 3 years, with multiple trips up the Gibb River Road among many other tracks and not a drama. Some extra bracing/support might help that weaker edge for you as well? Definitely better methods out there, but this worked for me at the time.

@explorebound 10 ай бұрын

Yeah I agree some form of bracing would have made a big difference - something I'll look at adding to mine. 🙂

@lukehutchinson6754 10 ай бұрын

I have found that the aluminium extrusion is difficult to source locally in Perth, pretty much order online was the only option and I haven't made up my mind on which one to go for. Cheers for the update 🍻

@evil17 10 ай бұрын

Good job. Thanks for the update.

@Ranger670 10 ай бұрын

I've come late to the party! Didn't know about the joiners and have a couple of projects I'll take my chances and use them on. Thanks for the tip.

@mothergoose3064 10 ай бұрын

I have had the same experience. The joins that take direct load failed in my last build. For my current build I used alluminium chanel instead.

@KarlEller 10 ай бұрын

I wonder if they'd go better with a bit of cross bracing, like a plywood/MDF sheet that's screwed into the 4 square tube pieces, so it spreads the load out instead of concentrating it in the corners.

@streakychambers658 9 ай бұрын

The Connect-It are available in 'Solid' Heavy duty versions...you've used the hollow Light Duty ones...hardly surprising they broken under abuse.

@explorebound 9 ай бұрын

Are the heavy-duty versions available in Australia? I'd not heard of them or seen them before

@Izac89 10 ай бұрын

G'day mate, I've been watching a lot of your videos lately as I am planning a canopy build of my own, first of all I wanna say thanks for your great honest views on products & techniques ect. & also congratulate you on the quality of your content your doing a great job. I have a question to ask you about your legs for lifting off your canopy. Do you ever travel with these & if so have you found an effective storage solution for them? It would be great to lift off the canopy once camp is set up and be able to go for a drive, which obviously requires the legs, just wondering how you store these when on the road mate? Thanks mate, keep up the good work 👍 Izac.

@explorebound 10 ай бұрын

Thanks mate, glad you've been enjoying the vids! Regarding the legs, with my previous canopy which was much larger I used to take them away on trips where I wanted to be able to leave camp and head off 4wding, but they were quite annoying to store and I never really found an effective storage solution for them. This canopy is a fair bit smaller so a bigger struggle to get them to fit comfortably - so I've never bought them along for that reason. I have seen people store them in the storage drawer under the tray which is a great option if they fit for your particular build, but mine are slightly too large unfortunately.

@Izac89 10 ай бұрын

@explorebound No Problem mate, thanks for your feed back. Once I work out a good solution I will be sure to share it with you. Wishing you Safe & Happy travels in the Mighty D-Max 👍

@karlschmidt4018 10 ай бұрын

It’s recommended to drill and pop rivet the joins 🙌

@explorebound 10 ай бұрын

I believe that's to prevent them coming loose which is definitely worthwhile, but it doesn't affect the strength unfortunately.

@OTRWA 10 ай бұрын

Hi...tip!!...get yourself some waterbases epoxy and fill the joiners before use.

@johnread1984 10 ай бұрын

Casting resin?

@fatmanoverlanding 10 ай бұрын

Any ideas on how to reinforce that area of the frame to prevent it happening again?

@explorebound 10 ай бұрын

Adding panels to the back/sides adds a great amount of strength to constructions like these. The way I built mine, most of the load from bumps/corrogations is put straight through the plastic joiners, whereas back/side panels would absorb a lot of that force and prolong the life of the joiners. 👍