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Tucker Roof Basket and Rear Step Ideas Please

Track Addict

Track Addict

Bronze Member
Need to make a better egress into the back. Have as idea of what I want but others before me must have already come up with a nice solution. Has to allow the drag hooked to pintle and removable. Thinking bolting plate between hitch and frame as base then?

Also want a large basket on the roof for the kids sleds, skis, etc. won't need to hold much weight but I don't want to drill holes. Need to use the roof body seem somehow.

Pics of what I am working with .

Thanks for input in advance. No idea is a bad one.
 

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Might think about welding a receiver hitch on back. That way you could use one of the receiver hitch steps that can be removed when necessary. That is what I did on mine and it works well.I also had an electrical receptical mounted there on back so that I could mount my winch on back if necessary as well.
 
On the roof basket. My 2 ¢. I don't think you can get enough grab only on the seams. I would be inclined to make a nice set of mounting plates that match existing rivet holes and use them for a permanent attachment. The rack could then pin / bolt onto those. That way you could vary the "basket" to meet specific mission profiles.

On the step, the challenge is the tapered frame. I will try to find a pix of the steps I made for a hay-ride wagon. They slid up and parallel to the frame in stow, but dropped down nicely to load. The other style you might consider is cable hung steps. They would bend out of the way when hitting anything. The heavier the cable, the easier to use, but the more force required to bend.
 
I like Thule, but I plan on using a Yakima rack. It has the perfect inverse curve to the Tucker roof. And there are different lengths to utilize the full roof. And agree with Tom on having a clean permanent mount then clip on or off as needed.
 
I agree with Cidertom on the mounting plates. Easy to drill out enough rivets and mount a plate. If you ever want it removed the holes can be filled with new rivets or machine screws and it will look like it was never there.
 
Both Yakima and Thule make a mount for this. Thule is a two bolt set up and Yakima is a 4 bolt set up (4 holes vs 2). Once mounted they act like a car gutter. I have them mounted on the side of the fiberglass top of my vw bus and it works great.
 
I agree with tom regarding the receiver tube in lieu of the pintle hook. The receiver tube gives you tons of options...

Tucker installed a step with pintle hook on later xx43 models. The first photo is of the stock setup on my first Tucker a 1980 1543. Note also the roof basket. I would say it was okay, but not great. It was thru-bolted to the roof.

The second photo is the step with receiver tube we fabricated on the 1979 Tucker we re-cabbed.

The third photo is of a current project, a 1980 1643. You can see the same factory installed step and pintle hook, but that machine has a much nicer roof top carrier with expanded metal on the bottom and sides. It holds a lot of stuff and is structurally much stronger. It also is thru-bolted to the roof.

One issue I would suggest you consider is roof top carrier access. You will need to stand on something while you load/unload it. Decent steps and hand-holds are nice to have, especially when there's snow and ice everywhere. The 1980 1543 had a nice ladder setup as shown in the last photo.
 

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Black Foot is right on bolting the roof rack on to the frame. I tried to rearrange my rack when I was doing the restore but Tucker advised against anything else like rain gutter attachments as they are too weak. Broken Grouser had already mounted an after market rail system that could be detached and then built his own basket out of electrical conduit. It still works great. You can see it in the picture I attached. Then I put a step above each rear pontoon in order to have something to stand on when loading and unloading..FWIW Tucker made the steps for me and I know they will make more. Theyu were reasonable as far as cost went.

Good luck
 
An experienced sno cat mentioned side baskets as an option? How about mounting and some pics on this idea?

Thanks for the step ideas above. May go with adding a receiver. Maybe.
 
Track Addict said:
An experienced sno cat mentioned side baskets as an option? How about mounting and some pics on this idea?

Thanks for the step ideas above. May go with adding a receiver. Maybe.
Click to expand...

My 1980 1543 had a side mounted basket.

DSC01322.jpg

And the 1980 1643 current project came with an open topped box with an expanded metal floor.

IMG_0159.jpg

But I think the better solution is what Sno-Drifter has on his 543. The open basket (or box) exposes everything to the elements, and to snow kicked up by the tracks. It's open for everyone to see what's there (and potentially walk off with) and lastly, depending on what you put there, it would be an irregular surface to step on if accessing the roof mounted carrier.

We've removed the side box from the 1643 and will be installing a really nice Weatherguard box in that location for the customer. Here's a link:
http://www.weatherguard.com/en/view/Products/Truck Tool Boxes Equipment/Boxes/Underbed Box/660-5-02

On the two __43's I've owned the fuel tank has been mounted outside the cab. (I think that may be a worthwhile mod for your consideration for the extra interior space.) Tucker welds two "outriggers" to the top of the frame and bolts the tank to those, and to the cab. The ends of the outriggers are cut on a 45º angle and on the outside end taper from being longer on top to shorter on the bottom, and the opposite on the inside end so they protrude minimally in terms of the rear seats. The open ends are capped with welded plates. Our intention is to make two similar outriggers, from the same size square tubing, and mount them the same way. The Weatherguard box will be bolted to the outriggers.
 
Think I found a good solution and will be comfortable with a few holes added for the install.

Yakima makes these camper brackets I can thru bolt using some existing rivets and then add some holes above with nice finish hardware. Should you want to remove the rack simple and these the two brackets on each side won't be intrusive.

Then you can use the standard rain gutter mounts and classic round bars. From there you can use your imagination to mount whatever to the setup.

I like the yakima basket as mentioned by Davenet because it allows a nice spot for some aux lights without more holes and messing up the looks plus has some accessory mounts for shovel, axe, jack etc. I do use a farm jack to get my implements on and of the pintle hitch and this would be a good place to store it.

Still thinking about the rear step.

Tom you mentioned Tucker is stocking those side steps for the back?
 

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Call Tucker and ask for Clyde Moody. They made mine...not sure whether or not they are in stock but he can help you. Nice Rack! Feels good to say that and not get slapped.
 
Here is what I came up with . I don't want weld and match paint or really alter what I have for now ..... The drags I pull are small and light so the stock pintle should be sufficient plus I'm the only one who would pull them.

I want a receiver mostly for step, basket, other options which are light duty. Also need step for access to back while pulling drag.

This will bolt up behind stock pintle and give a receiver below. Might need a little modification but good platform for me to work with. Think i can mount backwards drill new holes and use on the back side as a backer to the pintle. From there endless possibilities and can always undo or change.
 

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And that rack has a center section you can add into it to extend it by an additional 24"(?) if needed.
 
I have 48" by 72" to the gas fill. This is the area I want to fill. I found my Thule 48" bars from the 90's and Yakima makes a side loader bracket that is more low profile that the wide body and only uses two holes. Going to use the Thule rain gutter clamps they are available in three heights so I can keep it low to the roof.

As for the basket they are pricey. Might have to skimp a bit here. That Yakima big bucks.
 
You might want to check out Craig's List and search for ski and cargo racks. Sometimes they show up there. I know they are expensive but you should never have to buy another one!
 
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