DIY Ski and Board racks for your sled

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Lushbomb

Moderator: Premium Member

• Oct 20, 2010

• #1

a place to discuss the best DIY (do it yourself) rack setups for ski's and boards.

i know alot of people try and try again to create a killer, solid setup. some have methods that work and some have methods that fail.

lets share what works for the folks looking for a solid setup.
also share what has not worked so others don;t make the same mistake.

pictures are good for seeing setups. so please if you have pictures post up.

 

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Lushbomb

Moderator: Premium Member

• Oct 20, 2010

• #2

i'll start out here..

what you need for an MSeries Arctic Cat setup:
-1 side of a 2 set atv gun rack
-1 complete old snowboard ratchet strap both male and female parts
-1 plastic extender piece (i used part of an older board strap


Step 1: back when GIJOES was around (so bummed they closed) I went there and bought a set of ATV gun racks for $40, choosing the right set is crucial as you do not want ones with any mechanical or moving parts. just a nice solid base and a Y grip that does not rotate unless you pull the rack off completely. make sure its one with the 4 hole base as the ones with 2 holes will slide and rotate and will result in a FAIL.
this is the exact Rack i used http://www.tacticalandhuntinggear.net/pd_Mad_Dog_ATV_Racks.cfm

Step2: take one of your rack setups and bolt it down to your back bumper, make sure the Y is at an angle so when you slide the board in its a snug fit.

Step3: slide your board strap through the tunnel rack and fold the end so you can use a bolt and nuts to attach it to the tunnel rack.

Step4: drill a hole in the side of your tunnel to bolt the male strap part to it so you can connect it while board is in it to your board strap and ratchet it down.

done.. it took me about 20 minutes to set this up myself and the majority of that time was just making sure i had my angles right and enough room for the board to fit in there.. last season i found out we could actually put 2 boards in the rack.. awesome!

1700 miles so far with out failure.


VIDEO OVERVIEW




here is the completed setup without board.

different angle with out the board straps linked up.. this one should help

in action:

 

Last edited: Nov 10, 2010

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Poacher40+

Free Member

• Oct 21, 2010

• #3

Alright then....post up a pic of the side view with front mount included.
I might just use the CFR strap with edge protector and gun mounts for now, and hang onto the rest.
Props to you and the SnoWest admins for getting this going.

 

L

Lushbomb

Moderator: Premium Member

• Oct 21, 2010

• #4

not sure what view you're looking for Christian?
if you're talking about another gun mount.. i only use one.. thats the whole setup right there.. 1700 miles don't lie on sturdyness.. we'll need to get together soon.. your out in north bend right?

 

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Poacher40+

Free Member

• Oct 21, 2010

• #5

I was looking for a side view of your whole sled, to check out angles/ distance between the 2 mounts. Thought you used a front gun mount as well. Only one is even better. You should come over soon (I am in Preston). You could give me a hand with the rack and maybe offer your opinion on a location for my ice scratchers. Seems there are several options. Of course beer would be included.

Wal-Mart has the gun mounts for $29.88, but they are a hellish corporation.

 

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Poacher40+

Free Member

• Oct 21, 2010

• #6

So does the front edge of your board float? Or, does it sit on a plastic bumper?

 

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Lushbomb

Moderator: Premium Member

• Oct 21, 2010

• #7

i can't find any more pictures on my server but maybe this one for help...

you can see how far the board hangs back.. thats usually the nose of the board and the strap fits right infront of the back binding.. i just attached the gun mount and then set my board in and figured out where the best spot was to drill hole for the strap.. its like only a foot or so away from gun mount..

far as scratchers goes it helps to see other peoples setups.. i just installed one side like 2 days before i dropped sled off at Waldrons.. no pictures.. check the arctioc cat forums here for scratcher placement.

 

L

Lushbomb

Moderator: Premium Member

• Oct 21, 2010

• #8

Christian Pedersen said:

So does the front edge of your board float? Or, does it sit on a plastic bumper?

Click to expand...

you know.. u can be pro about it and put some sort of rubber pad or something so the corner of your edge doesn't get scraped up.. but my back of board sits on my rails pretty much.. and barely wiggles.. this setup is so solid u can practically pick up the *** end of the sled by pulling up on the board while in the rack..

this was my 1st DIY setup and with 1700 miles i have yet to feel the need to improve although there are many thins u can do to make it even better.. this here is the most basic of basic setting up to get u started really..


i'd like to see what other people ar doing out the too..

feel free to post up here

 

F

FreerideSeattle

Free Member

• Oct 24, 2010

• #9

This thread is SICK! Thanks for posting.

 

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306mafia

Free Member

• Oct 25, 2010

• #10

Christian Pedersen said:

So does the front edge of your board float? Or, does it sit on a plastic bumper?

Click to expand...

if you dont care about looks, at all, cut a U shape into a hockey puck and bolt it to your tunnel where the flat spot before the tail on the bottom edge of your snowboard rests. it looks dodgy as hell but it saves your tunnel from getting scratched up.

 

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Stevexp

Free Member

• Oct 25, 2010

• #11

Anyone done a DIY for an XP? The CFR one looks pretty good just wondering if it's even worth trying to make my own.

 

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Lushbomb

Moderator: Premium Member

• Oct 25, 2010

• #12

where there is will there is a way..
only setups i have seen on XP's so far is the CFR racks.. but with some fabrication and thought i'm sure something solid could take form.. its all about cost, how much does one want to spend on top of an already expen$ive sport?
i found that fabricating my own rack system was rewarding both to my pocket book and mind and it holds 2 boards!

 

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GBCB

Active member

• Oct 25, 2010

• #13

Thanks

Thanks for the great idea of ATV gun mounts. I found a sweet pair on ebay for 22 bucks! I made a rack last year for a double set of skis that ran perpendicular and across the back of my tunnel. Worked okay but limited the ability to sidehill and more than once the skis got caught up in a drift. I'll be making an oak riser bracket to attach the gun mounts to and run the skis out the back of the machine. I'll post pics next week when I'm done. BTW... its dumping out!

 

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cortez

Well-known member

• Oct 25, 2010

• #14

i have heard of guys using this same gun mount and strap for a setup on an XP. I think i will probably try to fabricate something similar on my XP. I will post some pics once i put some thought and effort into it and have something i think will work well.

 

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iniquity

Free Member

• Oct 26, 2010

• #15

CFR makes some tunnel stiffeners for xp's when you use a rack. Probably a good idea.

 

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Lushbomb

Moderator: Premium Member

• Oct 26, 2010

• #16

these guys are making a pretty solid setup these days too.. pretty expensive BUT, it carries 2 boards and has a break away for just in case reasons.

http://www.knightriderracks.com/

 

T

troweller

Free Member

• Oct 26, 2010

• #17

Make sure that your edges of your snowboard don't rest on the foot rails of your sled.
It can cause your board to delaminate.

 

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cortez

Well-known member

• Oct 26, 2010

• #18

ya the board smasing into the rails us one of my main concerns seeing as i ride a $750 board. I am looking into some sort of notched rubber to sit on the rails where the board will rest, something it snugs nicely into.. As for the knightrider racks, they do look nice, and im sure they are well made, i just cant see paying $320 for something so simple.

 

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Lushbomb

Moderator: Premium Member

• Oct 26, 2010

• #19

i agree on the board sitting on your rails.. if you want to make sure it does not dull or delaminate something should be placed on the rail where the board sits.. although i have been rallying same board and setup for a couple seasons and its fine thus far i think i'll do this to my setup soon too.. its really quite simple and cheap.. you could use a section of soft stomp pad or like someone suggested above carve out a hockey puck so that your board edge fits in it.. anything soft that can keep it stationary will work.. endless options when putting the right thought into it.. when i get my sled back from the shop possibly this weekend i might rig something and take some more pics of the setup..

 

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RalleyTuned

Free Member

• Oct 27, 2010

• #20

I think I am going to use some parts from the knight rider racks and build my own setup using a similar design as to what they use. I'm gonna have my tig welding buddy weld up a brace for the board that mounts on the rear, then possibly use the hockey puck trick or another fabbed up piece to hold the nose.

Then use the Knight Rider binding release strap and mount for holding the board down. I have a ton of scrap aluminum so it should be pretty cheap and will be super sturdy. I like the release strap idea in case of a really bad wreck, to save the board from getting damaged..

this is their kit for reference: