[TiccyTac]

Sounds like you've had some good trips. Where do you do your long rides at?

Utah. Lots of wonderful trail systems, and then all the BLM land!

 

[chargedmr2]

Love Utah. One of the best states in the country for outdoor activity. We moved our family to TX for work years back. New jobs, good pay…was real excited about getting a dirt bike and exploring my new state out on the trails. Didn’t realize it at the time, but TX is among the worst in the country for public lands, trails, riding, and fun outdoor activities. Once I realized there was pretty much nowhere to even ride within hours of my location, I didn’t even bother with a dirt bike. Fun fact: Utah has 75% of its land dedicated to public use. TX has 4%. SO glad we finally got out of that state. ID, where I ride a lot, has 70%.
The Grizzly is my dream machine that I’ve been missing for those 13 years we were in TX.

 

[Ridgway81432]

And most of the public 4% part sucks big weenies, what's the saying?

 

[chargedmr2]

And most of the public 4% part sucks big weenies, what's the saying?

Don't get me started 😂 And the humidity in East TX was unbearable. I sweat more in one day down there than the entire 18 months that we've been back here in the PNW🤣

 

[chargedmr2]

So, when I got the Grizz I decided I needed a trailer. Sure wish I didn't, but I can't really get to the good trail systems without it. I envy the guys that can just ride out from their property. My Grizzly would get way more use if that were the case.

Anyhow, I kept an eye out for a used trailer since COVID prices were just ridiculous. New stuff was not well stocked and prices on many of the trailers in my area were up 40-60 percent due to "supply chain issues."

After some patience, a guy near me listed an aluminum trailer for sale. I paid less than half the price of new, so I was pretty happy with that. I figured I'd give it a decent cleaning, but after pressure washing and scrubbing, I realized the aluminum was just badly oxidized from sitting in the weather for years.

No amount of normal washing will fix that, but acid will! I picked up a bottle of acid-based wash made specifically for cleaning aluminum and couldn't believe how well it worked.

In just seconds, the acid cleared away years of oxidation:

So far, I love this trailer. It's crazy light, yet plenty strong for my uses. It weighs about 325lbs without the added side walls, maybe 400 or so, with them. It's incredibly easy to move around by hand and it pulls like a dream. The Grizz seems happy with it as well:

 

[chargedmr2]

Little more on the trailer. It didn't come with any tie down points, but I was planning to use some wheel nets from Mac's Custom Tie Downs (which requires installing quick detach tie down points). These guys build outstanding products, and it turned out they aren't too far off from me. They're up in North ID. If you give them a call they will custom make you straps exactly how you want them for no additional charge. I went with a half set (two for the rears) of the wheel nets (using standard straps for the front).

The VersaTie quick detach anchor points are nicely made, but do take a little planning, measuring, and drilling to install. They look like this:

They sew the quick detach fitting into the straps, so you don't have to worry about losing them. Ok, I'm starting to sound like a Mac's Tie Downs rep, so I'll stop rambling about these and post one more picture installed on my trailer:

I also installed some 1/4" aluminum backing plate since the trailer deck is fairly thin.

 

[chargedmr2]

Getting back to the "Backcountry" theme, I gave a lot of consideration to storage. I wanted something that was waterproof, rugged enough, and that also left some room on the rear rack for some fuel containers. I wanted to get the Yamaha front and rear boxes at first since they look great, fit just right, and have enough room in them for a decent amount of things. I ended up not going that route so I could get the fuel containers worked in.

Turns out Pelican makes a cargo case that had just the right dimensions. I snagged it during the last Black Friday sale for about the same price as the Yamaha box. It's a little smaller, but leaves room at the sides for fuel. Here's the one I got:

It's a pretty nice box and has really good tied down points, so it can be easily strapped down if you want. I knew I wanted to mount fuel containers on the rack as well, so I took a look at the Rotopax stuff, and decided to build custom aluminum mounts that could kill two birds with one stone: Mount the box and the Rotopax fuel containers with a single set of brackets. And while I was at it, I figured I'd make the whole thing quick detach so I can take it all down in a matter of seconds and return the bike to stock for regular trail riding Killer idea, but turned out to be a little tougher than I thought🤣🤣

This took a lot of planning, thinking, planning some more, and finally getting some aluminum bar stock and some aluminum plate.

The first issue to solve was the need for a base to mount everything. The Grizzly rack doesn't really have what I needed, so I ordered up some tube mounts and started cutting aluminum.

Here are the brackets that I used to kick things off:

I did a lot of this when it was freezing ass cold in the garage, so I took over the living room whenever possible to keep the frostbite at bay. The 1" tube clamps are very solid and clamp down plenty tight to do the job. I did have to prime and paint them, which added a few additional steps. Here they are all ready to go:

And here they are installed on the rack:

More to come later...

 

[chargedmr2]

So, after I installed the tube mounts with the tabs, I had a good setup for creating some base plates. I really like working with aluminum, mainly because it's incredibly easy to machine. You can also get away with some basic woodworking tools for a lot of the work. I used my miter saw and table saw, along with some blades made for cutting nonferrous metals to do most of this work. You can get really nice cuts with the proper blades and I've had no issue cutting aluminum up to 1/2" thick. Just use some WD40 on the blade (there are better products for this, but WD40 works pretty well) and take your time.

I started with 3/8" 6061 aluminum plate and cut it to size:

Scored the corner at 45 degrees, and after one more cut it fit right in. I also chamfered the edges (only the front two are done in this picture):

Next, I used 1/4" aluminum plate and some 1/4" thick 2"x2" angle (all 6061 for good strength) to start on the brackets that would both latch the box down and double as my Rotopax mounts. This took a lot of careful measuring:

Once the brackets were mocked up, it was time to do some drilling. I used my drill press and clamped things in place to make sure the holes were right where I needed them, and everything lined up perfectly. This was time consuming to get right, but it worked out great. I also recessed the holes to keep the screws flush and out of the way when needed:

 

[chargedmr2]

Everything bolted together nicely to get the brackets started off:

I trimmed the overhanging angled aluminum to the correct width, cut another piece of aluminum plate for the Rotopax mount, and bolted everything back together. Fit looked pretty good:

 

[chargedmr2]

Like I mentioned earlier, I wanted to make this a quick detach system. I designed it so the base plates would be the only components of the system that remained on the racks permanently. They remain out of the way for any normal use, so making them a permanent fixture wasn't a concern.

I scoured some of my favorite tool supply places (McMaster-Carr is a great one), and finally came up with a way to do what I wanted. I decided to use quick release cam levers. Kipp makes good products alone these lines and I ended up using their levers for the job. They're powder coated aluminum with stainless hardware, so should hold up fine to the elements. They also come in numerous sizes and can apply a considerable amount of locking force:

I used clamps that work with 1/4-20 threads, and paired them up with stainless socket head screws. Here they are after drilling the holes and installing them on the brackets:

 

[chargedmr2]

After that, I added slots into the baseplates to accept the socket head screws. I had to open the slots up to allow the screw heads to drop down. It worked great. Just open the cam levers (to extend the screws to their further downward position, drop the bracket onto the baseplate, slide it into place, and lock the levers. They hold very TIGHT. Here are the slots I cut into the 3/8" baseplates after I cleaned everything up with a file to ensure smooth operation:

 

[chargedmr2]

Getting the baseplates and brackets all figured out was one thing, but I also had to figure out a good way to secure them to the box, and still keep the quick detach function. I had a few ideas, but ended up building some additional custom brackets for the box itself that could lock up with the larger brackets when everything was put into place.

The Pelican box had metal brackets on the sides, like in this picture here:

I tried to figure a way to utilize the existing Pelican brackets, but in the end it just made sense to make my own. So, I drilled out the rivets, pulled them off, and replaced them with these (more 6061 aluminum):

The larger brackets with the quick detach levers butt right up against these new mounts, so I just had to find a way to secure the two together. I decided to create some pins that could protrude from the small brackets and pass through holes in the larger brackets, effectively locking the box in place and down against the rack.

In this picture you can see the pins, which I turned down from stainless shoulder bolts, and bolted onto the small bracket. Aligning everything perfectly took a lot of planing and measuring, but it came out perfect:

With the larger brackets in place and locked down, the two pins pass through the bracket and hold the box very firmly in place. It doesn't budge in the slightest (the additional center hold is just a little extra security--it accepts a thumb screw that bolts the brackets together, but its just optional and not needed):

 

[chargedmr2]

I also relieved the edges of the holes on the backside of the brackets, so the pins "find" their way in without any trouble:

Here is a picture do the bracket locked down with the box out of the way so you can see the backside in place:

Couple more from the other side:

 

[chargedmr2]

Was going to mount tires today, but got this all wrapped up today instead. Just finally bolted things back together:

And with the two Rotopax containers mounted. Everything comes off in about 30 seconds with no tools:

 

[Vincenthdfan]

Was going to mount tires today, but got this all wrapped up today instead. Just finally bolted things back together:
View attachment 104867 View attachment 104868
And with the two Rotopax containers mounted. Everything comes off in about 30 seconds with no tools:
View attachment 104870

Amazing work...great detail for sure.

I can tell you like to tinker, I'm the same way....I can get lost for hours in the minutia of little detail work, fun.

 

[chargedmr2]

Amazing work...great detail for sure.

I can tell you like to tinker, I'm the same way....I can get lost for hours in the minutia of little detail work, fun.

Thanks! Yeah, I love this stuff. It’s definitely some overkill and there are plenty of easier ways to strap some storage and fuel to the wheeler, but projects like these are just plain fun. Plus, I tend to keep ATVs and vehicles for a good decade or so before upgrading, so this setup will get some serious use.

 

[RedRocket]

Instead, use a pneumatic stapler (you can get a decent one on Amazon pretty cheap). They work really well and make this job MUCH easier.

A heated seat is a project I've been considering for a while and know that a pneumatic or powered stapler is pretty much required to set the staples correctly into the seat plastic. Which specific staple type (T50?) and size did you use?

Looks good by the way!

 

[chargedmr2]

I used 1/4” T50 staples (#504) and an Arrow stapler. I set the regulator for a little north of 100psi and that set the staples perfectly. The original staples were also 1/4” depth (anything over 1/4” is too long and could protrude through the plastic in some locations), but they are a little wider than a T50.

 

[RedRocket]

Thanks, that really helps.

 

[Xa32f634W]

Be sure to factor in whether any front/rear brush guard protection will obscure your turn signals. The likelihood it matters is small but who knows what the local po-po takes exception too.

After the wire harness was all in place, I put the plastics back on and figured out where I wanted the blinkers. For the rear, I went with a location that was tucked closer in toward the centerline of the bike. This made routing and securing the wires a little easier as opposed to locating the blinkers further out along the rear fenders:
View attachment 104774

Installed:
View attachment 104775

As you can see, the wires didn't have to travel too far after leaving the rear storage area and making their way to the blinker:
View attachment 104776

More to come later...