TheSamba.com :: View topic - cargo boxes on top of cab & on rear hitch

Fri Jun 08, 2012 9:31 am

with an extended summer trip coming up and a family of five, i am looking to maximize cargo space... to challenge things a bit more than normal, we rock climb and will have shoes, harnesses, helmets, ropes and a ton of gear in addition to all the normal stuff... i have put tracks up top and a roof rack and thule box, but i want more... there is an Action Packer that is 43 long x 17 wide x 20 high which would seem to fit perfectly in the cargo space on top of the cab... i'm wondering how much that big box up front and high like that is going to kill my mpg... i'm also looking into the stowaway carrier on the swing away arm for the back... i am thinking it would be pretty convenient to utilize all three options (thule on top, action packer in front of that, and stow away in the back)... so two questions: 1. should that action packer up top and front be avoided? and 2. the people at stowaway have said that i need a tongue weight capacity of 300 lbs to haul their box on my rear hitch... will i be fine doing that in my 86 weekender? (i have a custom steel bumper w. 2" hitch)

Fri Jun 08, 2012 11:02 am

:bay_blue: Yes you can do all this, cost, lost MPG, hassle to get to all of this. Just get a small trailer, 150 lbs. aka harbor freight $400.00 this is what I did, and when I take the box off the trailer I can hall my Harley! Yes I had to build the box but that was easy. :D

Fri Jun 08, 2012 12:59 pm

Try a search on < Rola >

This is a burly cargo bag that fits well on top of the cargo area over the front 2 seats. This search will also lead you to many related threads.

link to the bag:
http://www.amazon.com/Rola-59102-Expandable-Hitch-Cargo/dp/B000E7WLJW

Mon Jun 11, 2012 7:28 am

pghmike wrote: 2. the people at stowaway have said that i need a tongue weight capacity of 300 lbs to haul their box on my rear hitch... will i be fine doing that in my 86 weekender? (i have a custom steel bumper w. 2" hitch)
300lbs seems like overkill.. perhaps they are quoting this wieght if the box were full of heavy items?.. like sand bags or some such?
Stuff stored off the back or front.. and on top.. should be the lightest of your cargo. Sleeping bags, lawn chairs, etc. Keep tool boxes and water jugs inside, low, and centered, (if at all possible).

300lbs on the rear hitch is beyond most VW hitch capacities. Only a couple of aftermarket semi-custom products fit the bill.

And once you have a proper 300lb receiver in place, the VW suspension is not really up to the task in stock configuration. Many of the tires used on Westy are not really suited to those loads, either.

As CJ points out.. LOTS has been written on receiver/hitches, rear suspension, towing, cargo boxes, GVWR, etc.
Use the search.

Mon Jun 11, 2012 7:49 am

How about on the front?

I keep my bikes on the back, and put my SCUBA stuff in the front.

If your custom hitch is stout, it should be ok. Sometimes I carry a dirt bike on the back (400 lbs all up) and this is too heavy for stock springs; I have air bags instead.

Mon Jun 11, 2012 9:31 am

WOOOT Air bags.. ;-p

presslab wrote: How about on the front?

I keep my bikes on the back, and put my SCUBA stuff in the front.

If your custom hitch is stout, it should be ok. Sometimes I carry a dirt bike on the back (400 lbs all up) and this is too heavy for stock springs; I have air bags instead.

Mon Jun 11, 2012 9:39 am

300 lb tounge rating is just a rating. It doesn't mean you want to carry that much in a box off the rear. You'd be suprised how much force can be applied though even from a 50 lb load through the lever arm of a box and the bouncing motion of the road. It's much more than 300 lbs.

Mon Jun 11, 2012 9:45 am

PDXWesty wrote: You'd be suprised how much force can be applied though even from a 50 lb load through the lever arm of a box and the bouncing motion of the road. It's much more than 300 lbs.

I always run a tie-down from the top of the hatch to the back end of the rack to reduce the stress from bouncing. I haven't had any issues. This will be my first trip with the GW bumpers though. My old hitch was welded to the tow hooks.

Mon Jun 11, 2012 9:57 am

It is real heavy, even empty

Mon Jun 11, 2012 10:10 am

:bay_blue: also notice the license plat and lights, in most states you have to do this! Can't count all the ones that don't do this, dumb and illegal! :D

Mon Jun 11, 2012 10:14 am

joseph928 wrote: :bay_blue: also notice the license plat and lights, in most states you have to do this! Can't count all the ones that don't do this, dumb and illegal! :D

That's a great point. Cops are looking for anything to pull you over. Recently I was pulled over for my bikes on the back obscuring my license plate. Of course once they pulled me over they shone their lights all around the insides.

In the front my plate is all the way to the right, so you can still see it beside the cargo bins.

Mon Jun 11, 2012 10:18 am

PDXWesty wrote: 300 lb tounge rating is just a rating.
Thats true.

I did an honest 325 lbs of tongue wieght when pulling my Moore 24 around town.. fairly regularly for over a year. Well beyond what I would recommend anyone do for any extended miles.

I'd not recommend more than 150-200lbs it without looking into mods like what Presslab has done with true airbag suspension. Even at 100-150lbs you'd probably want some load assist.

I am currently on load assist air shocks and s.org springs.. On this last trip I had about 200lbs off the back with 4 bikes on a tray and a big spare in close to body. Worked prettty well.. but I have $$$ into my suspension now... and I still ate a CV

I am working up towards another 80lbs on the rear for fuel and odds and ends. The CV failure has me moving towards 930s earlier than later. Maybe next month.
(Depends on what I find when I pull the boot and do some forensics.)

No way I'd do this again with OEM suspensions and tires. At least CVs are relatively cheap. :wink:

Mon Jun 11, 2012 10:34 am

The action packer in the front westy luggage rack ... if full should give you slightly better aerodynamics than when the rack is empty regarding mpg's.

I have an older swing-away with cargo box .... it weighs 'tons' and wouldn't recommend for a westy except for maybe day trips.

Perhaps the front carrier like danfromsyr shows in the pic mounted in back with a cargo box attached would work well. You can get a less expensive, lighter version from Harbor Freight if there's one in Pgh.

Pulling a HF trailer with Thule/Yakima cargo boxes attached is not a bad idea as another mentioned if you don't mind dealing with trailers. DogPilot, no longer on this forum, had worked up a good version in a past thread that carried cargo plus bikes.

Bicycles and even jerry cans can be carried on a Gary Lee hatch ladder rack or a Paulchen-style hatch bike carrier.

Mon Jun 11, 2012 11:24 am

joseph928 wrote: :bay_blue: also notice the license plat and lights, in most states you have to do this! Can't count all the ones that don't do this, dumb and illegal! :D
We were stopped in Utah because our plate was blocked. He was nice about it but we still had to zip tie our license plate to the back of the rack for the rest of the trip. I will probably leave it where it is for now and not move it again until asked.