I use a four wheeler for surveying about 3 days a week, most of my jobs are out in BFE. I would like a rod holder to put my gps rover in to ride between shots on monuments. Does someone make something like this? For years I have just been holding rod with my left hand and driving with right..... I'm solo, so nobody to help hold it.
Brainstorming, something like a gun rack that would hold the rod vertical and have a lot of rubber to help with vibration. Your thoughts?
Something like this? http://www.hayesinstrument.com/st_prod.html?p_prodid=2555
I am not promoting Hayes Instrument Company. We just happen to have what you're looking for. I am sure there are other dealers who do as well.
The Seco looks like it holds the rod to the side - good if you are on golf courses and bad if you are in the brush. We looked but never found a good pole mount solution for use in thick brush - we didn't want our antennas sticking up there.
To hold the antennas, we soldered together a stable framework from 3/8 or 1/2" copper pipe and mounted them on the front rack - so that the antenna was pretty much centered side to side - we increased the size of the copper to about 2" for the last leg (about 6") and siliconed in 5/8" SS all-thread for the antenna mount. We just used 2 - 1" or so "donuts" of silicon - one near the bottom of the all-thread and the other near where the all-thread left the copper. The antenna ht was about the same as the sitting drivers eyes. The entire framework connects to the rack with 4 "U" bolts - you could probably use Velcro if you were looking for ez on - ez off but you'd give up some security. These worked really well for us for years in brushy conditions.
The controller holder was more of a PITA - we essentially made a semi-formed lexan box (you can bend it with a large brake) lined with closed cell foam connected to the ATV with the big RAM mounts. The ATV driver could drive through the most challenging terrain while keeping an eye on the controller screen. It was a lot of work but it paid for itself in equipment security and increased productivity. You have to unscrew the antenna if you want to use it away from the ATV. We made rod/shovel/metal detector holders from ABS drain pipe - These were mounted starting near the front of the footwell and angled back over the rear wheel - they didn't get hung up in the brush. A very functional setup for surveying from an ATV. You could locate and stakeout to within about 0.2-0.3' without removing any equipment. You'd have to get out the rod and unscrew the antenna if you wanted to be more accurate.
I always used gun racks, being I'm a cheap ass, but going through scrub and brush the rods would get hung up, twist and bend, and just get all whacked out of shape....and sometimes end up smacking me in the face as they were knocked around.....I would go with what Jerry is showing....
I have the Ruxworks holder on my UTV, and have been thinking of fabricating an additional mount to put on my ATV, but to keep it inside of the footprint of the ATV, probably on the left side of the ATV.
I did buy mine from Hayes Instrument. 
I have many gun racks on my ATV and still the safest way to carry the pole is much like a flag bearer does riding a horse, by hand with the point in the stirrup or floor board in this case.
Homemade devices are some of the greatest I've seen.
I remember someone posting rod holders made from 2in and 4in pvc and the appeared to work.
Jimmy does that holder work well on your utv? How hard is it to get the rod out of the holder? I would fabricate it to fit behind the front left wheel near the foot pegs like you are talking about.
A 2" piece of steel pipe 30" tall bolted to the foot floor board and reinforced at the top would work too it seems. I would put a piece of rubber in the bottom of the pipe for the rod to rest in. It wouldn't be obnoxiously large and in the way either.
I have made a couple out of 1.25 inch pvc and wyes to triangulate. Has nice data collector holder too. Use 1.5 inch u bolts. Works great on the old metal racks. Difficult to use on the new silly plastic racks. If you are interested?? I'll take a photo of mine tomorrow
Dublin8300, post: 396219, member: 1491 wrote: Jimmy does that holder work well on your utv? How hard is it to get the rod out of the holder? I would fabricate it to fit behind the front left wheel near the foot pegs like you are talking about.
A 2" piece of steel pipe 30" tall bolted to the foot floor board and reinforced at the top would work too it seems. I would put a piece of rubber in the bottom of the pipe for the rod to rest in. It wouldn't be obnoxiously large and in the way either.
It works pretty good. I use the pins to take it one and off, so it has some "wiggle" to it. If I could bolt to the mount on the ATV, it would be a little better. I like it, and it is easy to get the rod in and out of. The bracket at the top with the lever is similar to what I think bike shops use to hold bicycles when they are working on them.
It is a pretty tough unit. It has taken a few licks by overhanging branches and once the top of my shed door as I was putting it back in the shed. I forgot to take it off the UTV when going through the door.
The Ruxworks holder looks pretty good - it would benefit from a redesign of the "connecting pipe" - it needs to be two pipes (one on the UTV/ATV mount and one on the rod mount - one inside the other) with a shear pin - maybe from a snow blower - a poor mans version of a multibeam universal mount shear block ( http://universalsonarmount.com/ ) - so that it pivots when you hit something rigid on the top like a shed door or a trailer door or a stout branch. Naturally that would increase the cost - but GPS antenna's and rods aren't cheap - a little money spent on protection may be well spent money.
If you are only looking to mount to utv for topo purposes and would like a cheaper easier option, I used a 3 or 4 inch piece of 3in angle iron. Drilled a hole and bolted a 5/8bolt in it, then mounted it to the roll bar with longer screws and double nuts. I set of nuts to hold roll bar and one set to hold bracket onto the bolts. I then screw a 1ft rod and the gnss to it. I also put a 3/4 or 1 inch pipe to the middle of the roll bar holding the data collector right in front of your face. I used some type of a aluminum band with rubber inside to wrap around the bar and bolted to pipe thru a pipe cap. Then your rod clamp for the data collector will just clamp to the pipe.
I also carry my rod in the back and if I need to "hand shoot" something, it's not hard to unscrew the gnss (or better yet use a quick disconnect) take the shot then stick it back on top to navigate to the next point.
I build racks out of the stuff that I think they call wiring run. It is like a c channel, with slots in the flat side for bolts to go through. But, besides that, I try to mount my pole longways on an atv, so it doesnt hang out to get slapped by the trees and brush. The data collector I use a bungee to hold it against the fuel tank, with a piece of foam under it to keep it from rubbing. Nope, I dont go all out, but maybe I can spark an idea that someone can make millions from.
Sorry late to post this but I don't use my ATV that often. I use the ATV all rite tool holders. Work well and hold my GPS, shovel, metal detector, as well as a place to hold a rod vertical for rough topo shots.
Can??t remember what thread it was, or who it was (think it was Dougie) that made the suggestion, but since I??ve also farted around with working on bikes, and had an old repair stand laying around, I chopped it up for this latest big topo job. Today was day one, worked brilliantly.
?ÿ
