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Mon Aug 21, 2017 6:07 pm

My father in law gave me a little cargo tray about 4'x2' that hooks into a tow hitch receiver. My 91 Syncro doesn't have a hitch. If I only use it for this cargo tray would I be safe building a hitch that just bolts to the loops under the bumper?

Mon Aug 21, 2017 7:09 pm

Just attached to the tow loops alone? No!

Look here, its exactly what you are looking for:

- Built a 2" receiver trailer hitch
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=662361&highlight=trailer+hitch

Mon Aug 21, 2017 7:35 pm

Thx PedroC glad u like my hitch design. But the hitch I had before I rebuilt it .... was the standard style that attaches to the two "tow loops" and it was rated for 500 lb. thats a LOT of cargo. (!! ERROR !! , I don't have the sticker anymore but I think it was rated for 100lbs of tongue weight at the ball)

500 lbs is a large motorcycle (that's too much for a vanagon!) I think it would be fine for your cargo shelf. I doubt you'll even have 200 lbs, that would be so much it would cover the van.

Tue Aug 22, 2017 8:09 am

pedrokrusher wrote: Just attached to the tow loops alone? No!

Look here, its exactly what you are looking for:

- Built a 2" receiver trailer hitch
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=662361&highlight=trailer+hitch

Ok. So I could bolt to the loops and run some supports to the bars under the motor. No prob. Thanks! I saw that thread but didn't realize he had removed the loops so I wasn't sure what he had done. Reading more carefully he welded to the supports for the loops instead of bolting to them.

Tue Aug 22, 2017 9:41 am

My hitch (modified extensively) attaches to the tow loops but has added supports to the Syncro skid bars below, to be able to carry a motorcycle (with confidence).

Tue Aug 22, 2017 3:53 pm

Sodo wrote: ...500 lbs is a large motorcycle (that's too much for a vanagon!) I think it would be fine for your cargo shelf.
Five hundred pounds is about average for many midsized street bikes. The large ones easily top 800.

Tue Aug 22, 2017 4:13 pm

Cargo trays should not be installed on the typical bolt-on-to-tow-hook receiver hitches without other means of support. I have seen many tow hooks bend under quite minimal load and your tray will be dragging ground. Tongue weights are usually rated at the ball or close to it. If you put 500lbs 24" off the CL of the ball, well.. that's quite a lever.

Tue Aug 22, 2017 4:24 pm

IF I were to buy a ready made bumper hitch, this would be my go to source.

http://burleysmotorsports.com/index.php?main_page=...e6v67tgvg2

Dave

Tue Aug 22, 2017 4:44 pm

jberger wrote: If you put 500lbs 24" off the CL of the ball, well.. that's quite a lever.

Yes that's way too much. 200 lbs; 12" rearward might be a good limit for a cargo shelf on a Vanagon with a tow-hook mounted hitch.

Maybe filnd a 200 lb person, have them stand in the center of your cargo shelf and bounce on it. If you see any flexing, then find a different monkey that woughs less (150 lbs, 100 lbs) and reduce the 'weight limit' of your cargo extension accordingly.

Tue Aug 22, 2017 4:47 pm

As DJKEEV notes, Burley is the way to go. We have one and it is rock solid. Bolts to chassis rails.

Tue Aug 22, 2017 10:33 pm

Sodo wrote: jberger wrote: If you put 500lbs 24" off the CL of the ball, well.. that's quite a lever.

Yes that's way too much. 200 lbs; 12" rearward might be a good limit for a cargo shelf on a Vanagon with a tow-hook mounted hitch.

Maybe filnd a 200 lb person, have them stand in the center of your cargo shelf and bounce on it. If you see any flexing, then find a different monkey that woughs less (150 lbs, 100 lbs) and reduce the 'weight limit' of your cargo extension accordingly.

Re-read your post above. You make it sound like the tow-loop receiver hitch can carry 500lbs on a carrier. It simply can not.

Wed Aug 23, 2017 10:42 am

jberger wrote: Sodo wrote: Yes that's way too much. 200 lbs; 12" rearward might be a good limit for a cargo shelf on a Vanagon with a tow-hook mounted hitch.
Re-read your post above. You make it sound like the tow-loop receiver hitch can carry 500lbs on a carrier. It simply can not.

If anyone thinks I suggested 500 lbs, I apologize for that, and don't want wrong info on TheSamba. I walked out to the van and looked at the tow-loops. My hitch-rating sticker is long-gone but in my foggy memory it that may have stated 100 lbs tongue weight??? Certainly not 500 lbs! That rating means 100 lbs about 6 inches behind the bumper. Note that "200 lbs, 12 inches behind the bumper" is 4X overweight of the rating. It would take a lot of effort to get 200 lbs onto a cargo shelf, so that's not likely anyway.

A hitch mounted cargo carrier will clear out space inside the van and is useful. I would trust --->myself<--- to assess it's carrying capacity with some simple tests. But to stay within the hitch's tongue weight rating, the cargo shelf PLUS its cargo should be limited to 50 lbs. That's not much, but you can choose bulky, lightweight items.

Wed Aug 23, 2017 10:58 am

I like having a cargo carrier for carrying large bulky but not too heavy items that take up space inside the cabin. I made my own from a swing-down bike carrier, but next year I'll use a swing-out base unit. I needed to have the load platform higher in order to clear the road when I back out of my sloped driveway. I might use this one on my Vanagon if I can convert it to 1.25"

Fri Aug 25, 2017 4:40 pm

GoWesty receiver hitch (which uses the loops & reinforcement T-bar) + riser adapter + aluminum Hitch Haul (drilled new hitch pin holes for it to mount closer to the bumper):

Works for me...