I wanted a simple, cheap solution for carrying my dog in the back of my RZR so I set out to do just that. If Polaris made something, I may have bought it, but looking back on the litle work it took and the money saved, this is a GREAT way to accomplish it.
Total time: 3 hours
Difficulty (1-5): 2
Price: $25 (excluding any tools)
Here is a list of the items needed:
- 3/4" Schedule-40 PVC pipe (48")
- Plastic Mesh Netting
- 3/16" Rivets
- 3/16" Fender Washers
- Sand Paper (Medium Grit)
First things first... the 3/4" PVC is NOT a direct fit into the hole, because the holes are tappered. Just cut a few strips of sand paper, and get to work! You may want to cut the 48" piece in half, to make working easier. I concentrated on about a 3" section of the bottom of the pipe, because only 1" actually goes into the hole.
Just keep sanding, and test fitting until the piece fits ALL the way into the hole, about an inch. You want a tight fit, so don't sand TOO much.
The next thing I did, was grab my dog, and place him in the back after the first pole was sanded. Measured up to his neck level, and marked with a Sharpie, and cut it. After that, kept sanding and placing the OTHER pieces in, and with a level, measured the top of the rest, after the FIRST piece as a reference.
Here's the first 3 or so completed...
And after a little more work and time... all 6 in place...
The next part was obviously the tricky part... working with the plastic mesh. Here's the exact brand that I bought...
Here's a shot of what we're dealing with... it's VERY easy to measure and cut because it has flat parallel squares the whole length of the material. Scissors or dikes work well!
Now I simply rolled a chunk around the whole RZR, and cut off a piece a little easier to work with... as well as shortened it up. As you can see, I used zip-ties as I went along, to keep the pieces I had already measured and cut, secured... It was simply a matter of going around, and just cutting as I went, to get it lined up! Very easy...
After I had it all cut and measured... I had to do a test-fit of course!!! [
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Buster approved, and gave me the final go-ahead to complete it...
While it was all in place with the zip-ties... I drilled the 3/16" holes I needed for the rivets. 2 on the short ones, and 3 on the tall ones in the rear. Then, I took everything apart... Sprayed the PVC all black, and then waited for the paint to dry...
Here's the washers you'll need... they're called "Fender Washers" and again, 3/16" is the size...
Once dry... I put everything in place, and simply riveted everything in to the PVC for good. It's all easily removable, and VERY tight and secure when in place. Will easily hold up to the weight of a dog and if you ever need to, it's easy to rebuild. In all honesty, I probably won't even remove it that much.
Here is the final product!!!!
A great solution for people with small pets, or any other cargo you just want to keep inside. The best part is, there's a small gap between the net and the roll cage, so the dog can still peek his head out and have his face in the wind... which all dogs love!
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