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(not sure if this is the right forum, feel free to move it or tell me where to move it).
I've got 08 arctic cat that I'm mostly using for mountain sledding and sled-skiing, but occasionally want to be able to put a bit of cargo on the back and tow.
I'm thinking of making a super simple/cheap tunnel stiffener for my sled, that will also double as a minimalist rack, and a mounting point for a larger rack and ski rack. Its similar to a simplified version of the one in this post (and the red powdercoated one further down) Here's the plan:
Get a two sections of 1/8 in x 3 in aluminium bar (like this), that are as long as the tunnel from the end of the running board to the back of the tunnel. bolt these bars onto the tunnel along the entire length, and so they "stick up" about 1in above the tunnel behind the seat. I'll drill some holes for bungees and mounting ski racks onto this bar. Then, for bigger cargo I can bolt another piece of 3 in aluminium bar to this, to create a larger cargo rack.
Here's a photo that illustrates what I'm talking about. The red outline is the 1/8 in x 3 in aluminium bar that serves as the tunnel stiffener and minimalist rack. The blue outline is the larger cargo rack that is bolted on so it's removable. The long tunnel stiffener (red outline) could have some big holes drilled in it to lighten it up a bit, but it'll only add a few pounds or so to the sled at the most.
Any thoughts on if/how this would work? Will drilling holes in the tunnel to mount/bolt this on weaken the tunnel more than this helps? Would that piece of aluminium be strong enough to strengthen the tunnel?
Thanks!
I've got 08 arctic cat that I'm mostly using for mountain sledding and sled-skiing, but occasionally want to be able to put a bit of cargo on the back and tow.
I'm thinking of making a super simple/cheap tunnel stiffener for my sled, that will also double as a minimalist rack, and a mounting point for a larger rack and ski rack. Its similar to a simplified version of the one in this post (and the red powdercoated one further down) Here's the plan:
Get a two sections of 1/8 in x 3 in aluminium bar (like this), that are as long as the tunnel from the end of the running board to the back of the tunnel. bolt these bars onto the tunnel along the entire length, and so they "stick up" about 1in above the tunnel behind the seat. I'll drill some holes for bungees and mounting ski racks onto this bar. Then, for bigger cargo I can bolt another piece of 3 in aluminium bar to this, to create a larger cargo rack.
Here's a photo that illustrates what I'm talking about. The red outline is the 1/8 in x 3 in aluminium bar that serves as the tunnel stiffener and minimalist rack. The blue outline is the larger cargo rack that is bolted on so it's removable. The long tunnel stiffener (red outline) could have some big holes drilled in it to lighten it up a bit, but it'll only add a few pounds or so to the sled at the most.
Any thoughts on if/how this would work? Will drilling holes in the tunnel to mount/bolt this on weaken the tunnel more than this helps? Would that piece of aluminium be strong enough to strengthen the tunnel?
Thanks!