Thule Towbar Easy Base & Easy Box
Hi, I'm looking at additional storage for my 2005 Ducato and considering a Thuile easy base tow bar rack and easy storage box. Does anyone use this set up and if so how do you find it?
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I have the tow bar carrier but not the box. I think it is a very versatile system but because it attaches to the tow bar, make sure you have the payload for the extra weight it will put on the back axle. I use mine to carry bikes or occasionally an awning as well. It does mean you do not have to lift items high to get them on the rack which is very helpful and it is very easy to mount on the tow ball and take off.
It is easy to move to another vehicle fitted with a tow bar and stores easily on the wall in my garage when not required.
peedee
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We have a Thule tow bar mounted carrier, haven’t used it on MH (we have a Fiamma on there) Use ours on our Jeep, excellent piece of kit. As PD says, you need to be aware of loadage on towball and back axle.
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We have exactly that set up mounted on a RoadPro fitted Van Swing.The latter allows the rear doors on our Warwick .Duo to be opened as well.We also have a Thule Velo-Compact cycle reach which pops onto the Van Swing if not using the box.The Thule system uses 7 pin electrics but the VS has 16 pin so an adaptor is required.With the Easy-Base there are two issues to be aware of:1..clearance from the rear of it to the electrics connector is tight so buy a 7/16 adaptor which is on a cable rather than the more compact sort as the protective cover on them fouls the base at the assembly bolts.I reversed the nut/ bolt positions to reduce this problem.2.the fitting of the clamp to the tow ball is done with a spanner which requires kneeling under the Easy Base ,so fitting it with the EasyBox in situ is really a two person job.You can buy a plastic locking cover for the fitting bolt which stops anyone without the keys unbolting the Easy Base.You can get "keyed alike" with any other Thule kit you may have.The rear lights let in water as they are the same unit turned upside down and the r/h one leaks at the seam- I cured this by wrapping clear water-proof tape round them.Permitted weight in the box drops to 30kg when you factor in the weight of the Easy Base and box on the towball.We put bulky,lighter item in ours.
For bikes we have two Bromptons which will fit in the box if we want to but we tend to pop them inside the van to travel-they slide in front of the cab seats at night.
We like the outfit as it reduces "clutter" inside our PVC when touring.The outfit is not cheap to buy particularly when you factor in the Van -Swing cost as well.We got a "best price" for the Thule kit from Journey Centre in Rotherham with whom I have no business connection,by the way.
Hope this helps - anything else,just ask.
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As Ken knows I have been spending a lot of time recently wondering what sort of storage options I could use on my Bailey. Because we are uncertain whether we will be carrying bikes again I decided to go for a Fiamma Bike Pro motorhome mounted rack (fortunately fixing bars pre installed) with the option of a Fiamma Back Box. Not as convenient as the low level suggestions being discussed here but a lot cheaper if you don't already have a tow bar already installed. It might be another option for the OP if they already have a Fiamma bike rack fitted to their van?
David
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.With the Easy-Base there are two issues to be aware of:1..clearance from the rear of it to the electrics connector is tight so buy a 7/16 adaptor which is on a cable rather than the more compact sort as the protective cover on them fouls the base at the assembly bolts.I reversed the nut/ bolt positions to reduce this problem.2.the fitting of the clamp to the tow ball is done with a spanner which requires kneeling under the Easy Base ,
I did have problems with the clearance of the adapter, but this could depend on the socket configuration on the towbar. I moved my socket by fitting it to an extension plate. I don't recognise the need to kneel under the Easy Base. Have you seen this >U_Tube video<.
peedee
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Good advice there from KenExton, I forgot to mention about the adaptor. Thule equipment is excellent quality, better than Fiamma in our opinion. We use both a Thule bike carrier, one that tilts to allow access to rear of vehicle, and a Thule load carrier. MH came with Fiamma bike rack fitted, but it’s quite a hike up for heavy bikes. It does take a Fiamma Box though with just a few modifications. Box is brilliant for Winter use, gives us a lot more storage space with our small Autosleeper.
Like Ken, our Thule stuff is all from Journey Centre in Rotherham, good place to deal with, very helpful.
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