Hello from MN-
I have a 22 1000-5 with a Tusk Roof. I am working through a roof basket design to add above the roof. Does anyone know if there is a weight limit for the Honda ROPS?
I do light trail riding am am not doing anything off-camber. This rack will mostly be for saws, coolers, and camping gear as the kids take up the cargo space with the seats up.
Of course I will be posting photos when done!
Just to add, what one of the others already said is very true. Keep the overhead weight down to minimum. A few light things, ok. I would strongly recommend that you do not put more than 100 pounds up top, as even that amount can make your balance point rise significantly. I built a roof for my 3 seater out of plywood, and even that relatively small amount of weight significantly impacted my ability to traverse any kind of side slope, it only weighed about 120 pounds ( 5/8 plywood and slightly oversized for rain and sun shade) to the point that I later just went with the plastic factory Honda roof. On flat ground these SXS's seem very stable, but as the poster stated, their roofs often act more as skid plates than their skid plates. Meaning they are upside down, lols. Driving along any place there is a side slope means that any weight that is above your lower side tire, and especially if it is "outside" of it, is effectively trying to flip you. Which is why you never ever turn (completely) across the face of a hill, you are asking to roll over. Going up or down a hill with a side slope just makes matters worse. Suspension differences, size of tires, side wall height, air pressure, shocks, lifts, and wheel spacers all can help or hurt your buggy's susceptibility to roll over. My advice would be to only put a bare minimum of weight up top, and try to keep it flat and centered. IF you are always on relatively flat trails, and you need to haul more gear and multiple trips are not feasible, then look into a small to medium sized garden style trailer for a small lawn tractor, or something similar. Maybe someone can build you one, or if you have the skills and equipment, build your own off road trailer. If you are travelling "flat" ground, a pintle style hitch would not be necessary, a standard 1-7/8" or 2" ball or a clevis type hitch would be fine. My vote goes for a small trailer to keep the weight low, as opposed to putting things up top, especially a cooler. Those can get very heavy with food, drinks, ice, etc. Anyways, just thought I would add a comment, maybe you have already solved your issue, or maybe this idea may help you. Happy trail riding!!
