i am clearing out a custom AV cabinet to install two slide out Racks. the total height of the opening is 21 1/4 high. with slide out rack mechanism & 12u rack is right around 26 1/2 inches high. The cabinet of course wasn't built originally to accommodate the height of a rack. Have any of you cut the sides and replaced the top's to accommodate situations like this, im sure its not that uncommon. Any tips or insite on cutting them?

Due to the height of the opening and equipment/cooling the equipment will have to be spread between the two racks, there is a center "colum" that allows the doors to mount to. Because the equipment has to be split between the two racks how can i do the service so when one rack is out its not yanking on the other racks equipment. Do i put the service loops in between the racks so one can be pulled out (or both) without stress?

TIA

BTW: it is impossible to remotely locate equipment. I have calculated with cooling I can fit 2x 3312AVR's 2x DTV receivers 2x PS3's 3x P-AMP's 1xPMC3 & small networking gear. This is going to 2 very packed racks

 Skip in the fab shop cuts them down all the time.  Ask him on Monday, but I think he just uses a hacksaw.

I have had the same situation several times. If you are usung a Middle Atlantic AXS rack, just cut the uprights with a hack saw. You dont have to worry about a service loop if you are using the arms on the back of the rack although you cant use the arms on a short rack as they only come in 1 size. If you cant use the arms, use a bungee cord attached to the wire bundle at on end and the other end to the top rear of the inside of the cabinet to keep the wires from sliding under the rack when it gets pushed in.

done it a dozen times for the slim 5 racks. take it by machine shop let them put the chop saw to the uprights and boom goes the dynamite. hacksaw? dont even mess with it. best $40 youll ever spend. tried the first one with sawzall, never again. you will never get as nice a cut as a chop saw.

Search for portaband. We use them in the field to cut rack rail, unistrut, pretty much anything...

I have cut racks down. Cutoff wheel on the rotozip works fine if you are in a pinch and do not have anything else. :)

As far as the racks and wire management, the center support might be an issue. Is there any way to re-do the doors so there is simply a stop at the top and bottom and the piece in the center is attached to one of the doors? It looks simpler than I explained it probably. :)

I have mounted slide out racks side by side a couple of time. I usually keep a service loop that allows and pretty much requires both racks to be pulled out. Then you spin them both opposite directions, one slightly ahead of the other, until the backs are facing each other at whatever angle the rack allows...not 180 degrees from one another....but maybe 120 or 130? That center piece will be a biatch to work around though. Not impossible....but not happiness inducing. ;) Also, if there is no room on either side of the racks, make sure you plug the power cord in first! And anything thing else that attaches to a wall plate....you do not want to forget something because you will never reach back there again without cussing.

 We've cut plenty of these racks down as well. We used to source all our MA gear from $#@d and they would stock the full length rails which are nearly the same price and we could just pick them up and cut them down to size. 

It sounds like its going to be a pain in the butt, so be sure to add in some extra hours on your estimate. 

Honestly, at that size, I would be doing a CFR rack or a small 12U from snap, two that you can just pull completely out. Mabye have a table or something that you can slide them out on to and move off to the side.

Actually with the slide-out mechanism taking basically 2U, you only get 10U of space. Go with a CFR and you at least get 11U and will most likely be happier. Since we started using this method, I can't see where I will use an slide out on rail style rack again.

You guys like the hard route.

I'd assume he is using MA SRSR racks. They'll cut them for him, I'd assume again. If not I have cut them with a sawzall and a new blade. Two minutes with a file and a splash of paint from MA and you're good to go.

I chop up racks all the time and usually just do it on-site with my Bosch jig saw and a speed square.  Something like a SRSR or SRS only takes a few minutes to shorten the rails. 

I keep a can of satin black spray paint in the van to finish the ends and keep them from rusting.  It works best to spray a little paint on some card board and then dip the end of the rail into the paint instead of trying to spray the end of the rail which gets messy.

I use a grinder to cut racks/rails down. I use krylon semi-flat black to touch them up.



Also.. see the what did you do today thread. Bassale has a solution for racks in cabinets. They float and can be pulled out of the cabinet and placed on a moving blanket. This might work well for your application and you wont waste the few inches for the slide mechanism.

the way I do it too

Cut away! Thats why we call it cutstom install.

I've used a hacksaw on racks several times.. A chopsaw with a metal blade would ensure a square cut if you aren't very handy with a hacksaw.

The chopsaw also ensures that your hand won't shake, and that your arm will continue to work, without having to wait a half hour to get over the hacking. There's a reason things are sometimes called hack jobs, and in this case it's quite literally a hack.

I would also recommend clamping them all together so that you don't cut the rails unevenly.

Use a sawzall on a slow speed with a sharp metal blade.