I have a problem of bringing too much stuff when we go on long trecks and I hate going through all the hassel of securing gear in the back for a trip. my wife sewed me up a large nylon net to secure gear but sometimes that pile reaches all the way to the roof. So a few months ago i decided to get a cargo carrier but i dont like those reciever hitch jobs as they just dont seem solid enough and they dont hold enough. So i built this beastly box. you to can fab one up in half a saturday. i used a welder but nuts and bolts would do fine.
...170" of 1x1 thin square tubing (although angle irin would work fine)
...2 40" lengths of 3x3x1/4 angle iron
...4-6 1/2"x1" bolts with nuts (always grade 8 with me)
...the large poly truck bed cargo box at walmart ($99) this thing is tough and looked as durable as most of those aluminum jobs
To fab it up all you do is:
...secure the two 40" angle iron pieces to both sides of the reciever hitch with several c-clamps on each side
...set the box on top the secured angles and eyeball it from behind and from the side and adjust the angle iron till the box looks level. keep in mind that the rear end will be comming down a bit as you load up the box with gear. also keep in mind that you need to keep the box in position such that you can still open the top half of the cruiser back doors (those barn door ausie types are just out of luck)
...once the box is looking level take it off the angles, get out your drill, and drill 2 to 3 1/2" holes through the angles and reciever as shown in the pic
...now put your bolts through the holes and tighten them up and take off the clamps
....now put the box back up on the angle iron. you dont want that box to slide around as you drive so take your square tubing (1" angle iron would probably be easier if you will be using bolts instead of a welder) and put a piece in front and behind your box, mark how long it needs to be to go the distance of you box from side to side, and cut the pieces. keep in mind that the box should be mounted far enough away from the back of the cruiser so that you can open the box while it is sitting on the carrier bracket. if you mount the box too snug against the bmper you cant open the box. 1bout 1 1/2 inch from the bumper will do
...i also put pieces of tubing on both sides of the box too but looking back this is probably overkill as the box is not going anywhere once you sinch it down with a couple high quality ratchet straps (i use 3) and you could always use a strap from side to side to be sure
...if you use the big walmart truck bed box the brake lights will be covered so go to harbor freight and buy their $15 trailer wiring kit as it comes with the same plug as on the cruiser. be sure you left the angle iron bolted to the reciever long enough to attach the lights.
we used the box on a trip from colorado to cali this past feb and we saw min observable diff in the gas milage with the box. we usually get 14-16 on the highway and got the same with the box. the box makes a great table when you are camping. i baught a $15 furniture roller/mover from harbor freight and it fits ihe box. if i want to move the box around at a location i just slide it off the carrier and onto the mover. you can roll it right into your hotel room. the box has 2 locks on it but these arn't much of a deterent. i simply took about a 16 foot length of chain, rolled it once to make a figure of eight and looped one end of the figure eight around one end of the top of the box and looped the other figure of eight around the other end of the box, pull the chain tight and secure it in the middle with a padlock. then i ran a bicycle lock around the chain and fastened it to the reciever safety chain holes (clear as mud eh)
removing the bracket is a two man job but...i figured a way to do it by myself without my wife. i added a piece of square tubing between the angle iron pieces (ill refer to it as a crossmember-see pic) The addition of this piece (crossmember) makes a one man mount job quick and easy. simply put the hitch in the reciever upside-down (so ball is pointing down), place a piece of 4x4 on top the 2x2 steel square of the hitch, set the crossmemberon top the 4x4 and slide the angle iron pieces into position so you can place the bolts-cake
...170" of 1x1 thin square tubing (although angle irin would work fine)
...2 40" lengths of 3x3x1/4 angle iron
...4-6 1/2"x1" bolts with nuts (always grade 8 with me)
...the large poly truck bed cargo box at walmart ($99) this thing is tough and looked as durable as most of those aluminum jobs
To fab it up all you do is:
...secure the two 40" angle iron pieces to both sides of the reciever hitch with several c-clamps on each side
...set the box on top the secured angles and eyeball it from behind and from the side and adjust the angle iron till the box looks level. keep in mind that the rear end will be comming down a bit as you load up the box with gear. also keep in mind that you need to keep the box in position such that you can still open the top half of the cruiser back doors (those barn door ausie types are just out of luck)
...once the box is looking level take it off the angles, get out your drill, and drill 2 to 3 1/2" holes through the angles and reciever as shown in the pic
...now put your bolts through the holes and tighten them up and take off the clamps
....now put the box back up on the angle iron. you dont want that box to slide around as you drive so take your square tubing (1" angle iron would probably be easier if you will be using bolts instead of a welder) and put a piece in front and behind your box, mark how long it needs to be to go the distance of you box from side to side, and cut the pieces. keep in mind that the box should be mounted far enough away from the back of the cruiser so that you can open the box while it is sitting on the carrier bracket. if you mount the box too snug against the bmper you cant open the box. 1bout 1 1/2 inch from the bumper will do
...i also put pieces of tubing on both sides of the box too but looking back this is probably overkill as the box is not going anywhere once you sinch it down with a couple high quality ratchet straps (i use 3) and you could always use a strap from side to side to be sure
...if you use the big walmart truck bed box the brake lights will be covered so go to harbor freight and buy their $15 trailer wiring kit as it comes with the same plug as on the cruiser. be sure you left the angle iron bolted to the reciever long enough to attach the lights.
we used the box on a trip from colorado to cali this past feb and we saw min observable diff in the gas milage with the box. we usually get 14-16 on the highway and got the same with the box. the box makes a great table when you are camping. i baught a $15 furniture roller/mover from harbor freight and it fits ihe box. if i want to move the box around at a location i just slide it off the carrier and onto the mover. you can roll it right into your hotel room. the box has 2 locks on it but these arn't much of a deterent. i simply took about a 16 foot length of chain, rolled it once to make a figure of eight and looped one end of the figure eight around one end of the top of the box and looped the other figure of eight around the other end of the box, pull the chain tight and secure it in the middle with a padlock. then i ran a bicycle lock around the chain and fastened it to the reciever safety chain holes (clear as mud eh)
removing the bracket is a two man job but...i figured a way to do it by myself without my wife. i added a piece of square tubing between the angle iron pieces (ill refer to it as a crossmember-see pic) The addition of this piece (crossmember) makes a one man mount job quick and easy. simply put the hitch in the reciever upside-down (so ball is pointing down), place a piece of 4x4 on top the 2x2 steel square of the hitch, set the crossmemberon top the 4x4 and slide the angle iron pieces into position so you can place the bolts-cake
