Hi folks, I figured I'd make a post on my front rack. The rack itself is a Kolpin hitch receiver rack, and the mounts are a combination of mounting brackets, lighting truss clamps, and a custom front mount.
Background: I wanted a front rack that would hold stuff in it and would also be able to easily detach. I don't need the rack when riding around with my wife and kids, so something that's easily detachable was a requirement. I also wanted a LED light bar up front, so that would incorporated somehow. I didn't want it to fully obstruct my view either.
The build: I found the lighting truss brackets online. They unscrew pretty easily with wing nuts, so that solves the detach part. Two attach to the ROPS near the dash, and two more attach to the front bumper. I designed a front mount with a 3D modeler software (SketchUp, if anyone is interested), and had a friend cut out the design with his CNC plasma cutter. It's made of a 1/8" steel plate, I incorporated a hole for the LED light I wanted, and mounted a 12" Rough Country LED light bar. I had some room leftover, so I cut out a Bigfoot too
. It's gotta be fun, right?
To make the Bigfoot stand out, I put another steel plate behind it. I had the mount powder coated black, and the backing plate a blaze orange. It really pops; the pics don't do it justice.
The result: I think I have a fun, unique, and extremely useful front rack! It's great to hold my chainsaw, some extra gas, or whatever I want. It doesn't really obstruct my view, unless you're looking at something 2 feet in front of the 700. My guess is that it weighs about 70 lbs, maybe a bit more, but it's manageable enough to remove and attach with one person.
Bottom line: I'm not an artistic guy, but I do have the confidence to push my limit a little bit and create something that's not only a ton of fun to build, but I learned a lot along the way. I hope this gives the next guy or gal the confidence to do the same.
Background: I wanted a front rack that would hold stuff in it and would also be able to easily detach. I don't need the rack when riding around with my wife and kids, so something that's easily detachable was a requirement. I also wanted a LED light bar up front, so that would incorporated somehow. I didn't want it to fully obstruct my view either.
The build: I found the lighting truss brackets online. They unscrew pretty easily with wing nuts, so that solves the detach part. Two attach to the ROPS near the dash, and two more attach to the front bumper. I designed a front mount with a 3D modeler software (SketchUp, if anyone is interested), and had a friend cut out the design with his CNC plasma cutter. It's made of a 1/8" steel plate, I incorporated a hole for the LED light I wanted, and mounted a 12" Rough Country LED light bar. I had some room leftover, so I cut out a Bigfoot too
. It's gotta be fun, right?To make the Bigfoot stand out, I put another steel plate behind it. I had the mount powder coated black, and the backing plate a blaze orange. It really pops; the pics don't do it justice.
The result: I think I have a fun, unique, and extremely useful front rack! It's great to hold my chainsaw, some extra gas, or whatever I want. It doesn't really obstruct my view, unless you're looking at something 2 feet in front of the 700. My guess is that it weighs about 70 lbs, maybe a bit more, but it's manageable enough to remove and attach with one person.
Bottom line: I'm not an artistic guy, but I do have the confidence to push my limit a little bit and create something that's not only a ton of fun to build, but I learned a lot along the way. I hope this gives the next guy or gal the confidence to do the same.
