Tool Caddy for LX2610SU

[Old_Paint]

Picked up a pretty nice little metal ammo can from HF today, and a few bits of hardware and a can of orange Rustoleum paint from HD today. Time to put a better toolbox on the LX. Spot checked the paint inside the bucket for color match today. Close enough. May do the deed tomorrow if the weather is as nice as it was today. Need something to get all the adhesive from the label on the ammo can off it so I can get the paint to stick. Label came off easy, but left the adhesive behind. I like the idea of the metal can better. I think I can control it rusting better than I can control a plastic one getting broken. After all, the mod is to replace the puny little plastic box because it's unreliable. Right?

Gonna use some 1" box beam for the mounting frame, and try to figure out how to use two existing holes in the ROPS instead of clamping it with bolts/straps pinching the ROPS. Hope to have the bracket welded up tomorrow evening and box on the tractor by Sunday.

Photos when it's done, maybe some in progress.

 

[Old_Paint]

This was easier than I thought. Took some 1" steel box beam and made two like this. My welds aren't very pretty until I grind them down smooth. But I do that anyway for appearance and to check penetration. This one's ready for paint. Didn't bother with primer since I was using Rustoleum.

I used four 1/4-20 TapTite (self threading) bolts to attach this to the ammo can I got from HF. The angle was not a screw up. It matches the angle of the ROPS on my LX2610. One bracket per box, and what fits on the outside on one side of the tractor will also work on the inside on the other side of the tractor. Flip it over, it still fits, but changes which side of the rops it's on. It's designed to follow the centerline of the ROPS. I used Nylock nuts on the bolts, so it ain't gonna fall off. It's high enough to miss the flashers on the cross beam behind the seat, and the grab handles on the fenders.

Here it is fastened to the ROPS, before paint. You can see the two bolts that I ran from inside the can all the way through the bracket and the ROPS. I did not drill the ROPS. Two holes were already there. BTW, you can get a pretty good idea just how big the R14's are on the SU. There are no spacers behind these wheels. There's about 2 inches between the fender bead and the centerline of the tire.

Took it back off for paint (orange, of course) Box is a Metal 0.50 Caliber Ammo Can (harborfreight.com) .50 Cal box (approx. 11L x 5W x 9H). $17 bucks at HF, but I like the metal can better than the plastic one. It just gives me a better warm fuzzy.. Still fits inside the outer edge of the rear tires, so not much chance of hitting it on anything. Getting the holes in the bracket and the box to line up was a little fun, but I did OK with geometry about 52 years ago. Well enough to go on for higher education anyway. The only thing that balks about fitting in it is the rubber mallet, but it will go if you get the head to the bottom of the box. If I clip about 1 inch off the handle, I think it will . Plenty space for pins and a few basic tools (rubber mallet, channel-lock pliers, 10" crescent wrench), but don't think it's gonna hold my 20' x 5/16" chain. That will be the next upgrade, once I figure out where I want to put it.

The firewood (water oak) in the photo isn't for me. My son uses a fire-pit in his back yard, so I cut a little firewood once in a while for him.

 

[UpNorthMI]

This was easier than I thought. Took some 1" steel box beam and made two like this. My welds aren't very pretty until I grind them down smooth. But I do that anyway for appearance and to check penetration. This one's ready for paint. Didn't bother with primer since I was using Rustoleum.

View attachment 53450


I used four 1/4-20 TapTite (self threading) bolts to attach this to the ammo can I got from HF. The angle was not a screw up. It matches the angle of the ROPS on my LX2610. One bracket per box, and what fits on the outside on one side of the tractor will also work on the inside on the other side of the tractor. Flip it over, it still fits, but changes which side of the rops it's on. It's designed to follow the centerline of the ROPS. I used Nylock nuts on the bolts, so it ain't gonna fall off. It's high enough to miss the flashers on the cross beam behind the seat, and the grab handles on the fenders.

Here it is fastened to the ROPS, before paint. You can see the two bolts that I ran from inside the can all the way through the bracket and the ROPS. I did not drill the ROPS. Two holes were already there. BTW, you can get a pretty good idea just how big the R14's are on the SU. There are no spacers behind these wheels. There's about 2 inches between the fender bead and the centerline of the tire.
View attachment 53451

Took it back off for paint (orange, of course) Box is a Metal 0.50 Caliber Ammo Can (harborfreight.com) .50 Cal box (approx. 11L x 5W x 9H). $17 bucks at HF, but I like the metal can better than the plastic one. It just gives me a better warm fuzzy.. Still fits inside the outer edge of the rear tires, so not much chance of hitting it on anything. Getting the holes in the bracket and the box to line up was a little fun, but I did OK with geometry about 52 years ago. Well enough to go on for higher education anyway. The only thing that balks about fitting in it is the rubber mallet, but it will go if you get the head to the bottom of the box. If I clip about 1 inch off the handle, I think it will . Plenty space for pins and a few basic tools (rubber mallet, channel-lock pliers, 10" crescent wrench), but don't think it's gonna hold my 20' x 5/16" chain. That will be the next upgrade, once I figure out where I want to put it.

The firewood (water oak) in the photo isn't for me. My son uses a fire-pit in his back yard, so I cut a little firewood once in a while for him.

Nice job, if you need a little more capacity consider this modification, I copied it and mounted a basket on my tractors, it is so useful.

ROPs Carry All Basket

It's a 36" ATV front basket and I purchased the U-Bolts from TSC. I made the straps from flat bar from TSC. Works great.

www.orangetractortalks.com

 

[Old_Paint]

Nice job, if you need a little more capacity consider this modification, I copied it and mounted a basket on my tractors, it is so useful.

Yeah, I've already seen that one. Good one if you have a shed to park in and can leave items in the basket. Not so good if you wanna keep stuff dry, though, and don't have a shed. Like I said, I keep a rubber mallet, a pair of channel lock pliers, and a crescent wrench in mine with a hand-full of connecting pins, lynch pins and keys, maybe a couple bushings. For anything else I have a 5x7 homemade trailer that I drag around for yard work that works just fine for loading all the hand tools on. I have enough 3" PVC pipe to make a chain caddy. Just need a few fittings and to figure out where I want to mount it so that removing the FEL doesn't affect whether or not my chain is with me.

I don't have a huge property, so coming back to the shed is more about the inconvenience than it is the distance. I get more seat time on the tractor if I can't carry everything I need. .