Outside Storage for Concourse

Stuff that goes in your Chinook but isnt really part of your Chinook.
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pdemarest
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Outside Storage for Concourse

Post by pdemarest »

I have a 2002 Concourse and would like to get my pop-up shades and chairs outside of the rig. I know some people use a roof mounted cargo box but I don't see myself climbing the ladder while holding a 50 lb awning. One idea I came up with is to use the ladder as the support for a cargo box like a Thule, only mounted vertically instead of horizontally. The ladder is rated for 500lbs and I would also have a support under the cargo box to use the rear bumper for some of the weight. Has anyone tried this and/or do you think the ladder would support the weight? I'm estimating the total weight of box and cargo to be around 150 to 175 lbs.

Paul
Paul Demarest
2003 Premier V-10
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Colorider
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Re: Outside Storage for Concourse

Post by Colorider »

I've thought about using the ladder for bike mounts on mine, but I'm too concerned about the ladder. I know it can hold 140 lbs (me), but that's static weight. I'm more concerned about the weight hanging there for thousands of miles, vibrating and creating forces far larger than the static load as the vehicle hits bumps both small and large. I think if you could really put the majority of the load on the bumper you'd be ok, but I wouldn't trust that ladder too much. That's just my opinion.

One thing worth mentioning, though, is the weight limit on the thule box. I had a yakima rocket box for a while and I was amazed to find out what the load limit was for it... 35 lbs. It is really easy to overload those things. I'm sure that's the legal department talking and not the true load capacity, but it's still ridiculously low. I also wonder if a vertical mount would negatively effect the ability to hold a load without cracking.

Just my 2 cents worth. I'm sure there's some solution out there that will work for you.
"Harvey the RV" - 1994 Chinook Premier, Dinette, 7.5L V8
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Blue~Go
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Re: Outside Storage for Concourse

Post by Blue~Go »

pdemarest wrote:The ladder is rated for 500lbs....
Where is the rating? I ask because I've never seen anything like this for mine. Is this the ladder itself, or the ladder as installed on the Chinook? I would not be comfortable putting 500# on it, especially going down the road.

I have seen the mounting points from the inside as I've had the inner carpet ("wall") off inside the closet. As I remember it they are just self-tapping screws through the fiberglass, and perhaps into a tiny bit of plywood. Not a very strong installation although okay for semi-static loads in shear. I say "semi-static" because while a person climbing the ladder is somewhat dynamic the vehicle is standing still (one presumes). With a cargo box, you are driving down the highway and there can be all kinds of dynamic loads. Also not sure the design of the typical Thule or Yakima box is planned for the weight to be on the "seam" between the top and the bottom. I think that is designed to just "sit there" while all the weight is in the bottom half, basically. It's just an overlap from what I have seen.

So I'd say that without major re-design, it doesn't sound good.

However that said, it's a good question to ask. Lots of "out of the box" ideas work out great. Just not sure about this one, and the consequences of failure could be deadly on the highway.
1999 Concourse
pdemarest
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Re: Outside Storage for Concourse

Post by pdemarest »

Hi all - the ladder has a sticker on it from the manufacturer that gives the 500 lb. limit. I am concerned about the effect of motion on the load which is why I thought of using the bumper to support the weight as well. Maybe the best solution is to use the bumper to support all the weight and use the ladder simply to stabilize the cargo box from moving side to side to reduce the force on the ladder.

My other option is to use one of those hitch mounted cargo baskets. I have a hitch on both ends of the rig but would not want to put more weight hanging over the rear end of the vehicle and I'm concerned about using the front hitch because the cargo might impact engine/transmission cooling. Has anyone used this type of set up, and if so, was there any impact on cooling?

Paul
Paul Demarest
2003 Premier V-10
pdemarest
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Re: Outside Storage for Concourse

Post by pdemarest »

Correction; My rig is a Premier. Was looking at posts about a Concourse and had a momentary lapse in reason...

Paul
Paul Demarest
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LarryG
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Re: Outside Storage for Concourse

Post by LarryG »

I recently saw a lawn chair holder at an rv parts and service center. It appeared to basically be a simple bracket the user would attach to the ladder and then hang chairs (and/or maybe other things, too) from it. Leaving the lawn chairs locked to the ladder while might keep some enterprising thieves or adventurous types off your roof at night.
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