mattamyg Posted August 3, 2007 Share Posted August 3, 2007 hi I have recently seen the last bit of life out of the Fiamma Cargoback, fabrick bag that fits on the cycle carrier. This lasted about 2 years before the zips ripped. It was never that waterproof but we used it for chairs and tables and the like. It was also not very secure, I was always amazed to see that it was still full after ferry journeys and leaveing it in car parks around the UK and France! Anyway, i need a replacement. I dont really want to spend the £300 on the Fiamma back box, so other than a direct replacement what other options are available? Can you get 3 chairs, 2 tables and a load of other crap in a backbox? I have seen people with homemade jobs that sometimes look a bit crappy, I could have a metal one made but that could look too industrial. Any ideas? Matt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
takeaflight Posted August 3, 2007 Share Posted August 3, 2007 Hi have a look here www.roseandcompany.co.uk/roofboxes1CarryAll-Boxtech.htm I have a brand new never used with mounting frame. £200 Roy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyishuk Posted August 3, 2007 Share Posted August 3, 2007 Our baby Rapido is a little short on storage space so I would welcome anyone chipping with comments concerning extra storage space either as a top box or rear box. I seem to recall that there was also a company that made boxes that fixed to the tow hitch, but I cannot find any info on the WWW. Rgds Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rayjsj Posted August 3, 2007 Share Posted August 3, 2007 Get a 2nd Hand Backbox, there are always some for sale, E-bay,MMM Private sales, I got the 500 fiamma box for £150 + £10 for the courier. The trouble with top boxes are they are awkward to load/unload, and they put the extra weight right where you don't want it. I got the seller to e-mail me a Digi picture of the condition before buying. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel B Posted August 3, 2007 Share Posted August 3, 2007 I've seen some people use one of those garden store bench thingys: http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/7218943/Trail/C%24cip%3D1500006333.Garden%2C%2BDIY%2Band%2Bleisure%3EC%24cip%3D1500006420.Garden%2Bfurniture.htm Could be just what you're looking for and with the added advantage that you could take it off to use as a seat! There's also the towball mounted Bak-Rak at: http://www.autow.co.uk/roof_racks/Maxxraxx_BakRak_info_3496.html As you have a bike rack already you could also try finding a good solid plastic suitcase and securing that in some way (make sure you can open it before fixing it permanently!). As for a topbox, we had a similar problem on our baby (709F) Rapido (ooooo ... I do miss it ... it was soooooooooo cute!), sorry, moment of madness there. ;-) Anyway, we got ourselves a ski topbox off (ideal for wind breaks etc) ebay and fitted that transversely but found that it got a lot of buffeting when travelling and eventually didn't need it anymore so sold it. The problem was that finding enough space on top of our Rapido to mount a box worth having size-wise was difficult with the 2 roof lights and the boiler chimney (obviously not applicable to the newer 709s that now have just blown air heating). If I still had the Rapido and needed to store stuff up top, I think I'd have a good look around for a suitable plastic suitcase or strong plastic crate with lid and find a way to secure them on top, I could then just use them when needed (ie for longer trips) and remove them when only off for short weekends. Don't forget to get a good ladder guard though. We bought a Fiamma one cheap at a show (£20) but the stupid thing was that it was so narrow you could easily get your foot at the site and still clamber up! My solution was to buy and cut down a piece of white perspex so that it covered the whole of the ladder rungs and a bit more length of the ladder as well, and then rivet it to the Fiamma ladder guard so that I could still use it with the lock etc putting some plastic slide binders on the cut edges to make it look nice and neat (no matter how careful you are it chips!). It worked a treat and is still on our old motorhome! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyishuk Posted August 5, 2007 Share Posted August 5, 2007 """our baby (709F) Rapido (ooooo ... I do miss it ... it was soooooooooo cute!), sorry, moment of madness there. """" Know what you mean, Not a lot a space on the top, Did you ever fit a sat dish ? As always thanks for your replies. Does anyone know what the rear fitting kit (as oposed to putting the rear box on a bike rack) consists of, and how easy is it to fit ? We do not carry bikes, so moving the box closer to the rear axle ( if only by a few cm) can only be a good thing. Rgds Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel B Posted August 5, 2007 Share Posted August 5, 2007 No, we didn't fit a sat dish, it took 3 years before I put an aerial on! I did put a bike rack on it though after the 2 year warranty had expired, I used one designed for a Hymer (got it second hand) and fitted it between the bumper and bottom of the window, the normal one they supply you with goes across the window but I didn't want that as it would've been quite a stretch to lift the bikes that high. I fitted supporting battens inside the motorhome, one under the bed base and the other behind the bed side 'bump' strips (the bits that are designed to keep you away from the cold edge of the van, can't think of the proper name). I then bolted right through the rear of the van, sealing the holes well and put some metal plates and washers on the inside of the batterns as 'belts and braces'. My hubby was a bit 'nervous' at letting me loose with the drill but was happy once we'd stuck the bikes on and driving around with them, they didn't budge at all. The benefit of putting on a bike rack and then some sort of box is that if you sell the van, you can keep the box (or sell it on separately), and the van still has a bike rack. If, however, you just fit the box directly to the van, you may find that it could put off some purchasers as they'd be unlikely to want to remove it and leave holes in the rear or drill more to put on a bike rack. We had an Elddis motorhome which the previous owners had put a permanent box on the back of, it was a pig of a job to remove it and make good the rear wall afterwards. Just a thought ... :-S Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyishuk Posted August 6, 2007 Share Posted August 6, 2007 Many thanks for the information. What sort of weight is sensible to carry in the box. (searches for long piece of string !). I was calculating 4 heavyish bikes less the weight of the box (say 50 kg load) or would this be over the top ? RGds Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rayjsj Posted August 6, 2007 Share Posted August 6, 2007 The fiamma bike rack limit is 60kgs,so subract weight of box 8kgs.(500 litre) 52kgs can be carried in the box. we never do though,it's just for the awkward shaped stuff , 2x folding chairs, large & small outside tables, leveling blocks,Electric Griddle(2.5 kgs) & Screen cover. Very handy it is too,and much better than sacrificing interior space to a garage.IMHO. :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel E Posted August 7, 2007 Share Posted August 7, 2007 For most coachbuilt motorhomes, unless the rear overhang behind the back axle is really small, any load hung on the back - especially on a tow bar which already adds a lot of extra weight to the back - that exceeds about 100Kg will be seriously in danger of overloading your rear axle, since that 100 Kgs will add nearly 200Kgs to the rear axle (and unload the front axle by 100Kgs, affaecting traction and braking). If in doubt, weigh the whole rig and one axle (on LEVEL GROUND, the other axle will weigh the difference. Mel E ==== Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyishuk Posted August 8, 2007 Share Posted August 8, 2007 Hi, Thanks to all that have added to the thread, off for a scout around around Ebay. Rgds Tony Ish UK. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyishuk Posted August 8, 2007 Share Posted August 8, 2007 takeaflight - 2007-08-03 2:22 PM Hi have a look here www.roseandcompany.co.uk/roofboxes1CarryAll-Boxtech.htm I have a brand new never used with mounting frame. £200 Roy Hi, You have PM ( private mail, ) (Take a look in the top RHS box and click on inbox. Apologies if its Granny / suck / eggs, but I see that you are fairly new to the forum and may just saying you have a PM could be misunderstood ;-) rgds Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.