Attaching a bow to your quad

[Jonny14]

Hey everyone,
How do you guys attach your bow to your quad? I can strap my hard case to the front rack for trips between spots, but what do you guys use for the leisurly chicken hunt when you take it on and of your quad quite a few times? If you have any pics, that would be great. Thanks

That's an easy one. The BowKaddy

www.bowkaddy.com

got one this spring its great and made in alberta.

[Herd Bull]

i built one about 4/5 years ago that fits on the front rack. is very similar to the bow caddy. made from flat bar & foam rubber where the bow is supported. when i get some pics, i will post them.

[300WSM]

It(bow kaddy) shakes to much for the money I've put into my bow.

Far as I'm concerned POS

300

[bowkaddyguy]

Originally Posted by 300WSM

It(bow kaddy) shakes to much for the money I've put into my bow.300

Bowkaddy is made of injection-molded components as opposed to solid metal so is bound to have a certain degree of "shake" or bounce during travel. The amount of bounce increases with the weight of the bow, length of the riser, degree of limb parallelness (is that a word?) and, of course, how hard the trail is ridden. Bowkaddy prototypes preceeded the vertical force revolution when most bows would fit with the swing arms pointed straight out. With the advent of parallel limbs, the swing arms now have to be mostly or fully extended and pivoted on the main support arm to properly grip the limbs. This creates a larger torque on the main support arm and the result is some flex in the system. I'm working on a couple ideas to increase the rigidity of the rack while trying to keep the retail price from going up. I'm commited to both of these initiatives, but it means modifications to the tool molds themselves and more material volume, so unfortunately won't happen overnight.

The picture below shows one of the things that will happen during my next manufacturing run. I didn't include it in the above list but bow orientation has a lot to do with the amount of bounce during travel. When the bow is cantilevered out from the base, the ups and downs of the trail get translated to the bow. However, if the bow is oriented closer to vertical in the rack, the vertical forces have less of an effect during travel. Therefore, I am modifying the base to allow for 5 lockable pivot positions instead of the normal three. This will be accomplished by replacing the central pin hole by 2 offset holes. I simply drilled two new holes in the base of the one at right in the picture. With the bow closer to vertical, it will ride a lot smoother in the rack. The other benefit is that it opens more of the ATV rack for other gear.

Plus, a little bit of flex in the system can actually be a good thing should you encounter a heavy branch or something on the trail. Better to bend a rack than to break a bow.

[Stinky Coyote]

hey bowkaddy guy....i just got your rig in the mail yesterday (thanks for the fast shipping btw) and am mounting it to the top of a plastic trunk/seat box basically straight up and yes the unit has way less flex etc. if more vertical (i'm the guy who also has the switchback xt bow in calgary fyi), i've had to grind off the base including one of the mounting holes to make it fit and i will use a brace underneath also but i'll post pics (and email them to you) when i'm done but i might look at getting your new base for more vertical....or can i just modify the existing base? (i think the angle will work okay for my application, it will look good anyhow, kinda looks like a big spoiler lol

[bowkaddyguy]

The base you have can be modified pretty easily with a drill and 1/4" bit. Just double check the bit size by making sure it fits inside one of the existing holes in the base before you drill. The tricky part is to mark and drill the holes in the precise location that will line up with the holes in the main support arm. The hole geometry can be taken right off the bottom of the main support arm, but is hard to use as a template because you can't hold it up tight against the outside of the base. The new holes are 0.875" from the top hole (centre to centre) and 30 degrees each side of vertical.

I found that you'll want to drill a little bit and then do an assembly check with the ball bearing pin. Repeat this until the pin slides in and out nicely yet still locks securely. The hole will then need to be countersunk slightly like the existing bottom hole using a countersink or oversized bit. Careful not to drill right through! The plastic is easy to drill through and if your bit is sharp you'll only need about 1 revolution of the bit.

Nice coyotes.