Rear Storage Box

All,

I'd like to add a storage box to the rear of my Broadway EB. I'm familiar with the Fiamma boxes that sit on the bike rack but to me they stick out too far and I'd have a better looking fixture if I fitted a box to the back of the van directly and removed the bike rack completely. Fiamma have a 'Wall Kit' option for their Ultrabox's, but this does not have the right hole spacing to fit to the existing fixings. They are also a bit wide or deep so not quite what I need. Instead I'm looking at a Top Box in the vertical orientation, with some internal mods to stop stuff falling out when I open it.

My questions to the forum are:

1. Can anyone envisage any issues with this? I'm not talking about items with a lot of weight (just bulky) so I won't exceed the 50kg rating given by AS.

2. Has anyone done anything similar using a non-Fiamma box? The Fiamma box's are eye-waveringly expensive for what they are, so if there is a cheaper alternative with similar dimensions its something I'd be interested in.

Thanks in advance for your help. For info, a link to the Fiamma box's is here, and a photo of the rack on my van is below.

Cheers

If it's of any interest, I have a Fiamma top box sitting unused in my garage. Although a few years old, it is brand new and unused. It was supplied when we changed vans and negotiated the same extras as the one we px-ed, such as bike rack, top box etc. 

However we have a large Fiamma back box which we use on the bike rack and we no longer wanted to go up on the roof so we never actually installed it.

It is a Fiamma F701322 Ultra Box Top 1 108 x 75 x 42 cm, similar to these but I note they no longer list the 1 although it is still shown on the dimensional drawing:

https://www.agentfiamma.co.uk/fiamma-ultra-box-top-roof-box.html


I do also have at least some of the roof bar mounting kit which seems remarkably similar to my backbox mountings so I can't see why this couldn't be fitted to a cycle rack - however I can't comment on any direct fixing to the van wall as I don't think the box would be robust enough to take any weight, unless of course you used large angle brackets going underneath (similar to microwave oven wall mounting brackets). However to me the easiest way would be just to use the existing bike rack.

If you're interested, I'd take any sensible offer but it would have to be collected from Berkshire, it's not something I could put in the post!

B&Q sell a range of tough workboxes with a hinged lockable lid made in black plastic.
I used one on a Fiamma bike rack.  Worth a look.
Keith

Hi Gpilky, I also have the Fiamma Ultra 500 Box mounted on the back of the same carrier you have.  Interesting thought on how far out it sticks, mines it literally a few inches from the wall as you need to slightly reshape your bars to fit the box properly.  

I'm honestly not sure how flush this box would even go on a wall mount option as it opens over the top if that makes sense so would still need to be out some what to allow that.

Totally understand the pricing aspect, I luckily found a second hand one for £175 so using what was there made sense to me, but if I was you I'd look to understand how much distance you'd really save versus the pain of switching over.

We purchased this at Peterborough's motorhome show,its light and has hardboard inserts brilliant for extra storage

rogerblack wrote:If it's of any interest, I have a Fiamma top box sitting unused in my garage. Although a few years old, it is brand new and unused. It was supplied when we changed vans and negotiated the same extras as the one we px-ed, such as bike rack, top box etc. 

However we have a large Fiamma back box which we use on the bike rack and we no longer wanted to go up on the roof so we never actually installed it.

It is a Fiamma F701322 Ultra Box Top 1 108 x 75 x 42 cm, similar to these but I note they no longer list the 1 although it is still shown on the dimensional drawing:

https://www.agentfiamma.co.uk/fiamma-ultra-box-top-roof-box.html


I do also have at least some of the roof bar mounting kit which seems remarkably similar to my backbox mountings so I can't see why this couldn't be fitted to a cycle rack - however I can't comment on any direct fixing to the van wall as I don't think the box would be robust enough to take any weight, unless of course you used large angle brackets going underneath (similar to microwave oven wall mounting brackets). However to me the easiest way would be just to use the existing bike rack.

If you're interested, I'd take any sensible offer but it would have to be collected from Berkshire, it's not something I could put in the post!

Sorry for not replying earlier..... Thanks for the offer of the roof UltraBox - unfortunately Berkshire is a bit far for me from Yorkshire! I'm having trouble getting something that fits between the bars so was looking at L-shaped supports as you suggest - Fiamma do one for their Ultrabox's (here) but the holes don't fit my setup and I'd prefer not to drill new holes in the body. 

G

KMRTOPAZ wrote:B&Q sell a range of tough workboxes with a hinged lockable lid made in black plastic.
I used one on a Fiamma bike rack.  Worth a look.
Keith

Thanks for this Keith.  I've seen some box's in B&Q that look decent, and others elsewhere, and and option on the bike rack (in fact I was looking at a similar set up on a camper van last weekend). However, I'd prefer to dump the bike rack if possible as it just makes everything stick out that bit more. My hope was to find something I could mount that looks like a locker on the back, but narrow enough that it doesn't stick out much past the distance for the folded rack - perhaps an impossible dream!

G

j8snl wrote:Hi Gpilky, I also have the Fiamma Ultra 500 Box mounted on the back of the same carrier you have.  Interesting thought on how far out it sticks, mines it literally a few inches from the wall as you need to slightly reshape your bars to fit the box properly.  

I'm honestly not sure how flush this box would even go on a wall mount option as it opens over the top if that makes sense so would still need to be out some what to allow that.

Totally understand the pricing aspect, I luckily found a second hand one for £175 so using what was there made sense to me, but if I was you I'd look to understand how much distance you'd really save versus the pain of switching over.

Thanks for the info and advice. Fiamma doe have a wall mounting bracket designed for the Ultrabox (here) so I assume it would open OK. Unfortunately the holes don't line up so its not a straight forward solution.

G

Glenny54 wrote:
We purchased this at Peterborough's motorhome show,its light and has hardboard inserts brilliant for extra storage

Thanks for the info. Unfortunately the image is a bit small and not too clear when I try to blow it up. To be honest I'm trying to avoid a box with straps for security reasons and would prefer a good strong box that is lockable - I know this is not perfect security but if someone breaks the lock then it is likely covered by insurance. Also would prefer to get rid of the rack totally if possible as it adds a bit more length / weight.

Rear storage box. £30 pre owned Thule bike rack £23 box from Argos. Couple of straps and a long wire rope to lock it. Bbq, ramps, slip mats small table amazing how much you can get in and waterproof. 

Chris (Freelander UK) recently did something similar at the back of his van with a slimline storage box.

Worth looking at his thread:
https://www.autosleeper-ownersforum.com/t42089-a-new-project-slim-line-storage-box

Regards,
Rocky