Question regarding Pin and Pipe

[rockweasel]

In my home gym I have what is called a pin and pipe setup. Here's a photo from a website:

The purpose of this is to take the weight of a barbell, so it must be strong enough to do this without bending/breaking.
The pin in the middle runs from the outside of one upright to the outside of the other.
I'm no mechanical engineer, but my understanding of this arrangement is that the heavy 50mm pipe is strong enough to resist bending if, say, a heavy barbell were dropped at the mid point. The force is *directed* (don't know the proper words) to the ends of the 50mm pipe. The ends of the pipe are very near the inside of the two uprights. In effect the ends of the pipe are trying to shear the much thinner pin that runs through the middle of it, but the pin is thick enough to avoid this.

My question is: Could the middle part of the pin be done away with and just have two shorter pins at either end? I've attached a sketch of the existing and proposed set up.
(Edit: The pin is thicker than 5mm, that was just a guess I took when drawing the sketch.
Whatever it is; it's thick enough to work in Configuration #1)

Thanks!

 

[gaz_moose]

the posts on the rack at the gym I go to are like that but they have a better safety bar arrangement.

a bit like this one
https://www.d8fitness.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/powermark-470hr-4.jpg

where the unequal box section meets the upright there is a pin that fits into the upright then you swing them 90 deg to undo them

 

[gaz_moose]

I can just get a picture as trying to explain is a nightmare.

 

[dan treg]

from engineering perspective ie shear force and bending moments probably ok . think its more for to ensure pin or pins are level and to ensure pin doesnt fall out for safety reasons

 

[gaz_moose]

why do you even need the pipe? can you not just make 1 mega long pin for each side?

 

[owas]

The pin and pipe arangment is to save the barbell as it absorbs the shock if you drop it, which you shouldnt do unless necessary (i hate seeing people do rack pulls off the pins!)

My power rack has 1" dia solid pins for safeties, i wouldnt dare drop my expensive bars on them!

 

[rockweasel]

I can just get a picture as trying to explain is a nightmare.

I made a pair of quick release J Cups using that design, so I know what you mean:

 

[gaz_moose]

I made a pair of quick release J Cups using that design, so I know what you mean:

our gym has ones like you pictured and ones that go between and clip into each post. although its a yuppie gym so all the kit is made out of novelty big steel profiles.