Howdy.....just wanted some opinions.......I have a 05 Rubicon with a 1700lb Warn winch on the front. Was looking into some aftermarket racks. Most are the same size 41x29 overall. and the drop portion is 41x13.5x12.5. Makers include Kolpin $169 with rear fold down grate. Yukon Tracks Rear Drop Side basket $149 with folddown sides and NO rear fold down grate and one on Ebay the Panther with rear fold down gate for $179. Price are with sales tax/S&H. I'm not worried about the extra back rack weight(40lbs + equipment hauled) moving my center of gravity or making be back end heavy. My ATV is for work first and then hunting then trail riding.
Just wondered about........
1. The advantage/disadvantage to fold down rear(Kolpin&Panther) vs. sides fold down(Yukon). To me the sides folding down would be better because you could lay a deer or a shovel across it. The rear folding ones would be nice lifting heavy buckets into it but what is lifting 4 more inches to clear the rear rack or I could slide them in on the sides if I had the Yukon. Also do these things clang around alot? The Panther has a sliding bolt to lock it down the others have spring pins to hold them...they don't look too secure. I suppose I would have to bungee them anyway to keep them really secure.
Just wondering if you guys have any opinions, experiences, likes or dislikes.
The Sportsmans Guide has the best pictures along with Cabelas' but Dicks Sporting Goods has the best prices along with the one on Ebay.

THANKS IN ADVANCE

 

I just bought a drop rack from rocky mtn. atv. It doesn't have any drop sides or gates but I think it was a good deal at $115. It has a solid front and bottom to help keep mud out and seems to be well made. I had some problems with the mounting hardware but they shipped some out immediately and I think it will work out fine now.

 

Thanks....the wife bought me an early christmas present a drop basket rack(non folding) from the sportsmans guide. She paid 139+SH. The basket says weekend warrior on it but it might be made by cycle country. The flat bars they gave me to mount it were a pain to get on and bolted down. A few notes though on ANY basket rack for the Rubi.....1. You will lose your breaklights because when you load the basket it completely obscures the lights. Just a rear saftey issue is some one is following you. 2. You can not open your trunk when the basket is installed. 3. It rattled like hell when I started the bike up. The grating on the rear was not tacked properly so I took it to work and had one of my guys weld it. Over all I'm happy but not 100%. Thanks for the input.