petdav30 Posted March 31, 2016 Report Share Posted March 31, 2016 (edited) I can't decide whether to have a toolbox fitted on the draw bar of the 19ft XC3 I've ordered. I'm sure it will get filled with more than just tools. I'm not that experienced that's why these 2 questions. The draw bar already has 2 x 9kg LPG bottles and 2 Jerry Can storage bins on it. So, is it a waste of money to have the capability to add a lot more weight in the form a full tool box on the draw bar? - Would I under utilise the tool box for fear of negatively impacting the tow ball weight? (not to mention overall increasing the Caravan weight) Edited March 31, 2016 by petdav30 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neville and Kay Posted March 31, 2016 Report Share Posted March 31, 2016 Good Morning petdav30 I think you have answered your own question with having more weight on the draw bar, it is your choice but I would forget it as we originally had the outboard on a bracket on it & ball weight was 420kg so got rid of outboard from draw bar. After doing a long trip note what you did not use & leave home next time, as you always take off with to much gear thinking that maybe you might need it. Regards Neville Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colnden Posted March 31, 2016 Report Share Posted March 31, 2016 Good morning Neville . We have the large plastic trunk on the "A" frame and find it very handy for the side screens for the annex and the shade cloth used as a floor in the annex. If you do fit one always be careful about what weight goes in it. Den and Col 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merv and Di Posted April 2, 2016 Report Share Posted April 2, 2016 I have to agree with Den and Col on this one. A lot of us have seen just what can happen when one goes overboard with boxes on the draw bar. We normally carry two bikes and a ladder but after the last trip the bikes didn't get used so they will not be coming on the next one. Didn't Kedron offer a specifically made plastic box for the draw bar at one stage? Cheers Merv Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve and Kez Posted April 2, 2016 Report Share Posted April 2, 2016 Buy a GMC/Chev and you won't have to worry about the extra weight on the draw bar .......... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merv and Di Posted April 2, 2016 Report Share Posted April 2, 2016 2 hours ago, Steve and Kez said: Buy a GMC/Chev and you won't have to worry about the extra weight on the draw bar .......... With a "long box". Put your spare car in the back... Merv 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bas Posted April 2, 2016 Report Share Posted April 2, 2016 Hi petdav30 Rather than have a box on the front, fit one on the rear bar. This is the solution I followed to reduce towball weight. The brackets for the bar were gusseted to strengthen them at the suggestion of Kedron as the bar was moved out 50mm to provide space for the box, and I had a box custom made by Tong Boxes in Brissy. The new box is a bit smaller but I now don't carry some unnecessary things. Bas 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John and Tina Posted April 4, 2016 Report Share Posted April 4, 2016 We use our aluminum tool box on the front draw bar to store our drain hoses and floor mats and anything else that may be dirty. Keeps my front boot in the van tidy. Originally ordered my van without the toolbox and fitted it at a later date. In my instance no more than 10% goes on the ball weight. My 200 series has also had a GVM upgrade to 3800 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tolley Posted April 5, 2016 Report Share Posted April 5, 2016 I have a grey "plastic" box on the draw bar as supplied by Kedron. 130,000 km later it is still there and the draw bar has not collapsed.. Mine is a Top Ender. If I ordered another one I would also order one with a plastic box on the draw bar. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunset Dreams Posted April 5, 2016 Report Share Posted April 5, 2016 Hi petdav30, We have just picked up our new XC3 21' with a plastic tub on the front. I will admit that we have not caravaned for decades & are relearning the art of stocking the van. At the moment we are setting up for our first trip & I am finding that several items have already found their home in the tub. As suggested by others above, I am trying to keep this to lighter items so as not to overdo the ball weight. Plus I still have to find a home for my outboard, looking like it will have to go on the back. I have no doubt that you will get some very helpful advice on this forum, as we did. We hope your wait for the new van is bearable, it gave us time to firm up our options. As you no doubt have already found out, the team at Kedron are very helpful. May I suggest that you make a list of all your extras & email them to Graham who we found to be very helpful, but has a lot on his plate as you will find out. He does appreciate it if you try to have as many of your questions in one or two emails. Regards & happy planning Roly & Janice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taka Posted April 21, 2016 Report Share Posted April 21, 2016 On 05/04/2016 at 8:52 PM, Tolley said: I have a grey "plastic" box on the draw bar as supplied by Kedron. 130,000 km later it is still there and the draw bar has not collapsed.. Mine is a Top Ender. If I ordered another one I would also order one with a plastic box on the draw bar. We also have a grey plastic box on our XC3. It has been great as an extra use of space on the draw bar, of course the tow ball weight can be an issue if you load it up. The only issue we have found is they sweat in direct sunlight, due to the box being air tight with no vents. We have our van stored outdoors & find after only a couple of weeks that the bottom of our box has an inch of water ! So now we keep the lid slightly opened to keep the air flowing through in storage. Hope this helps. Regards Taka Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tolands Posted May 18, 2016 Report Share Posted May 18, 2016 We have installed a box on the drawbar , again keeping the weight in mind we use it to store chocks, hoses, jockey wheel , bits of wood to go under the jacks - all the setup stuff .. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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