I have been using a collapsible plastic crate on my ATV to carry woodcutting gear. I just use bungee cords to tie it on to the rack. I looked into buying an after market gizmo that you permanently affix to the rack but they are expensive! I am glad I tried this crate thing. A plus is it's a nice size, 23x15x12.5. The negative is it's no as sturdy as I'd like. I have searched for just a plain wooden crate or box but they are all either too small or too flimsy, more decorative for women to use for their projects. Other than building one from scratch, anyone have an idea what I could use? I also thought of something like a heavy wire dog crate. That is ideal because it's strong and also very lightweight. I thought I might could buy one the right size and wire the gate shut and then cut the top out. What would be best tool to cut that steel? I would then need to wire everything together to keep it from coming apart, because those things collapse, as well. I am open to wood, also. Or plastic, lol. Long as it's somewhat sturdy. TIA.
If it was me I would take my grinder out, cut all the metal bars and then smooth them out so your not as likely to cut your arm open reaching in. If this is left outside any amount of time it will leave ugly rust stains on your ATV. Sent from my moto g(7) using Tapatalk
Make a plywood crate/ box. Paint it with good oil based paint. No rust, no scratches on the saw, you can easily bore cut a bar hole/ saw holder in the plywood.
I think plywood would be too heavy. Heavier than I'd like anyway. The lighter, the better. If it's wood, frame style, boards used instead of solid like plywood would be lighter. But it needs to be sturdy enough to withstand rockin and rollin on a bumpy woods trail with tree roots and stump holes. It would need to be reinforced at the joints for strength. It's not the end of the world to buy an after market steel box made for ATVs but it's more than I prefer to spend. Am just hoping to figure out something cheaper. I stopped at a dealer and found one for $230. Found one online for about $150 but you have to modify it to fit your own ATV. And hope that it will even work. Might have to resort to using hose clamps to affix it. The plastic collapsible crate I have works but I figure it won't last long-term.
Sounds like a vegetable/friut harvest crate, They make them that don't collapse. Seafood totes are a nice size and are pretty sturdy, Kinda pricy new but they can be found on craigslist/marketplace although they might have a peculiar odor for a while.
You can make a plywood one for probably 25-30 bucks, or even less if you have the plywood scraps. They are not very heavy, probably less than what a steel one would weigh. But whatever. There's a lot more pros to using plywood than cons. Steel, all I can come up with are cons.
Big box orange sells this one. We use them at work to hold emergency road kits and fire extinguishers in them. A notch can be made in it for the saw bar to stick out if needed. These are $20-ish bucks.
Fishingpol, you might win the prize so far, that sure might work, I like it! It's about the same size as the collapsible crate I am using. It would be sturdier.
It's only 22" long though, that won't leave a lot of room left after the power head of a saw is in there. Dimensions: 22.2 in W x 12.2 in D x 9.84 in H
This ones a little bigger, and less $. Yes, I've seen those. They are small, but all the rest of the stuff you need takes up room.
How about going to the local dump and getting the bottom half (or top) of an old bbq grill. Usually light aluminum or thin metal
That's an interesting idea. The Northern Tool crate pictured above... FWIW, the crate I mentioned in the OP is slightly larger, 23 x 15 x 12.5. The advantage of the Rigid crate is it should be structurally stronger since it does not collapse. It would be great to find a larger, non-collapsible crate! Hey! Here's a larger one... it's collapsible, but it is larger, 27"...
Holy cow, here is one that is 37 inches! Probably could just cut the top off. I think I will buy one. I wonder how wide my ATV is, lol! If it doesn't work, I can always just use it as is for general storage. In the beginning, I also thought of using a plastic tote... will revisit that idea! Could cut it to the ideal height, they are pretty tall. Here is the 37 inch one... Plano Molding 5.42 cu. ft. Black Utility Trunk 191900 | Zoro.com
I do use an old milk crate to put gas, oil and wrenches, files and whatever. Then the crate and the saws just go into the trailer that I take with me every time I go out to cut. Works well for me.
Those are what I'm thinking of. I have some with flimsy handles on the side that break. I wish I had more of the ones with no handles. Fish totes are like 3x.