New to me 125! Stand advice wanted

[jjohnwm]

Yeah, that stand is showing its age. So it lasted years...would you buy an old car that has lasted many years with the expectation that it will give you as long a useful life as it did its previous owner? I would think long and hard before using that stand.

The pictures don't show the corners very well, but looks as though the upper frame (2x6's?) does not sit upon load-bearing uprights but rather is simply attached to the sides...meaning that the entire load is supported by whatever screws or other fasteners are used. If so, the shear forces are terrific. If I were going to use this stand, I would be installing upright 2x4's or 2x6's in each corner so that the upper frame sits directly on them, and they in turn sit directly on the floor or on the other framework at the bottom. This way the weight of the tank is supported by wood, rather than just a bunch of screws.

But before I did that, I would likely just build a new stand out of inexpensive 2x4 lumber, and then finish the outside with panelling or whatever to dress it up a bit. Probably not much more effort, and you will have a better, stronger, more stable stand.

 

[Cich Mind]

Hello M mnloki ,
I personally wouldn't worry about adding a jack post if you are on a load bearing wall. If it helps you sleep better at night then go for it, still I wouldn't worry a bout that though. Now, about the stand. You could add 2x4's in the four corners and two in the center and two at the top horizontally. I'm just concerned about the materials used for the original design as there is a lot of 3/4" and 1" material used. I don't know how handy you are but I would at least try to beef up your existing stand or build one from scratch using 2x4's. A full 125g is quite a lot of weight and I would hate to see that stand fail. GL

 

[tlindsey]

Excellent advice from jjohnwm and Cich Mind .

 

[mnloki]

Much appreciated replies!

I have spent some time inspecting the stand while I painted it with killz primer. The bones are better than I thought. The upright supports are 1x6 and they are notched top and bottom. There are 5 1x6 on each end, and the 4 in the middle. It is not just the fasteners holding them. I'm not fond of the notching of 1x6...so it left me with two options. Quite similar to jjohnwm and @Chch mind suggestions.

1. Leave what is there. Add 1x6 on the outside of each existing 1x6 (there is not room for a 2x6) which would then fully be inside the 2x4 top and bottom frame.
2. Use the top and bottom 2x4 and ditch the 1x6 totally for 2x4s.

Either way I am using new OSB in the bottom. It's not structural, but the current bottom is ugly and has been wet. I lean towards adding 1x6 simply because of the aesthetics. I know I could add paneling...but this seems easier.