I'm building an automobile rotisserie capable of holding up to 5000 lbs. I'd like to use aluminum rather than steel. The steel verson weighs nearly 500 lbs.
This is what the finished product looks like:
http://www.harwoodperformance.bizlan...torial_20k.htm
I'm not sure how to go about selecting the right aluminum for the job. I've been told 6061-T6, or 6063-T52 or something similar would work best. That's great, but what about the dimensions?
For example, let's say I have a vertical support post made of 3"x3" square 3/16" walled steel tubing. If I want to use 6061-T6 square aluminum tubing instead, what should the size and thickness be? Is there some sort of rough conversion I can do to ballpark the correct sizing? Is there an online resource where I can learn what I need to do the calculations myself?
Any help/insight would be appreciated.
Kind regards,
Joe Martins