Accessories that suck (in a good way)

jscherb

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Accessories that suck (in a good way).

At SEMA in November I can across a company called SeaSucker - they make cargo accessories for boats and vehicles that attach with powerful suction cups. Here's one of the products they were showing, it's a Rotopax holder that can stick to the side window or body side of a vehicle (https://www.seasucker.com/collections/seasucker-camp-line/products/rotopax-tank-holder):

SeaSuckerRotopax3.jpg


At SEMA they were also showing a range of things mounted to a Gladiator cap window:

SeaSuckerShovel.jpg


At SEMA there was also a Chinese company offering similar suction mounts, but theirs have a vacuum motor and a battery and they detect loss of suction and automatically tighten the suction grip when that happens (https://www.onyxmount.com/product_detail/Electricity-type-of-vacuum-mount/GIIKO-EVM). They were demonstrating this rack with their automatic vacuum mounts:

Suction2.jpg


Both of these interested me enough that I decided I would experiment with vacuum mounting. I kept in touch with Chinese company and their automatic mounts are not on the market yet but just about ready for testing, so I may get a few samples from them but in the meantime I found a source for discounted SeaSucker mounts and picked up some samples to play with.

Since a Rotopax holder already exists, I had to try something else. How about a table that mounts to the side of the Jeep?

A while back I designed and built a tailgate table with features not found in any other table and I still have the prototype here so I decided to try that with suction. Here's the table on a TJ tailgate (using screws, before suction):


I designed that table so that with a minor change in mounting hardware the same table could be installed on TJ, JK or JL tailgates, and since it was designed to be adaptable it was easy to make a suction mount. Check it out:


VacuumTable1.jpg


VacuumTable2.jpg


The MOLLE panel is optional and perhaps not necessary for the side mount version.

The way I designed the vacuum mount I don't intend the table to be installed while driving - I only used two suction mounts at the top and it has rubber feet that rest against the body at the bottom but with two vacuum mounts at the bottom it could remain installed while driving.

Another idea... a while back I designed a MOLLE panel intended to mount inside the hardtop and be accessible through a side window/hatch:

CargoCompartmentPanelTest1o_zpsa6ibcpou.jpg


CargoCompartmentPanelTestFit2j2_zpsrrfoabcw.jpg


I've still got that prototype panel here so I decided to try it with vacuum mounts on the outside. For this test I used 4 vacuum mounts so the panel could be left in place while driving.


The vacuum mounts are rated for 120lbs. each and this panel has 4 of them, so it's not going anywhere. The table is mounted with only two, but even so that's 240 lbs., so should be plenty.

VacuumMOLLE.jpg


I think that accessories that suck have a future.
 
I’ve been using a SeaSucker mount for about a decade.

I mounted a small(ish) led spot light to it and utilized a SeaSucker so I can move the light where I want it.

It works really well - better if the surface is wet.
 
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I love it. Please don't tempt me into putting more crap into my Jeep.

Actually like the idea for the back window of my crew cab F250...a MOLLE panel and bags might get half my gear off the back seats.

Riddle me this...how is it I can spend hours trying to pop a window out of a seal without breaking it...and picture myself hanging a 100 lbs of crap on the back window and imagine it laying on the back seat after a good pothole?

-Mac
 
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It started to rain the other day when I was doing the videos and photos of the prototype vacuum-mount table so I didn't get to do any photos without the optional MOLLE panel. It's a beautiful day today, so here goes:


VacuumTable5.jpg


VacuumTable3.jpg


VacuumTable4.jpg


I'll use the table in this configuration on my LJ for the times when I don't have the full Trail Kitchen onboard. For some expeditions I just carry the fridge on a simple slide without a table and since I have a StoreGate on the tailgate I can't use a tailgate table in that Jeep.

LJFridgeOnly.jpg
 
What did you think of the jack?

It seemed pretty large to me but I didn't pay too much attention to it - since all 3 of my Jeeps have 32" tires I'm very happy with a hydraulic bottle jack. Doesn't take up too much space, quick and easy to use.

I was concerned about the axe though - do you think it's a good idea to drill a hole in in the handle near the head for mounting? Seems like that would weaken it quite a bit.
 
I have a hard top on my TJ and really like the idea of the molly system over the inside of the driver side back side window. How to attach it with out the suction cups though ?
 
I posted this photo in my SEMA thread; MORryde has picked up the suction-mount table design and was showing an early prototype at this year's SEMA Show. No word on a release date, they're still working on several sources for suction mounts. A tailgate mount version will almost certainly follow since 95% of the parts are the same for the suction version and the tailgate version.

MORrydeDisplay4.jpg


I've been experimenting with some other ideas that suck, such as this hood-mount gear panel.

TJHoodPanel1.jpg


TJHoodPanel2.jpg


TJHoodPanel3.jpg


This isn't the size or shape I would make the panel if this were to become a product, I just used a panel I had on hand from another project to do this mockup.

It fits on the JK as well.

JKHoodPanel1.jpg


I believe there are hood panels on the market, but they bolt in place vs. this one that attaches/removes in seconds using the suction mounts. With the suction mount, you would only have the panel and the gear on the hood when you were on an expedition where the gear might be used. Otherwise the gear could be left in the garage.

I'm considering prototyping a few other ideas I have that also suck, I'll post them if I do prototypes.
 
How would you keep from getting it and your gear stolen?

It's very unlikely to be stolen on the trail, and since it's so easy to install/remove and you won't need the gear for daily driving to the mall, leave it in the garage. That leaves getting from home to the trails - in my case, that's upstate NY -> Colorado, so a few days on the road in hotels... again, since it's so easy to remove/install, pop it off and stow it inside the Jeep overnight.

I'm always amazed at people who keep their HiLift on their Jeep all year round, I'll guarantee it won't work if they ever needed it because the mechanism doesn't really like prolonged exposure to the weather. But I guess those people just carry the jack for show anyway. This mount is for people who actually might use the gear and want to keep it in good shape by storing it in the garage until it's time to leave on an expedition.
 
I'm always amazed at people who keep their HiLift on their Jeep all year round, I'll guarantee it won't work if they ever needed it because the mechanism doesn't really like prolonged exposure to the weather.

1701048507663.jpeg


Yup, learned that lesson the hard way, when I lost a tire at 40 mph, and the hilift was the only jack available. A couple good wacks on the asphalt got the mechanism unstuck though.

In my defense, the hilift was installed by the PO.
 
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So far I've tested all of the design ideas using 5" suction mounts; I decided to see how well 3" mounts would work. They're rated for 55 lbs. each, I figured they could support the trail table. A comparison:

3and5InchMounts.jpg


Testing in below zero temperature:

3InchTestLJ1.jpg


3InchTestLLJ2.jpg


They seem to work pretty well.

MORryde picked up the table design a while back and was showing a preproduction sample at SEMA and a few recent RV shows. They're working on finalizing their version of the design for production right now.