Receiver-Mounted Rack Supports Second 4-Wheeler

Receiver-Mounted Rack Supports Second 4-Wheeler ATV'S ATV'S 25-5-4 When Tony Rosentreader, Ashland, Nebraska, bought a new pickup truck three years ago, the last thing he wanted was for the bed to get scratched up from the two ATV's he planned to haul with it. "I have two 4-wheelers and often need to take them along at the same time," he tells. "I don't like pulling a trailer all the time." With that in mind, Rosentreader and his brother Nathan began working on a way to haul both ATV's in one pickup bed. "We noticed a lot of SUV's and vans with cargo boxes mounted on their receiver hitches," he says. "We decided a similar framework would hold at least half the weight of a 4-wheeler when inserted into a pickup receiver hitch. It took us about a week, working in our spare time, to get the rack like we wanted it." They made the rack frame from 1-in. square steel tubing. There are two rectangles on the outside edges that are 18 in. wide by 2 ft. long. In each of these, they welded two lengths of 1/2-in. concrete rebar. The rear wheels of the second ATV actually sit on the rebar, while the front wheels span the tailgate and sit on the floor of the pickup bed. "We didn't want to put any weight on the tailgate," Rosentreader says. Rosentreader says the hitch tube must be measured carefully, so the rack fits close behind and at the same height as the tailgate. Once they had it all welded together, they finished it off by welding links of old manure spreader chain to the back edge. "They give us a place to attach our tie-downs," Rosentreader says. The rack weighs about 60 lbs., so it can be mounted by one person. Rosentreader has used the rack for three years without a problem, covering hundreds of miles both on and off the road. "I like the design and would not modify it if I made another one," he says. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Tony Rosentreader, 207 S. 23rd St., Ashland, Neb. 68003.

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