Hey guys.
Grew up owning a CJ7 and a YJ. Now looking at building a TJ with and for my daughter. (I'll post more on the build plans later.) She plays on the high school golf team and needs to keep her clubs secured while in school before heading to the course. I'm looking for something other than hiding them under a blanket or tonneau cover. I've got access to fabrication equipment, so looking to build something that would be functional, secure, easy to use and still look good while the top is off. I'm hoping for a hard top so this may only need to be a solution for the summer. I've got to solve this issue before I bite the bullet on the Jeep idea as this project is DOA if I can't make this work.
First off, has anyone seen any cool fabrications done for this problem?
Here are the couple of ideas I'm thinking about:
1. Horizontal roll cage mount: This would utilize a heavy duty off-the-shelf SKB golf club hard case like the one pictured below. That case is 52" long, so I'm a little worried about whether or not it would fit horizontally without sticking way out the back or blocking the door. If that would fit, I could fab up some brackets to hold the case while still allowing it to open/close and be locked. The only disadvantage to this is interference with a soft top, but quick removal may be an option. Going up on top of the roll cage gives me more room for length, but may make it difficult for access. That would work nice if I needed to mount another box for a friend though. I'd love to be able to keep the backseat usable if possible. What about behind the driver and passenger seat?
2. Vertical on the rear: This could be a simple hitch mounted deal, but I would prefer to put something attached to the spare tire mount. Don't know if that will be stock or have an aftermarket version, but I could make that happen if needed. This mount would have two options:
2a: Mount the same SKB hard case vertically
2b: Fabricate my own setup: I'm imagining something that you slide your clubs up inside to fully cover the top of the bag and prevent the clubs from being stolen. Then something on the bottom like a shelf that holds the bag securely up into the top mount. I could use a locking strap to keep it in place or make a hinging curved bracket to wrap around the bag and put a lock on the setup. The only disadvantage with this one is the exposed bag could result in stolen golf balls, etc. and it would also be exposed more to the elements.
The other downside to the rear mount is just weather and driving around in possible rain or even snow could make a real mess with the tires kicking up stuff onto the setup. Unfortunately girls play golf in the spring and the weather is often crummy.
Thanks in advance for any thoughts or ideas.
Dane
Grew up owning a CJ7 and a YJ. Now looking at building a TJ with and for my daughter. (I'll post more on the build plans later.) She plays on the high school golf team and needs to keep her clubs secured while in school before heading to the course. I'm looking for something other than hiding them under a blanket or tonneau cover. I've got access to fabrication equipment, so looking to build something that would be functional, secure, easy to use and still look good while the top is off. I'm hoping for a hard top so this may only need to be a solution for the summer. I've got to solve this issue before I bite the bullet on the Jeep idea as this project is DOA if I can't make this work.
First off, has anyone seen any cool fabrications done for this problem?
Here are the couple of ideas I'm thinking about:
1. Horizontal roll cage mount: This would utilize a heavy duty off-the-shelf SKB golf club hard case like the one pictured below. That case is 52" long, so I'm a little worried about whether or not it would fit horizontally without sticking way out the back or blocking the door. If that would fit, I could fab up some brackets to hold the case while still allowing it to open/close and be locked. The only disadvantage to this is interference with a soft top, but quick removal may be an option. Going up on top of the roll cage gives me more room for length, but may make it difficult for access. That would work nice if I needed to mount another box for a friend though. I'd love to be able to keep the backseat usable if possible. What about behind the driver and passenger seat?
2. Vertical on the rear: This could be a simple hitch mounted deal, but I would prefer to put something attached to the spare tire mount. Don't know if that will be stock or have an aftermarket version, but I could make that happen if needed. This mount would have two options:
2a: Mount the same SKB hard case vertically
2b: Fabricate my own setup: I'm imagining something that you slide your clubs up inside to fully cover the top of the bag and prevent the clubs from being stolen. Then something on the bottom like a shelf that holds the bag securely up into the top mount. I could use a locking strap to keep it in place or make a hinging curved bracket to wrap around the bag and put a lock on the setup. The only disadvantage with this one is the exposed bag could result in stolen golf balls, etc. and it would also be exposed more to the elements.
The other downside to the rear mount is just weather and driving around in possible rain or even snow could make a real mess with the tires kicking up stuff onto the setup. Unfortunately girls play golf in the spring and the weather is often crummy.
Thanks in advance for any thoughts or ideas.
Dane
