This project was built and designed by Chris from A Glimpse Inside.
Chris tackled two practical upgrades for his Polaris Ranger utility vehicle, aiming to solve problems that had been bugging him for years. The first fix expands the bed to haul more free wood chips home from local tree services, and the second creates a dedicated spot to organize garden tools that had been rattling around loose in the back.
Watch the full video and subscribe to A Glimpse Inside:
The Problem with Free Mulch
Chris regularly picks up free wood chips through a nationwide service that connects tree companies with people who want mulch dumped at their property. It’s a great deal, but his older Ranger simply wasn’t wide enough to hold a full tractor bucket load without spilling chips everywhere during transport.
Rather than accepting the mess, he decided to design a bolt-on extension system using the existing mounting holes along the sides of the Ranger’s bed. He used a CNC machine to cut the parts, though he notes the same shapes could easily be made with a jigsaw and some careful measuring.
Building the Bed Extension
The design uses the factory holes in the bed walls to anchor a frame that raises the effective height of the sides and tailgate area, letting the Ranger carry significantly more material per trip. Chris tested it by loading extra tractor bucket scoops and watching how the vehicle’s suspension handled the added weight.
He paired the taller frame with a canvas-style cover to keep loose chips from blowing or bouncing out during the bumpy ride back to the dump site. The combination worked well enough that he was able to haul three scoops instead of two, cutting down on the number of trips needed for bigger landscaping jobs.
Along the way, he ran into a classic self-inflicted problem: the cover extended too far toward the tailgate, which made it impossible to drop the gate for unloading. The fix was simple once he figured it out, and he passes along the lesson for anyone building something similar — size the cover generously, but keep it clear of the tailgate hinge area.
Organizing Garden Tools with a Second Add-On
With the hauling capacity sorted, Chris turned his attention to a second accessory for the same vehicle. He kept the lower mounting structure from the mulch extension since it worked well, but built a completely different top section featuring a set of hooks.
After polling followers on social media for ideas, the overwhelming suggestion was a gun rack. Chris explains that doesn’t fit his needs, since he doesn’t carry firearms in the side-by-side. Instead, he designed the hooks to hold yard tools like rakes, shovels, and even gas-powered equipment, keeping them upright and out of the way of the cargo bed.
To keep tools from bouncing loose on rough terrain, he added a small rubber cord trick: cutting one hook off a short bungee, looping it backward through a mounting point, and wrapping the cut end so the remaining hook forms a secure loop. It’s a simple, low-cost way to add extra hold without any extra hardware, and it worked well in testing on a pitchfork.
Why These Small Upgrades Matter
Neither upgrade is complicated, but both solve everyday annoyances that come with owning a utility vehicle. The bed extension means fewer trips for mulch and landscaping material, while the tool rack keeps gear organized and the cargo area free for whatever else needs to be hauled.
The project is a good reminder that small, targeted fixes — rather than a single big overhaul — can make a work vehicle noticeably more useful. Anyone with a similar side-by-side could adapt the same approach using the factory mounting points already built into most utility bed designs.
Watch the full video and subscribe to A Glimpse Inside:
Matt’s Take
These are my personal thoughts and tips based on my own experience in the shop. This section is not written, reviewed, or endorsed by the original creator of this project.
Using those factory mounting holes as anchor points is a smart move here. Any time you can tap into existing structure instead of drilling new holes, you’re keeping the integrity of the bed intact and making the whole project reversible if you ever want to go back to stock. Worth checking your owner’s manual or the manufacturer’s site first, though, since some of those holes are rated for specific weight limits and you don’t want to overload them with a heavy mulch load.
For anyone building a similar extension without a CNC, plywood is a perfectly good material choice here. Marine-grade or exterior-rated plywood will hold up much better than standard interior stuff when it’s exposed to wet mulch and weather. A coat of exterior paint or polyurethane on the edges goes a long way toward preventing swelling and delamination over time.
That bungee hook trick is a great example of using what’s already in your shop drawer instead of buying specialty hardware. It’s a good habit to get into for small utility builds like this — a lot of the best fixes are the cheap, simple ones. Just keep an eye on rubber cord over time since UV exposure and repeated stretching will eventually cause it to crack or snap, so it’s worth checking periodically if it’s going to live outside.
Overall, this is a nice reminder that you don’t need a massive fabrication project to make a work vehicle more useful. Small, focused upgrades like these add up fast in terms of daily convenience.