Toolbox

[garfield28]

Hi,

What would be the longest you would go on a standard draw bar for a toolbox?

Have seen a really good one but it's 200x50x50, I personally think that 200 would be too wide but would love to be proven wrong. I'm thinking slight turns will jack knife into the box, they also have a 1500x40x40 which length wise I think would be ok but I hate to give away the extra 10cm in width of the opening as I want to store a babyq in there and some other light items.

Thanks
Geoff

 

[mikerezny]

Hi,
note, that over the years all drawbars are not created equal. Nor are car towbars. The answer to your question really relates to your particular van, drawbar, vehicle, and towbar.

If it was me, I would make a simple frame 200cm by 50cm and position it on my drawbar in exactly the position I would mount the toolbox and hookup my car to ensure I made an informed decision.

Note also that the weight of the toolbox and its contents are going to increase the towball weight, GTM, ATM, GCM, GVM, and the tug rear axle loading. It will also reduce the weight on the tug front axle. The bigger the toolbox, the bigger the chances are for finding more stuff to put in it.

take care
Mike

 

[Drover]

Firstly I don't like boxes on draw bars, almost sure to put too much load on the ball but its a personnal choice...........

So measure from centre of your tow ball to the outermost edge (thats sticks out the most) of your vehicle, usually around 900mm, then with tape in hand marked at that point, swing an arc from the centre of your van hitch, anything inside that arc will get clobbered by the back of your vehicle, of course you must take into account an angle as you turn whilst in a drain or something, it will shorten the margin by some so you can dent things higher up........ tray back utes can easily swing over the whole draw bar but take out the gas bottles with ease.......... reversing over gutters is a good example, I scrunched one of my stone gaurds, forgot the turn whilst mounting a gutter in reverse trick........... Grandkids noticed that Poppy speaks Sailor like Daddy as well.......... Dad was a sailor also.

To mount the box ideally bolt it to some angle which is then bolted to draw bar with U bolts , gives the box support and allows for some flexing, if your going to put gas bottles inside then a whole host of other regs come into play, venting, location of regulator and isolation of bottles from other equipment.... The hardware store type alloy boxes are pretty thin and useless.

Your tow ball weight is what it says on a scale not what is stamped on the placard....... and 40 kgs on the draw bar it all goes on the ball doesn't get spread around like on the back or wheel area.

I don't like boxes on the back either as they are rarely balanced.................... most times folk cart too much junk.......... whinging old coot mood today.......

 

[KECL]

Try making a cardboard box that you can adjust to find best size.

 

[garfield28]

I'm thinking the 200 will definitely be too long but was more interested hearing from some of the members who may have that size on.

It would be tops to have but I guess too long and also with all of that space I'm bound to chuck more in there than planned haha

Ideally a 1400 will suit as I stated I just mainly want to add in my wheel chicks, the extension cord, and my Webber babyq and not too much else.

Trying to do up my van and also get some things done that I was meant to get done before all the rain came back in July as we were meant to go away then