Stoway II Cargo Carrier

[c21]

Was wondering if anyone is using the standard size Stoway II cargo box with the swing away mount? Curious as to how much the right rear door opening is impeded. I have the twin bed model and need access to the cabinet behind the right rear door where the water hose is stored.
Thanks in advance for any feedback.

[joemikeb]

Mine is a Stowaway II Max, but if anything, the standard would narrow the opening. I have thought about modifying the hinge arm to make it longer and give more Sprinter door clearance, but then it would protrude well beyond the right end of the box and be subject to hanging on stuff as you drive by.

[c21]

Thanks for the feedback but why would the opening be narrower with the standard box which is shorter? Are the two bottom pictures inverted or something, I can't tell what they are showing.

[joemikeb]

I am speculating the opening might be narrower with the shorter box because the swing arm would be shorter and it is the swing arm that is the limiting factor.

The two bottom pictures are an attempt to show how much opening there is on the right hand Sprinter door. I have no idea how the images got turned upside down when they were uploaded.

On a side note there are three, count 'em three, latches holding the Stowaway in the closed position.

1. A pin that drops into holes at the hinge of the swing away mount
2. A spring loaded block on the left or free end of the swing arm
3. A screw in bolt on near the spring loaded block

So it is highly unlikely that it would come adrift, however I have had to add an item to my check list to tighten the screw in bolt at every stop. It will vibrate loose and so far I have not come up with a good way to prevent that. The answer is probably a good lock washer, but so far I haven't found one that works.

FWIW I am very happy with the Stowaway II Max. It is capacious enough to swallow a huge amount of easily accessible gear. In fact it would be almost too easy to exceed the 200 pound weight limit (125 pound using 1.25" receiver).

[c21]

Thanks again Joe. Checked with Stowaway and they use the same swing away frame on the standard and max boxes. The standard box is 2" narrower than the max so would have 1" additional clearance for door opening. I just need to determine if I will have enough door swing to access the space under the right twin bed.

[73shark]

Originally Posted by joemikeb

I am speculating the opening might be narrower with the shorter box because the swing arm would be shorter and it is the swing arm that is the limiting factor.

The two bottom pictures are an attempt to show how much opening there is on the right hand Sprinter door. I have no idea how the images got turned upside down when they were uploaded.

On a side note there are three, count 'em three, latches holding the Stowaway in the closed position.
[*]A pin that drops into holes at the hinge of the swing away mount[*]A spring loaded block on the left or free end of the swing arm[*]A screw in bolt on near the spring loaded block

So it is highly unlikely that it would come adrift, however I have had to add an item to my check list to tighten the screw in bolt at every stop. It will vibrate loose and so far I have not come up with a good way to prevent that. The answer is probably a good lock washer, but so far I haven't found one that works.

FWIW I am very happy with the Stowaway II Max. It is capacious enough to swallow a huge amount of easily accessible gear. In fact it would be almost too easy to exceed the 200 pound weight limit (125 pound using 1.25" receiver).

To retain your bolt that keeps getting loose, you might try using a non-permanent Loctite.

[c21]

Just scoped out my motorhome and the Stowaway will work out fine. I had one on my last rv (Navion IQ) and it proved invaluable on an 8,000 mile month long trip. Thanks again for your feedback Joe and for going to the trouble to post pics. Shark, thanks for the loctite tip.

[joemikeb]

Originally Posted by c21bill

I just need to determine if I will have enough door swing to access the space under the right twin bed.

You can access the underbed area, albeit from a bit of an angle and not straight on, but on my rig the door will not swing open wide enough to stay open and insists on swinging closed unless you hold it open. A third hand would help.

Originally Posted by 73shark

To retain your bolt that keeps getting loose, you might try using a non-permanent Loctite.

Good idea except you have to completely remove the bolt to swing the Stowaway out of the way to open the rear door. I sometimes find that happening several times a day which would total up to a lot of Loctite.

[c21]

I figure my ample butt will hold the door open long enough to access the hose and water filter which is all I would normally need from that area. :-)

[73shark]

It only takes a couple of drops per use.

[eliasurbina]

You might want to try Let's go Aero 34 cubit feet with long heavy duty landing gear and 8" extension. It handles 250 to 300 pounds of net cargo. I had the 8 inch extension cut to 5 inches to better manage overall weight loss caused by extension. I needed extension to open cargo doors.

[c21]

West Marine has the lowest prices on Stowaway 2 carriers and include free shipping. Today only they have a 15% off coupon code (SAVE15). I just ordered a standard size carrier on a swing away mount for $450+ tax. Smoking hot deal!