Version A	Version B

Overview

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Version A
(#1486)

Top	Rear	Installed in Brake Bar

Technical Details

I made my Woods Brake Bar Latch, Version A in 2016.

Version A is 50 mm. tall, 16 mm. wide, 16 mm. thick, and weighs 16 g. It consists of an aluminum rod with two milled slots and a half-length axial hole drilled to accept a compression spring. One of the slots is open on one side to align with the open slot in a tubular brake bar.

Comments

After witnessing some near misses (and undoubtedly familiar with Scott McCrea’s article "Danger! Don't feed the micro-rack!" in The Nylon Highway #48), John decided to address the problem of the fourth bar in a BMS Microrack opening during certain maneuvers. In 2014, he showed me his first solution, a spring-loaded aluminum insert that fit inside the brake bar. I do not have a photograph of the handmade original, but I was able to make this copy from memory.

The design works quite well, and greatly reduces the risk of having the brake bar open inadvertently. Of course, no device can possibly be foolproof, so no one should substitute reliance on any gadget for proper technique and full assumption of all responsibility for their own safety.

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Version B
(#1486)

Technical Details

John Woods gave me this Woods Brake Bar Latch at the 2015 NSS Convention

The Woods Brake Bar Latch is 50 mm. tall, 15 mm. wide, 3 mm. thick, and weighs 2 g. It is made out of black plastic.

There are no markings on the Woods Brake Bar Latch.

Comments

In 2015, John handed me this latch. He had discussed the idea developed in Version A with Paul Stovall, who made a plastic insert that accomplished the same thing.

I don't have a current BMS Microrack, so I planned to install it on my BMS Minirack. That didn't work: the old Minirack, despite being similar to the current microracks, had smaller bars. The latch would not fit inside. I changed plans, and installed it on my Long Microrack instead. Even then, it needed some filing to fit smoothly. The result did not work as smoothly as my copy of John’s original aluminum latch did; however, I think it will work better in the current BMS bars (of which I have one).

Operation is simple: to open the bar, press the end of the latch. This allows the rack frame to clear the small hook, letting the bar swing open.

Slotted End View	Rear View	Pivoting End View