Carrying Cargo 'n Things with Our i3's...
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robthebold
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Okay, here's my Covid project load from Summer 2020. It's 20 4"x4"x6' treated (heavy) fenceposts for a Girl Scout human Foosball table project. Remember the supply chain crisis? I went to every home improvement store in town to find these, since no one's online inventory was up-to-date or accurate. Even with the passenger seat as far forward as possible I couldn't quite close the hatch, which I secured on the most level route I could find back to my house for staging.
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It is known(?) that even the "All the world that is Amazon" sells a trailer hitch for our massive behemoths capable of towing, oh, I don't know. The empty (harbor freight) trailer. The only tow rating I found stated 1) Not rated for towing. 2) Was a 200lb tongue load at the ball. Which is totally worthless. I can balance the hell out of a load and never exceed that. Plus, I'm guessing you might have to trim up some of the trim work in the booty for the receiver. Oh look. Another shag wagon joke! Ah, to easy, I'll leave it on the roadside. It would be interesting for a comparative test. Same load on trailer vs load on roof.
Yep yep! The Curt lift hitch levels it out nicely too.
I just try to stick to the GVWR for the car, which is almost 4000 lbs. Subtracting myself and the weight of the trailer leaves almost 500 lbs available to haul stuff.
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That's not legally an option in the UK, for two reasons: if the car has no defined Gross Train Weight, you can't legally tow with it. And you would need to get your insurance company's approval for the modification (you can be sure that they won't give that approval). If you were unlucky enough to be involved in an accident with a trailer hitched up, they would void your insurance.
I didn't think twice about picking up this 7 foot step ladder from Home Depot. I probably should have at least brought along the Monkey Bars, just in case.
I test-fitted a 6 foot ladder beforehand and saw that I had "about a foot" of room to spare, but hadn't considered the feet would be spread apart just a few more inches. This was enough a difference that I couldn't close the hatch with the ladder turned around the other direction, and facing this way, the feet had just about an inch of clearance from the visor.
BTW the black bath towel you see in my photo has been a mainstay in my cars for a few years -- in regular use for interior protection, or for concealing items in the footwells.
I test-fitted a 6 foot ladder beforehand and saw that I had "about a foot" of room to spare, but hadn't considered the feet would be spread apart just a few more inches. This was enough a difference that I couldn't close the hatch with the ladder turned around the other direction, and facing this way, the feet had just about an inch of clearance from the visor.
BTW the black bath towel you see in my photo has been a mainstay in my cars for a few years -- in regular use for interior protection, or for concealing items in the footwells.
Oh, please: tell me whether that's a stack of foam boards...vs... gypsum?! The shower alone is probably 200lbs! Either way, what's the rack?
Edit: I *knew* this reminded me of something from the Early Days...too weird not to be true.
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It was a stack of foam boards and very tiny shower stall... the whole thing weighed under 150 pounds. I used 8 suction cups and multiple straps. Drove it 80 miles on the highway without any safety concerns whatsoever. Hard braking and swerving would not budge it. There was some range reduction... and some weird looks. I have done much heavier loads on the roof.
Azure Blue
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Ouch!
is that a coffin on top ?!
If you're considering carrying a spare tire for a road trip, this is a full-sized front 428 wheel (19x5.0 w/ 155 rubber) and it just fits like this if one of the rear seats is moved into the upright detent. I found mine off of a salvaged i3, purchased using Car-Part.com for a reasonable price (even came with the tire in good condition). There's room for the jack in the frunk, and a collapsible lug wrench lives in my Wokeby Trunk Extension. The blue tape is left over from when I checked it on an airline.
How about a backyard grill?
Deconstructed, of course!
I mentioned in a previous post that I picked up a net. This is made by Gladiator and is their 4' x 4' version. It comes with 4 straps and a carrying case. All told it cost me about $125 at Zoro after coupons or discounts and such. The heavy duty straps have come in handy for other uses.
To protect the car, similar to when I hauled the stones, I put a small sheet of plywood on the floor, cardboard boxes on the sides, a canvas tarp, and finished with another cardboard box to protect the liftgate interior.
This poor grill suffered its demise by a fallen tree, and I finished the job with the screwdriver and angle grinder. Off to the metal recyclers!
Deconstructed, of course!
I mentioned in a previous post that I picked up a net. This is made by Gladiator and is their 4' x 4' version. It comes with 4 straps and a carrying case. All told it cost me about $125 at Zoro after coupons or discounts and such. The heavy duty straps have come in handy for other uses.
To protect the car, similar to when I hauled the stones, I put a small sheet of plywood on the floor, cardboard boxes on the sides, a canvas tarp, and finished with another cardboard box to protect the liftgate interior.
This poor grill suffered its demise by a fallen tree, and I finished the job with the screwdriver and angle grinder. Off to the metal recyclers!
Nothing quite as invigorating as strolling out of the store with a 3x5 sheet of tile backer and the assumption "of course it will fit," only to realize "phew! I barely squeezed that in" (after sliding my seat forward a few notches into a barely comfortable but not quite contorted position).
Depending on your intent, you may want to experiment with removing the rear seat bench. It pops out easily and may allow the seat backs to fold flat.
But I'd double check that doing so doesn't over-rotate against the hinges, and that there's something there to support the folded-down seatbacks so the upholstery doesn't get damaged, and so any weight placed on them doesn't leverage up against the hinges.
I owned a couple of Subaru Legacy wagons that folded completely flat and were long enough to sleep comfortably in. Every car I've owned since then including a few wagons haven't measured up to that standard!