jimainiac
Platinum Member
Now that I got your attention, it's more of a platform, actually. Appologies to any militant feminist tractorphiles. In my never ending quest for more storage on the tractor, I built this platform on the hood, an area that normally goes to waste. Years back, I got a set of car roof-mount racks and cut them down to fit on the hood of the tractor. I bought nylon strap material to extend the clips that are supposed to clip onto a car's rain gutter, so they could clip onto the bottom edge of the hood. I've been using the racks this way for a long time to carry shovels, rakes,etc. In gearing up to go logging for firewood I was looking for a place to carry the chainsaws and other equipment I'd need in the woods. It hit me that I had the foundation for a platform right on the hood, on those racks. I cut a piece of 3/4" flakeboard to the width of the tubular racks, and a little bit longer. I attatched some 1x2" strips around the edge to keep things from sliding off, and added a lot of screw eyes for hooking bungee cords on. Creative use of the bungees keeps everything in place. In a Rubbermaid Tote, I have a chainsaw and it's oil and gas and files, etc. I set another chainsaw on top of the tote and strap it on with a bungee. In back of that I put on a plastic ammo box for extra gloves, hat, lunch, etc. Down the left side I have misc. large tools - shovel, sledge, cant dog, prybar, etc. Nothing is mounted permanantly, just bungeed on, and can be quickly removed to open the hood. The platform can stay on with the hood open, though. Forward vision is a bit compromised with everything up there, but when has that stopped a tractor operator?
This arrangement has been working great. I seldom lack for anything I need when I'm in the woods.
