The Intro
I can stand large cases on my ATV's. I have the smaller BRP 45 litre case, which is great on the 450 but on my XMR it sucks because it leaves no areas to strap extra gas or anything too. I loved the look of the Pelican waterproof cases bolted to the back rack, but did not want to pay the price for a Pelican or Nanuk. I happened to be in Canadian Tire one day and in the tool box section came across the Mastercraft Maximum waterproof tool case. It was regular $145 on sale for $75, for the medium one (comes in small, medium or large). For that price I figured I might as well give it a try. Picked up 4 stainless steel bolts, nuts and 8 large washers to install it.
First Impressions
The box seems to be really strong and well built. It closes tight and has very beefy latches on it that seem to hold really well. The box has one of those auto pressure relief valves and comes with 1 layer of solid foam for the bottom, a later on solid foam for the top and is filled with 2 layers of pluckable foam.
The Install
I didn't feel like taking the rack off so what I did was I fed a bolt with a large washer on it up from under the rack through the existing spaces. I put a little blue Loctite on the end of the bolt (it is what I had that would leave a mark), and carefully place the box where I wanted it to sit. The Loctite make marks on the box where I wanted the holes. Went in the shop and drilled holes where the marks were. After that is was as simple as putting the box in place and feeding the bolts through the holes. I put a large washer and then a nut on each bolt inside the box, held the bolt with an open ended wrench and tightened the nuts in the box. Finished off by coating all bolts with gasket maker just to re-waterproof it.
Testing
The medium sized box, is big enough to store the essentials you want to protect from the elements but not large enough to store many extras. I have had it through lots of mud, dusty trails, and deep water. It has been used through thunderstorms, hot summer days and around 0 degree Celsius temperatures (winter testing is coming soon enough). It has not let in a drop of water or a speck of dust yet. Still opens and closes fine. The latches still grab really well and hold it shut even when they were packed with mud.
Conclusion
For anyone who wants a smaller storage box, I would recommend this one. It has held up good so far and has done exactly what I expect it to do. It probably doesn't matter what brand you get. They probably are all good if you pay for the quality ones. Just pick whatever one is on sale at the time. Its very easy to mount to the composite racks, probably even easier if you have the steel racks.
I can stand large cases on my ATV's. I have the smaller BRP 45 litre case, which is great on the 450 but on my XMR it sucks because it leaves no areas to strap extra gas or anything too. I loved the look of the Pelican waterproof cases bolted to the back rack, but did not want to pay the price for a Pelican or Nanuk. I happened to be in Canadian Tire one day and in the tool box section came across the Mastercraft Maximum waterproof tool case. It was regular $145 on sale for $75, for the medium one (comes in small, medium or large). For that price I figured I might as well give it a try. Picked up 4 stainless steel bolts, nuts and 8 large washers to install it.
First Impressions
The box seems to be really strong and well built. It closes tight and has very beefy latches on it that seem to hold really well. The box has one of those auto pressure relief valves and comes with 1 layer of solid foam for the bottom, a later on solid foam for the top and is filled with 2 layers of pluckable foam.
The Install
I didn't feel like taking the rack off so what I did was I fed a bolt with a large washer on it up from under the rack through the existing spaces. I put a little blue Loctite on the end of the bolt (it is what I had that would leave a mark), and carefully place the box where I wanted it to sit. The Loctite make marks on the box where I wanted the holes. Went in the shop and drilled holes where the marks were. After that is was as simple as putting the box in place and feeding the bolts through the holes. I put a large washer and then a nut on each bolt inside the box, held the bolt with an open ended wrench and tightened the nuts in the box. Finished off by coating all bolts with gasket maker just to re-waterproof it.
Testing
The medium sized box, is big enough to store the essentials you want to protect from the elements but not large enough to store many extras. I have had it through lots of mud, dusty trails, and deep water. It has been used through thunderstorms, hot summer days and around 0 degree Celsius temperatures (winter testing is coming soon enough). It has not let in a drop of water or a speck of dust yet. Still opens and closes fine. The latches still grab really well and hold it shut even when they were packed with mud.
Conclusion
For anyone who wants a smaller storage box, I would recommend this one. It has held up good so far and has done exactly what I expect it to do. It probably doesn't matter what brand you get. They probably are all good if you pay for the quality ones. Just pick whatever one is on sale at the time. Its very easy to mount to the composite racks, probably even easier if you have the steel racks.
