Thule Euroclassic 929 with Backup 900
 

Hi all,

Further to my recent travels down to the South of France with 6 in the car, luggage and ski gear, 420 litre roof box, I felt I could still use more room!

I have been searching for options to increase the load capacity with various boxes that can be fitted to the towbar. Theres solutions from:
http://www.bak-rak.com/
http://www.westfalia-loadcarrier.co....westfalia-box/
There are also a couple of suppliers from Germany and Spain but the price ends up being much more than a Thule base rack plus box or bag system.

However, through my search I have come across an adaptor which can be used for the Thule Backup 900 on a Thule Euroclassic 929 bike rack - see attached photos. I dont believe its a Thule adaptor as I have contacted them with no luck. Since I already have the Thule 929 bike rack, I'm keen to get hold of the adaptor - I'll save a bit of money and also means I dont have another piece of equipment to store i.e. the base rack.

Anyone else have any experience with this? Thanks in advance

Cheers
Steve

The Thule Backup box is normally used with the EasyBase rack although I have seen it used with bike rack although I can't recall which model. I did a lot of research rear storage boxes for use on my camper van including the Westfalia, but it has very small capacity. My main requirement was for the box to tilt so I could get into the back of the van.

As I'm always up for a challenge, I bought an Atera Strada DL3 bike rack and then modified it to take the Thule box. It's easy to turn it back into a bike rack if needed.

http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j2...ps6649d629.jpg

http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j2...psb531b699.jpg

http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j2...ps74575379.jpg

http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j2...ps5c32aaa8.jpg

Many thanks Simon!

I didnt have any luck on the XC90 forums. The adaptor that I have seen is only available in Poland - http://www.volvoforums.org.uk/showthread.php?t=201494
So have now decided to find a local aluminium tube bender and get one made up.

Do you have a photo of your modification. Also how is the backup box attached at the base and is the bracket adjustable or is it advisable to buy the box and measure up?

Thanks in advance
Steve

The two challenges to overcome were to make the box easily removable so it was possible to get to the clamp that fits to the tow hitch, and how to mount a flat bottomed box to a curved rack (as per your Thule).

The solution was a combination of aluminium bits and pieces I had to hand.

http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j2...ps26840e98.jpg

http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j2...ps0bc64af0.jpg

The long cross pieces are actually curtain rails from Ikea while the box sections and fittings are from a Karitek EasyLoad roof rack system for attaching kayaks to car roof bars. The cross pieces are bottled the bottom of the box and the whole lots slides back of the rack via the slots in the fore and aft box sections.

This was my mk1 version which was a BackUp box fitted to EasyBase using the aforementioned modified Karitek slide and tilt mechanism. The whole lot was quite heavy due to the steel tubes of the EasyBase and the the sliding mechanism I added. When I discovered the Atera rack on a VW T5 forum I decided it would much more suited to my requirements.

http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j2...9/4Action1.jpg

http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j2...9/6Action3.jpg

Thanks Simon. What a simple yet clever solution! Just looking at your photos I would have thought it was a standard bracket for your bike rack - nice one!

Cheers
Steve

The 900 Box also fits the 903 and the 902 carrier (the old model) as well as the Easy Base. You solution is very good, but a used 903 would have been easier. With a 903 and the 4 bike attachment you can have a 900 box and still carry one bike, (the 900 only takes up 3 x slots) the bike sitting in the fourth bike slot. To achieve this I made the clamp arm longer (see pic).

Hello
Did you mannage to buy the adapter for your euroclassic 929?
With kind regards
Bart

same question here - did anyone manage to get or make an adaptor for use with the euroclassic 929 to carry the cargo box?

Check your rear axle weight on a weighbridge when loaded.
The rear tyres will have a load index you can look up, the further back your load, the more the see-saw effect takes place and less weight on your front wheels.
I've up-rated tyres on my motorhome as I was approaching the tyres' limit.

I forgot to say. the 902 and 903 tilt, so it's a straight forward solution. Gives you what we have here, but less messing. Don't use the Easybase. This doesn't tilt. Buy at Xmas or whenever it's very cold, on ebay, or you'll still pay top-dollar for one. This solution removes the abiltilty to carry a bike as well as the Thule 900 Box