80/20 DIY Stand for Reefer 525XL

rbraunberger · Jun 30, 2019

Hello all,

I recently moved, and am wanting to build a new stand for my Reefer 525XL. I have a large UV filter, and some other gear that makes the stock stand not so handy.

I have looked at having a steel stand made vs modular aluminum, and it seems the aluminum is the way to go. Anyone used this to build their stands? What size did you use? How did you reinforce the stand? Any other good companies that are high quality? I know 80/20 is a high quality product, but price can be high compared to other companies.

Thank you for all the advice in advance!

Reefer Reboot · Jun 30, 2019

I use the extruded aluminum for my stands and am very pleased with it. I also use it at work and know that it can be a lot stronger than most people would think. But the best part is the "modularity" of it. Changing the configuration or adding to it makes it convenient to work with. There are several different sizes and each size comes in different grades of "hollowness". The less hollow, the stronger it is. There is a lot of companies now dealing this stuff with free calculators to use for designing. I think most will even assist you to get exactly what you want/need. Is it more expensive than wood? Sure, but there is a lot of advantages to using it, one of which is more room for equipment. Shop around and don't skimp on the connecting brackets as that plays a big part in the strength.
Have fun and good luck!

Antics · Jun 30, 2019

I've seen Framing Tech on R2R and YouTube sponsored builds. I'd check them out, especially if you want help with the actual design.

rbraunberger · Jul 7, 2019

Has anyone made a waterproof reservoir in the bottom of their 8020 stand? I was wanting something, maybe 2-4", that would hold water incase of a leak.

Antics · Jul 7, 2019

rbraunberger said:
Has anyone made a waterproof reservoir in the bottom of their 8020 stand? I was wanting something, maybe 2-4", that would hold water incase of a leak.

You can do this pretty easily by building an acrylic box that fits in the dimensions. It's also easy to build it out of wood and then caulk the seams and paint it with an epoxy or water proof (resistant) paint. You're probably not going to find many posts documenting a stand alone box on R2R but if you look at various DIY stand or build threads you can see where people have done the work to basically spill proof their stand.

coseal · Jul 7, 2019

Untitled by shaun s., on Flickr

i used extrusions for my 120. worked great! 45mm from misumi. i used a 1/2 ply back bottom and top bolted to the stand for extra support and corner gussets where i thought i needed em. measure twice order once!

adjustable feet. used a tap and tapped the center bore of the extrusion.

Untitled by shaun s., on Flickr

Witchking330 · Sep 20, 2019

That's sweet! ...do you think 30mm 3030 would work for a 36x24 65gallon tank??

coseal · Sep 21, 2019

Witchking330 said:
That's sweet! ...do you think 30mm 3030 would work for a 36x24 65gallon tank??

with a center brace sure! i think it would be ok. there is a deflection calculator on 80/20's site but it only applies to the extrusions made by them. 30mm is roughly 1 1/8" material so expect some deflection over a 36" span. if you want no center brace i would be looking at bigger material... at least for the top horizontals! is there a reason you are stuck to 30x30mm extrusions? i have seen your amazon links in other threads... is it the ease of purchase?