P1000 Heavy duty front rack/counterweighting for steep terrain

[Neverest]

Our P1000 is used primarily for collecting firewood and maple sap in very steep ridge country in the Kettle Moraine forest.

The problem I was having was the machine, at worst, was tipping over backwards when lugging up a ridge with heavy green firewood in the back. At best the front tires were touching the ground but without enough weight to steer.

The solution was rack that was so heavy duty that it could carry enough firewood on the front to hold the front down. A fantastic bi-product was the additional capacity it offers.

The rack attaches to the front hitch and (crucially) ties to the lower plow mounts. The rack and it's attachment to the machine is much tougher than the machine's suspension.

This was primarily to overcome our Pioneer's chode wheelbase. But it was a fun build too.

Shame on Honda for the lack of parking brake. Terrible.

 

[Admin]

 

[Hondasxs]

Wow.. That should do it.
Just don't be standing down hill when you loose a log.

 

[Adam490]

Wow.. That should do it.
Just don't be standing down hill when you loose a log.

This is what we need for Slate rock in the P1k.

 

[Neverest]

It folds up and out of the way too, turning into an indestructible brush guard.

Also, there is a receiver hitch mounted at an appropriate height( Not like the height of the factory KFI front hitch which is 2' above the ground). The receiver hitch, being tied to the plow mount and the standard front hitch is much stronger than the standard front hitch itself.

When folded up, there is no loss in ground clearance, the front hitch is exposed, and the winch is unimpeded.

 

[P1K5Dave]

That's wild. Did you build the rack yourself?

I wish I could get a real perspective of the stuff you're going up with that setup. Pics always make hills flatter.

 

[P1K5Dave]

Do you have a way to lock your brakes in when you're loading on an incline like that?

A hillbilly brake with a pin through it would be a bonus.

 

[Neverest]

I have no mechanical (or otherwise) way of locking the brakes, but it's a serious concern for me. See the attached pic, the efforts I go through to chock the tires on the hills before putting the machine in park.

I accept no excuses why Honda gave such poor appraisal of the need for a parking brake.

Yes, I designed and built the rack and mounting system myself. Had it been available in 2018 I would have looked hard at the Can-am Defender with the long wheelbase and 6' bed, but I really like the transmission in the Pioneer. And the chode wheelbase is a big advantage in maneuvering sometimes...

 

[TripleB]

This is what we need for Slate rock in the P1k.

I would actually try it with this up front.

 

[Adam490]

I have no mechanical (or otherwise) way of locking the brakes, but it's a serious concern for me. See the attached pic, the efforts I go through to chock the tires on the hills before putting the machine in park.

I accept no excuses why Honda gave such poor appraisal of the need for a parking brake.

Yes, I designed and built the rack and mounting system myself. Had it been available in 2018 I would have looked hard at the Can-am Defender with the long wheelbase and 6' bed, but I really like the transmission in the Pioneer. And the chode wheelbase is a big advantage in maneuvering sometimes...

View attachment 313020

You should definitely look into the Hillbilly Brake

 

[bumperm]

As P1K5Dave & Adan490 suggest, here's another vote for the Hillbilly Brake . . . and a couple of hints.

The brake is much easier to install if you use a small amount of superglue to fix the fender washer to the nut so you can get both into position with one finger. When you're installing the brake, you'll see what I mean.

Once the brake "holder" is installed, you may want to test to see if it has enough holding power on the slope. If you need to increase that, the way I did it is to adjust the length of the actuator rod that goes forward from the brake pedal lever through the "firewall" (not really a firewall). To do that loosen the lock nut at the forward edge of the clevis, then rotate the threaded rod a few turns clockwise (looking forward). Test HB Brake latching. Further adjust if needed or tighten locknut. I found it didn't take but a few turns to get mine to brake securely on my 22 degree test hill.

 

[Neverest]

I went ahead and ordered one. Something feels wrong about constant line pressure to hold the machine, but it's hell on it with no brake at all. Thank you for the idea and the hints. $90 shipped is a fair price.

 

[bumperm]

I went ahead and ordered one. Something feels wrong about constant line pressure to hold the machine, but it's hell on it with no brake at all. Thank you for the idea and the hints. $90 shipped is a fair price.

"Something feels wrong . . . " Yup! It flies in the face of what I was taught in pilot ground school over 30 years ago. Small aircraft often have hydraulic parking breaks - push the brake pedals and pull or push the knob to lock the hydraulic pressure (it's done with a valve). The warning was to only use the parking brake for short term parking, as if left engaged on the ramp, if temperatures increase, the increasing hydraulic pressure could cause damage.

Now, in truth I've never heard of an instance where that happened, but then I only used that feature for reasonably short periods. May not apply to our machines w/ HB brake.

 

[Rayger143]

It folds up and out of the way too, turning into an indestructible brush guard.

Also, there is a receiver hitch mounted at an appropriate height( Not like the height of the factory KFI front hitch which is 2' above the ground). The receiver hitch, being tied to the plow mount and the standard front hitch is much stronger than the standard front hitch itself.

When folded up, there is no loss in ground clearance, the front hitch is exposed, and the winch is unimpeded.

View attachment 313004 View attachment 313005 View attachment 313006 View attachment 313007

Very cool idea. Nice work.

 

[mlynch001]

"Something feels wrong about constant line pressure to hold the machine, but it's hell on it with no brake at all."

Nothing strange about using hydraulic pressure lock the brakes for parking, this is pretty much SOP any more. This is the same system that is used on a majority of new cars today. While mechanical parking brakes were the norm in years past, the manufacturers have pretty much dispensed with a separate mechanical parking brake and simply use the anti-lock systems to pressurize and hold the brakes when you set "the parking brake". Not all cars are set up this way, but it is very common. This is a cheaper and potentially safer alternative to mechanical systems.

 

[a94cobra]

I wonder if one could throw a line lock on this to create a parking brake.

 

[HBarlow]

That looks like an excellent solution to a problem. What is the estimated total weight of all the logs loaded on front rack and rear bed?

 

[CID]

"Something feels wrong about constant line pressure to hold the machine, but it's hell on it with no brake at all."

Nothing strange about using hydraulic pressure lock the brakes for parking, this is pretty much SOP any more. This is the same system that is used on a majority of new cars today. While mechanical parking brakes were the norm in years past, the manufacturers have pretty much dispensed with a separate mechanical parking brake and simply use the anti-lock systems to pressurize and hold the brakes when you set "the parking brake". Not all cars are set up this way, but it is very common. This is a cheaper and potentially safer alternative to mechanical systems.

That's curious - some states require a mechanical emergency/parking brake or they won't plate a SxS.

 

[Buggyman]

It folds up and out of the way too, turning into an indestructible brush guard.

Also, there is a receiver hitch mounted at an appropriate height( Not like the height of the factory KFI front hitch which is 2' above the ground). The receiver hitch, being tied to the plow mount and the standard front hitch is much stronger than the standard front hitch itself.

When folded up, there is no loss in ground clearance, the front hitch is exposed, and the winch is unimpeded.

View attachment 313004 View attachment 313005 View attachment 313006 View attachment 313007

well done

 

[Neverest]

"Something feels wrong about constant line pressure to hold the machine, but it's hell on it with no brake at all."

Nothing strange about using hydraulic pressure lock the brakes for parking, this is pretty much SOP any more. This is the same system that is used on a majority of new cars today. While mechanical parking brakes were the norm in years past, the manufacturers have pretty much dispensed with a separate mechanical parking brake and simply use the anti-lock systems to pressurize and hold the brakes when you set "the parking brake". Not all cars are set up this way, but it is very common. This is a cheaper and potentially safer alternative to mechanical systems.

I have done the rear brakes on 3 very modern vehicles, Ford F150, Ford Escape, and Subaru Forester. On all three of these units it's quite apparent that these major manufacturers went through deliberate effort to actuate their parking brakes mechanically, not through hydraulic line pressure.

 

[Neverest]

That looks like an excellent solution to a problem. What is the estimated total weight of all the logs loaded on front rack and rear bed?

The logs are very large, very green, and cut 18"-20" diameter. I'm a fit 185lbs person and it takes me 80% effort to lift each of them. I'd guess they are about 125lbs-150lbs each. So, 600lbs minimum on the front, 1800lbs on the rear. Rough terrain, but low speed and short distance. The pioneer is 4 years old and has only 245 (hard duty) miles on it.