I didn't actually play nor coach tennis yesterday, but my asst. coach needed the ball hopper so I took the Ute for a tennis commute. I'm pretty pleased with how stable and un-noisy the metal hopper was, and I managed to find a narrower bag for the balls. Really, the only drama of the mundane commute was the cold. I can read a thermometer (or website) to dress for 37F/47F, but it was quite breezy from the NW and I got tired of the cold headwind in the morning. I think I was dressed adequately save my hands, but it was just uncomfortable. The afternoon was much the same. I dressed back down a bit with short sleeves and and a jacket, but my upper body was cold and clammy. Mileage is mileage though.
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This is a side view of the Ute with the hopper, mostly an image for my own purpose. I have a main bungee running down the middle. I then have a total of 4 smaller side bungees attaching to the side "holes". You can see where I've run orange electrical tape on those side holes to protect the frame. I've looked to no avail for an appropriate hook that I could use to lower the basket on the holes and then use the 1 bungee to lash it down. Ideas? The slightly higher position is nice, though, b/c it doesn't allow the basket to fall below the frame and make menace.
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| ball bag in the side bag |
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| Slightly out-of-focus, but Ute from the back with hopper lashed on left front and ball bag in right large bag. One day I'll have a system where I can just hook that hopper right onto the frame, bungee it once and away I go. Distributing balls and hopper on opposite sides helps balance the load substantially. And I like the hopper out of the way of the PDW rear taillight. |
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