Flat Rack Material !

[jighead]

Hi Guys;
I bought two Rubbermaid lockable boxes to use for storage on my atv. Since the rack does not have a flat piece of plastic on it like the Polaris/Kaw, I need to find something that will work. I need to find some type of material to fasten to the rack so that these boxes will not move. I was thinking about some sort of rubber mat, like the ones used for the outside of our homes. I looked at these and they were too flumsy. I was also thinking about a calf/cow mat that farmers use. It needs to be pretty thick so that it sits rigid on the rack so the edge of the box can not bend through. I really don't want to use wood. I attached Berkly rod holders to the tops of these boxes so that they are secure. This works well but I need to secure the boxes onto the rack so that these things don't go flying down the lake. I also picked up one of those "Ryans Racks", and it works great! Any other ideas on what type of material to use would be appreciated.

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[Gissert]

There is a HSOforum called machinist-materials (.com after the machinist-materials, don't want to post an unauthorized link) that sells left over runs of UHMW plastic. This is the same material that snomobile hifax is made from. It is very rugged, and will not flex much.

[Dave]

Maybe I'm not following what you're trying to do but, why not just use some U-bolts to hold the boxes onto your metal racks? Assuming you have the metal tubed racks.

[jighead]

Dave;
I thought about that but would rather not secure in such a permenant fashion. Not to mention that I would have to somehow seal the bottom. My intent is to have a flat area to place my waterproof box. Have you ever tried to secure a plastic box on a metal bar rack? You can't keep it from shifting because of the nature of the rack design. Kawisaki/ Polaris all have some sort of a flat plastic plate that allows you to place just about anything with a flat bottom surface on the rack without a problem of shifting. Since I have secured my rods on the top of this plastic box I don't want to worry about it shifting and falling off breaking all of my ice rods! I think I have found a solution. A friend of mine works at a factory and at every work station were a person has to stand for long periods of time, they place a rubber mat. This mat is about one inch thick and should work. Let me know if you have any other ideas!

[Dave]

Yup, I know what you mean about the "metal rack slip" syndrome. In the old days, we covered a piece of plywood with outdoor carpeting. They were even color matched to our machines. (I had a metal rack on my Yamaha Warrior and used it for hunting and ice fishing).

We used tie-wraps to secure the carpeted plywood on the rack. Bungees held the boxes and other stuff on the rack. Your thick rubber mat would probably work good if you can nab some from work. Otherwise, I'd guess those thick mats are spendy.

[Guest]

Hey, I just saw that rubber mat material in Bass Pro Shops 2002 Master catalog. It was $29 for six squares. It didn't say how big a square was, but I'd guess they are one square foot.

[jighead]

Bornofice;
Thanks for the info, I'll check this site out.