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The Wrangler Bar[kery]

RussJeep1

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Nearly all of us have that image in our heads of that stock photo of a Wrangler. It's cruising along a beachside road, top and doors off, surfboards on top, and that long haired driver's (male or female) best friend loving the open air feel as scents and sights catch the dog's attention like us humans a television.

But as our better halves repeatedly call our name, waking us from this temporary dream state back into reality, we face the dilemma that our very love for our pets, and the enjoyment we give them from this experience must also be tempered by our obligation to protect them from harm, restricting their movement in the rig, so as to not be injured in an accident or short stop situation.

If you read another DIY post of mine you know I've been working with structural pipe to make a roof rack system for the JLU. https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/forum/threads/diy-no-hole-roof-rails.10580/

This hardware inspired me to create a way to maximize the animal's freedom in the rig, and its safety.

I present you with (drum roll) the Wrangler Bar[kery]...a play on words that incorporates the use of a bar to protect those that bark.

(It has nothing to do with the bakery we're about to take our furry friend to.;))

IMG_2414.JPG



Lets take a look at the device separate from the rig and dog. The part that goes behind the back seat is closest:

wranglerbarkery1.jpg


Lets take a look at the parts:

4 Rubber Leg Tips come in handy for the 12" and 4" pieces of tubing that touch the bottom and back of the front of the rear seat respectfully. These distances are dog and harness specific, YMMV.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Everbilt-1-in-Black-Rubber-Leg-Tips-4-per-Pack-49128/203661031





Steel-Tek 3/4" structural pipe (which has an O.D. of about 1"). You'll need two 10' pipes. Some of mine was painted from another job.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/B-K-SteelTek-3-4-in-x-10-ft-Galvanized-Steel-Structural-Pipe/1000057725

(or at the manufacturer's link: http://www.steel-tek.com/sites/551/uploaded/files/564040PE30LW_5661200PE30LW.pdf)

A hack saw to cut the pipe with, or one of these:

https://www.harborfreight.com/4-12-in-5-amp-heavy-duty-angle-grinder-60372.html

(compatible 4.5" cutting wheels sold separately at the store--they come up in the aforementioned link)

An Allen wrench to tighten the following fixtures:

Four, 3/4" elbows: https://www.lowes.com/pd/SteelTek-3...Steel-Structural-Pipe-Fitting-Elbow/999930918 or http://www.steel-tek.com/sites/551/uploaded/files/672504506HC.pdf

Two 90 degree short Tees: https://www.lowes.com/pd/SteelTek-3...l-Structural-Pipe-Fitting-Short-Tee/999930898 or what the manufacturer correctly refers to as a side outlet Tee http://www.steel-tek.com/sites/551/uploaded/files/671604606HC.pdf

An appropriate sized car seat harness for your dog, similar to the one "Snowball" is wearing. Conventional neck collars are unacceptable!

Something to connect the harness to the pipe. I used this: https://www.harborfreight.com/jumbo-aluminum-hook-92077.html

Notes: Adjust the placement of the two 90 degree short Tees to more than my 3" (i.e. closer to the front-to-back midline of the rig) to account for larger leash and dog sizes. The idea is to limit just how much the animal can stick its head out the window and to prevent its ejection.

Areas of improvement: adjustment of height of bar and distance from its front vertical portion.... Coating of bar with foam, e.g. https://www.homedepot.com/p/Everbilt-1-in-x-6-ft-Foam-Pipe-Insulation-ORP11812/204760805

Use of back of rear seat teather points for a child seat to keep the bar from the back seat from rising up (although I don't see this as a problem) in a short stop.

Oh---and thank a solder today! Happy Fourth!
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JJexp

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That’s a neat idea, but I fear it may seriously injure our furry friends should you be rear ended. I use the adapters that lock into the seatbelt latches for my dogs car harnesses.
 
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RussJeep1

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That’s a neat idea, but I fear it may seriously injure our furry friends should you be rear ended. I use the adapters that lock into the seatbelt latches for my dogs car harnesses.
Funny, I've been thinking about lowering the bar in the front of the seat so the animal doesn't hit its head on any recoil from a sudden braking.

Up until now I've just put the safety belt through the harness shown above: designed for vehicle travel but it limits, as you must appreciate, lateral movement.

This is a discovery build. As far as I am concerned a build is never done. You can always make improvements. The thing I don't get is why you think serious injury to the animal might result from a rear end collision. That bar, relative to the rig itself isn't going anywhere. Are you saying Jon what I mentioned above about head injury to the animal hitting the bar in front end recoil applies to the rear end hit scenario?

I'm definitely lowering that bar to inches above the more horizontal portion of the seat, insuring it can't rise, and adding cushioning for it.

Thanks for your opinion.

My wife was NOT happy that she will now be relegated to a seat I'm designing for the roof rack so Snowball has free reign over the back seat.;)
 
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RussJeep1

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That looks like the thing they handcuff you to when you get taken to jail. I mean, at least that's what I've seen on TV.
Where'd ya think I got the idea?;)
 

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JJexp

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I can certainly appreciate the ability to limit the dogs lateral movement, and I appreciate the effort your making towards a safe solution. My concern is that, in a rear end collision the vehicle can be subject to a rapid forward acceleration. For you and I, the seat cushion that we’re already resting against will absorb that shock, and accelerate us with the vehicle. For the animal, who is essentially standing with no support, it will be a rather unpleasant impact.

Think of it like being shoved against a wall. If you’re already leaning with your back up against the wall and I give you a good push, you’re not going to go anywhere. If you’re standing a foot away from the wall and I give you a good shove, you’re going to impact the wall with some force and possibly sustain some injury.

Is it possible to locate the bar down where the seat bottom and the rear cushion intersect?
 
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RussJeep1

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Is it possible to locate the bar down where the seat bottom and the rear cushion intersect?
Consider it done. Trivial. But for two current 12" risers that can be shortened the device would lie on the horizontal portion of the seat.

I may need though to come up an inch so the bar can float to allow the animal to move laterally.

Thanks for your thoughts on safety. If the device sacrifices it for the animal's improved freedom it's junk.
 

JJexp

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I’ll be staying tuned, because I think it’s a good idea. Can’t wait to see and implement the final design into my vehicle. :like:
 

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Cool idea but I don't see that it beats out the adapter that clicks into the seat belt buckle and on the dog harness; what am I missing?

g?q=tbn:ANd9GcTcSjXA8iVQmOC6kdVBScyWQ5X8mfRK6Jc-yUgRfnDxPvDMX3fGQrayknPsCoaDyJHrYHveE0U&usqp=CAY.jpg
 

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RussJeep1

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Cool idea but I don't see that it beats out the adapter that clicks into the seat belt buckle and on the dog harness; what am I missing?

g?q=tbn:ANd9GcTcSjXA8iVQmOC6kdVBScyWQ5X8mfRK6Jc-yUgRfnDxPvDMX3fGQrayknPsCoaDyJHrYHveE0U&usqp=CAY.jpg
Patyrick: this device you reference--which by the way I think is awesome and I am buying for my DIY, restricts "Fido's" movement from one window of the rig to the other, to just one I think--I mean not a great imposition--but things for our furry friends to smell and see come from both sides of the rig and I didn't want my best friend restricted to just one side of the rig, or the middle, without compromising her safety. I am JLU focused right now--4 doors.

The presumption I'm making is that your device, even if quite extendable, should not be longer than the distance for "Fido's" being stopped by it before he hits the back of the front seats (assuming he/she rides in the back) in a short stop, which, even if placed in the center rear seat, might limit his/her sideways movement.

I sought to devise something for as much freedom for "Fido" as we offer ourselves, but not compromise on the animal's safety. Version 1 did in certain ways I've just addressed.

Version 2:

IMG_2419.JPG


The right side of the photo is the part that sits in front of the back seat riser.

The legs that raise and space it off the horizontal portion of the seat have been shorted to 1.5" and the legs that distance it forward and space it from the seat's riser have been shorted to 2.5". The space gives the caribiner each lateral movement.

Also, the distance between the pair of these spacers now matches where the hardware resides in the back seat, by the safety belts, on each side of the bench, that handles the seats being collapsed and raised.

Finally, 1" pipe insulation foam was added for the length between these spaces https://www.homedepot.com/p/Everbilt-1-in-x-6-ft-Foam-Self-Seal-Pipe-Insulation-ORS11812/204760817 and the extra room this foam took up was addressed by yet a larger caribiner at Harbor Freight: https://www.harborfreight.com/8-inch-jumbo-aluminum-hook-95327.html

Here's it installed.

IMG_2420.JPG


Now she's unlikely to hit her head given the lower riding level of the bar the version 1, otherwise cushioned, and even more so for larger pets.

Unfortunately, she needs more slack as a result of lowering the bar...which is where your device comes in!

Final picture for now:

IMG_2421.JPG


Again, you may want your spacers sitting closer to midline for a larger dog or leash so the degree to which the dog's head can pop out the window is limited.
 

Jeepmarkjl

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Neat idea but seems like a significant safety threat in a real crash or even a short stop with whiplash. There is a harness out there from Sleepypod that not only restricts lateral/twisting movement in a crash but is certified by the Center for Pet Safety. Attached is link from all the crash testing. https://www.centerforpetsafety.org/cps-certified/ and watch these crash tests .
 
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RussJeep1

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Neat idea but seems like a significant safety threat in a real crash or even a short stop with whiplash. There is a harness out there from Sleepypod that not only restricts lateral/twisting movement in a crash but is certified by the Center for Pet Safety. Attached is link from all the crash testing. https://www.centerforpetsafety.org/cps-certified/ and watch these crash tests .
A couple of thoughts.

* I certain have no issue with people using the harness of your link in place of or with my hack.

* Both the harness I'm using and this one restrict lateral/twisting movement in and of themselves because with both harnesses the dog's front paws go though the device, and have little to do with the hack. Is your harness better than mine in regards to things like cushioning?...quite possibly.

* In my pictures you'll notice, as per user suggestion, that I lowered the bar and cushioned it so most of the rebound of the crash happens the same way as your video. Notice how the animal in the video you attached video is elevated somewhat in the rebound possibly rising over my lowered and cushioned bar.

* It is certainly true the vehicle safety belt with its locking 3 point harness will restrict lateral movement better than my hack on a collision with a lateral vector. The idea with mine though was that the play in the animal's side movement could be limited by how far apart you place those 90 degree couplers, and that they would limited the animal from hitting either side door or the seats in front, while providing the animal with the joy of moving about the cabin and enjoying the sights and smells from either side. With passenger's back there, lateral movement should be adjusted accordingly.

That video featured sideways movement eliminated by putting the car on a track that simulated a perfectly designed short stop or rear end center collision. Fido's moving laterally in other types of impacts no matter what..your harness and safety belt, or mine and bar: it's just a matter of how far sideways. In fact, to the extent that friction between the bar and the carabiner moving sideways occurs in such a hit with my hack, it absorbs some energy until the pooch hits the end of its rope, which happens before hitting an immovable object.

In fact I use to lock the safety belt rachet down. Don't think Fido didn't break both wrists hitting the front seat in that video, even if, far more importantly, he/she survives the crash. Whether his/her seatbelt locked would have spared his/her paws at the expense of increasing the impact of the blow to his/her underside, including chest, who knows.

All devices/hacks have limitations and contraindications...but thanks for showing us that alternative. If Fido pulls on a non racheted safety belt to try to get into the front seat and then an accident occurs, he's hitting the back seats. Racheted, he faces the impact considerations discussed above and limited ability to move around his sitting position even while occupying the same space.

I'll gladly spend money to protect my pooch with additional safety. I question though whether additional safety is had here, at a price starting North of $80, or so I think I saw. For what it's worth, I did consider a lot of the things highlighted by your video when designing it and taking people's feedback and stand to lose or gain $0 through people's use or avoidance of use of same.

And yes, I'd like to think I "raised the bar," by in actuality lowering it.;)
 
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Jeepmarkjl

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Ok.
It’s not “my” harness but one that’s been crash tested and approved. That’s all.
You should submit your invention to the CPS. if it passes, you’ve got a big hit. If it doesn’t pass, you’ve learned something to improve it.
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