ULTRA BOX 320/360

Off to Germany in the summer in our AS Symbol and I'm starting to consider the storage issues. When we bought the van, it had a Fiamma bike rack already fitted as shown in the picture below, we never use it. 



I've started looking at fitting a box to the rack for the euro jaunt. I'd be interested in members thoughts. Especially in regard to (a) suitable size and (b) ease of fitting and anything that I may have missed, such as alternative options for back boxes.

I have to say, they aint cheap! The Ultrabox 320 retailing at £310: http://www.fiammastore.com/Fiamma-Storage-Boxes-for-caravan-and-motorhome/Fiamma-Ultra-Box-320

Many Thanks

Go for the 320 I say, it takes a heck of a lot of gear & frees up vital space in the van,
 but i'm really surprised at some of you guys comments, you have posh & expensive vans, then moan about a few hundred for other bits & bobs, could understand it more easily if you had a cheaper/older one (like me) but come-on fellas, in the scheme of things, its peanuts. 
No offence intended by the way    

BTW, do you think the rear door will take the weight of a loaded box, & is the door/s still actually used on this conversion?

No offence taken MM. Each to his/or her own. I'm a bit younger than you and only work a small part-time job, so I can use the van more often and enjoy life, whilst still active. 
But there's a trade off with not working full-time!…Expenses.     mmmm Satnav, Drive away Awning, Back Box!!!

Regarding the door, we still use it. Although I would be more concerned about your "weight" comment. Is that an issue? because its fitted to the door?

Thanks Peter, just looking at the Vango Airaway Kela Awning dimensions…Which is another potential purchase for this year….That should fit in the 320. That ain't cheap either!  

Having never had a MH with rear doors, but several Transit vans, you have to realize that everything on the bike-rack (thats where the box usually fits) will be 'hanging' on the top & bottom door hinges, & more likely than not, a loaded box may well be heavier than a couple of bikes.
Thats why I asked if the rear doors were still used, for if not, then maybe the box weight can be 'shared' by 2 instead of 1 door, by some sort of extra bracketing.
It is of course possible that the 1 door is up to taking the load.

Thats a good point MM. The door would have to be out of bounds during use.

Journeyman 
I'm pretty sure your rack will take 30kg. The 320 size box is the only one to safely use with your set up of rack. The 320 box weighs 12kg leaving you 18kgs for your bits and bobs. I've used the bigger boxes such as the 360 before but on a tailgate and they are invaluable particularly for light bulky stuff.....it's like have a very big outside locker, downside is access though the rear of van. Be careful when carrying an awning in these due to the awning weight. 
Regards
John

Thanks for the advice John, the awning is 17.5KG ….so maybe I will keep that in the van and use the box for light bulky clutter.

Will the addition of a box take the overall length of the van over 6 metres? This is the point where you will get hit by additional costs for road, tunnel, bridge and ferry tolls when travelling in mainland Europe.

Another point to bear in mind. Thanks Spospe. I think the van I 5.4m so you might be right.

Inched entry can anyone identify the fiamma model we have fitted? I'd like to dig up the specs. Thanks

It's a Fiamma Carry-Bike 200 DJ Ducato > 06 2006.

http://www.fiamma.com/EN/products/carry%2Dbike/van%5Fconversion/carry%2Dbike%5Fvan%5Fdj/

G

Brilliant, Cheers Gram  

We found it almost essential on our Duetto, particularly when we were away for a month or so. It was a Fiamma almost the width of the van but the narrower of the two models.

We bought it secondhand for £120 in almost new condition and I'm sure you'll find one on eBay. It fits easily on a bike rack.

Thanks Nimbus. I think yours looks like a 360? Which is larger than the 320. However it does look ok on your van and actually might be a better option in terms of weight distribution. Currently retailing at £365

The big issue is the weight. My particular Fiamma Frame(Thanks to Gram) only allows 35kg (in comparison to later models that rise to 60kg). The box weighs 14kg….so 21 to play with, but I will probably stay well under as a precaution

In the latest MMM which arrived yesterday there are two private ads. A 320 for £170, phone 01443 209869 (south Wales) after 2pm and a 360 for £175, phone 01858 466666 (Leicestershire).

Thanks Paul, might have a look at that.

Both were "Buyer Collects". Now I have the specs and other details I will keep monitoring for a bargain closer to home.

Here's a picture with the box fully loaded. And yes, it was a Fiamma 360. I doubt whether you'll get anywhere near the 21kg but of course it depends what you put in it! You'll see that we used webbing straps to hold the folding chairs at the top of the box to leave as much space underneath. Other things that were relegated to the box were a bucket, water carrier, electrical cable, hosepipe, levelling blocks, sat dish etc. All the things that you don't want inside the van.

Another thing that I did on the Duetto was to beef up the inside of the offside door around the cycle rack fixings with a couple of layers of glass matt and resin to stiffen it up.

Fortunately, with our current Warwick Duo, we can accomodate everything inside the van and still able to carry the bikes on a towbar mounted rack.

Thanks for that, I think I will actually go and have a proper look at the bike rack and get an idea of its overall condition. I've noted that Spinneys nr Chester sell the boxes, so I can go and have a look at both boxes and how they fit to the rack.

Much appreciated

Hi Journeyman
I had the Fiamma bike rack and carry box 320 combination on my previous van, a 59 Symbol.
I think the max weight for the bike rack is 35 kilos, unbolted, I used the fixing clasps to attach the rack to the rear door.Plenty of room inside the box.
However a couple of things to watch out for, it's possible to stress the door hinge pins, the door may drop out of line.
The door skin might tear where the clasp attaches to the door, I have seen an AS Warwick with a torn door skin.
I think in these cases, the rack may have been over loaded, or driven over a speed bump.
The 320 box was a great asset and ideal for bulky chairs, I have the 500 box on my Nuevo.
Boaby

Cheers Boaby, good advice. The weight limit will be strictly enforced. Whats your thoughts on a 360 box, longer in length, but the rack fit is not dead centre of the ultra box..However it would allow me to place in larger items(within the weight limit)?

The 360 box is the same length as the 500, but narrower. My opinion is that a 360 box would be to long to fix onto a single rear door.
If you intend to still use the rear door you will have to be careful not to catch yourself on the bike rack rails when closing the rear door.
Boaby

Thanks again Boaby. I will accept that advice.   

Burlingtonboaby wrote:I think the max weight for the bike rack is 35 kilos, unbolted, ........

Boaby makes a good point there.
The max load for the rack is 35kg but I doubt Fiamma take responsibility for the max load of the door.

G

Interested to hear what members think of this alternative. My first thought is its a lot cheaper than its competitors…which can be bad thing in terms of quality! On their advert they claim its stronger than the competitors! Towbar mounted. £149 including fittings and box. 60kg weight limit.



http://www.bak-rak.com/box-rak.htm