"Gimballing" a Small Tray Top - Any Ideas?

[BaseCamp]

Hi my fellow swaggers...

I am thinking about an idea for a tray for a lightweight BBQ; (such as a Ziggy) - where I may be able to have it mounted onto the A frame of my van...  ??

Ideally permanently mounted; but if there were too much vibration and dust etc; (which I suspect that there would be) - then the BBQ would come out from the floor of the van at camp - and then be latched onto the tray top; that would be built onto my A frame....

I would have this "tray device" made out of s/steel, and would have it so that:

(a) it can be raised vertically, and so that;
(b) it will have an arm of sorts - that will counter-lever everything away from the A frame...
(c) Then I also want to be able to gimbal the tray that the BBQ sits on - because personally I like my eggs etc etc - not running off and over the corner of the hotplate - and I'm not yoking about this either!   

I do not want to have the BBQ mounted on a "fridge slide" in the front boot; as I think this space is too valuable as general storage space...

So far; the closest thing to a "gimballing hinge" that may work - is this thing I found in a chandlery.   

This is designed to take a marine antenna and have the antenna fold down flush with the side wall of a boat.   This hinge can pretty much be azimuthed at any angle you want....   

But I note that only one axis can be easily locked off by hand - the other axis would need a wrench ...  so not ideally practical...

### I will post this - then upload a couple of pics of the hinge via tapatalk....   

So I am looking for any suggestions - including how to make the tray top level - when its support leg could be a any angle...

Thanks in advance...

BaseCamp





 

[BaseCamp]

This is photographed "upside down" ...   EG  the large plate piece at the top; normally would be attached to the side of the boat -- as a baseplate....

The thought is to attach a small tray of sorts to this plate...


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[KingBilly]

What am I missing here?  Whenever I set up camp, my drawbar is pretty much dead level which is obtained by a leveling ramp under one wheel and using the jocky wheel.  I like my bed to be level when I go to sleep.  Don't you do the same?

KB

[BaseCamp]

Good point. ...  "yes and no"...   a lot of our stuff is 2 or 3 day camps ... including arrival and departure. ....   I do try and get the van level; by finding more level ground if available;   (we are always in bush/free camping areas); not CPs...

The rest of my leveling is with attempts with the stabilizer legs. ....   Main reason for all of that is lack of confidence and very little "reversing and forwarding" experience. ...   (Only had the van on a few trips so far; and towed on the black stuff approx 1,000kms all in.... Nil experience backing up onto blocks etc...

Maybe I should just try working on making the van better level with blocks. ...

Thanks

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[KingBilly]

Get a set of plastic levelling ramps from Super Cheap next time they are on special and give one to family or a mate as you only need to take one with you.  Select your camp spot, check your spirit level on the draw bar.  Put the ramp in front of the side that needs to be raised, drive forward with your offsider watching the spirit level.  Once level, stop, chock the wheels and pull the handbrake on.  Unhitch, use jockey wheel to level forward and aft, drop stabiliser legs.

KB

[BaseCamp]

Ok thanks. ..   I'll definitely give that a crack....    it doesn't sound that hard at all. ...    (Never having tried), I was just thinking I'd have to reverse up onto the leveler block. ...   but even I should be able to make it happen; just rolling forward. ...   LOL   

Cheers
BaseCamp

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[edz]

Could always make up one of these https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x19Wsx2OSz8   

[BaseCamp]

a little bit too technical for me  .....   LOL     but great skills there for sure

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[moose2367]

Big ram mount?

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[austastar]

Hi,

https://youtu.be/b4JQV15VzBc

Cheers

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[michael h]

What about something like this?
Its a transmission jack adapter mounted on a post clamped to your "A" frame

[BaseCamp]

Thanks for posting this. ...   actually bought one of these things 2015 Brisbane Caravan Show....  It's never been used; (though it seemed a good idea at the time of purchase LOL....)

BUT now I have watched it demonstrated on the video. ...   very happy to try it out!!!!   Seems easy enough. ..

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