Motorhome rear box fitting
Having assessed the weight of the motorhome we want I am now considering the fitting of a Thule Carry All box or similar as the motorhome we want has no garage. Additional storage will be preferable to buying a larger or different model.
Most of the boxes available appear to be designed to fit a bike carrier. We neither want nor need a bike carrier. Furthermore, the Thule web site states that their box can be attached using a simple bracket rather than a bike carrier. I suspect the latter, which we don't want, is more expensive than a bracket anyway. Can anyone please tell me if the fitting of such a bracket is a simple process or otherwise? I know that an obvious answer is "Ask your dealer". However we have not yet decided on a dealer as we are still in the preliminary stages of the process.
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I suggest you mention what are going to do to all the dealers you visit, and see what responses you get,as some motor carans have got pecific mounting points for anything fitted on the rear panel which may also involve weight"spreader plates" fitted on the internal wall
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We have just had a bike rack fitted to the rear of our Motorhome to fit th3 Thule box onto. Fitting a bike rack will be more desirable when it comes to sell than a bracket screwed through the rear of the van.
the rear boxes are designed to be used on the bike racks.
if your looking for the Thule towbar mounted EasyBase 949 I have one for sale just 12 months old
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Oooh, Kev. I hope that’s not advertising or you'll get Deleted User!
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‘fraid so😙
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Q, this might be what you are after.
we had a back box that came with our first MH, it fitted onto the supplied bike rack.
im sure the previous owner used it as the front lounge/bed design was a bit short of decent storage when carrying bedding etc.
a couple of points.....check that it isn't mounted too high (to be able to reach well inside it) although you may not have much choice of the back wall has fitted battens....
also, beware that, due to the opening angle, anything above halfway up is likely to fall on you when you open it, so check your packing...there were a couple of straps but these cant hold everything....perhaps a net would be more useful.
we wanted to make use of the bi,e rack so sold the box virtually straight away, only used it once, I think....
after our first long(ish) hioliday in France, we realised we wanted a proper bed and more storage, so the van went, too....
remember that all add ons like bike racks and boxes add length when booking the ferry...and can, in effect, turn a short van into a medium length one....
good luck with the change.
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K, i think the Fiamma one (haven't checked out the Thule site) is the same shape as the bike rack would be and sits against the back wall in the same position as the rack would.....it's just a bit lighter and cheaper but does the same support function.
dealers would generally try and fit a bike rack, a bit more expensive and has the extra functionality when the box isn't being used.
mine did come on a bike rack, which was useful after we so.d the box.
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Many thanks for all your helpful replies.
Having at last found a picture of the Thule bracket it loos to me as if that would save a few centimetres by comparison with a bike rack. We want to keep our overall length downs as best we can. On the other hand without sufficient carry capacity life would be no fun.
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I have noticed a few motor caravans with rear boxes added on the highway and the position of the box obscured the rear lights. You should check the position of the lights on your chosen vehicle as you may require to fit a light board to be legal and this will add more centimeters to the shipping length.
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Many thanks for all these comments. The Thule Carry All comes complete with a net which seems sensible. The Auto-Sleeper we want has two brackets at the back positioned quite low down which is good for centre of gravity as well as loading. It is clear from photos of the light clusters that the Carry All will not obscure them.
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