I know what you mean about the weather. Right now we're getting into the good time of the riding season here too...Oct is my favorite time to ride, I like heading up to WI to see the changing of the colors.
LT will help you a lot with your "double wide"
in reguards to clearance. When I first read this build, that was a concern I saw and you were aware of it...How wide is your front end now? Are you going to make it wider with the addition of the LT or move your a-arm mount points inward so not to increase width? Up here width is a concern, we have ATV parks and DNR trails and they regulate size...I'm also limited in width in the racing series I run in...When we built my LT front for my Pilot, we had to be careful with that since we completely moved the mounts and rebuild the lower front frame area...
Loved this project of yours from the start though...How has power been with 2 adults?