Bent X-Star board rack

So I pulled a rookie move when pulling my boat out from the garage. I added a new rubbermaid storage tower in the corner of the garage and one leg of the board rack hit this and bent the board rack (just one fork) about 45 degrees.

Any suggestions on how to bend it back? My neighbor though I might be able to heat it up w/ a torch and bend it back. If this was a good idea, could I just use one of those $20 torches at any hardware store, or would it take a special welding torch (as you can see I know nothing about torches).

Any ideas would be much appreciated.

bob

Not good. I am assuming it is aluminum that bent. Aluminum hates to be fatigued - it will quickly break.

Can't do any harm in trying to straigten it now. If it were me, I'd try to totally disassemble it so that you have just the one flat metal 'fork' part. Then I would put it between a couple of long 2x12s (near one end). Then I'd carefully drive a car up on the boards from the other end and 'press' it back flat. This way, you can't hyper-extend it the other way and potentially break it. If you had access to a industrial press, this would be even better. Just put it in a press, and flatten it hydrolically.

I don't think you'd get any benefit from heating this. Some other aluminum expert might chime in here but I think this is better for steel not really aluminum.

Good luck!

I've hit dock pillings before and bent the old style racks. To straighten the bent fork I used a long pipe.

Look for a local manufacturing operation that does rubber/plastic molding and has hydraulic presses. They could help you. I had a similar experience. Fortunately, I run a molding operation so I didn't have to go looking for one.

I've bent the fork on a rack (twice, actually). I did the same thing Whit did, and it worked fine. I took it off the boat and put it in a vice to make it easier to work on.

It's likely a hardened aluminum so it will bend back a few times but eventually crack.

if u heat the aluminum it will weaken it. try to bend it back into place.