UKCampsite.co.uk was asked to take a look at new tow-ball
mounted luggage system. It offers users the ability to carry anything they
like - neatly and safely mounted on any tow-ball. Onto it can be mounted a
range of fitments for specific items to be carried e.g. a frame and bike
racks to carry bikes.
So what is it and how does it work?
First you start with the Base-Rak which
fits onto any sort of 50mm tow-ball - swan-neck or flanged in seconds
and without any fuss. A clever stainless steel clam-shell casting clips
over the ball - the rack simply slips over this and you tighten the
clamp to secure the base. It provides an extremely rigid 700 x 600 mm
platform. The weight limit of the base is 60kg, but you must be aware of
the maximum noseweight specified by your particular car manufacturer,
and you must not exceed this.The rack folds neatly out of the way
when not in use and can be easily dismounted when only required
occasionally.
The base-rak can be used to directly support any item with enough
rigidity to span the frame. Just a few examples of what you can load
directly onto the base unit include, suitcases, a wheelchair, pushchair,
a fridge, boxes etc etc
Or you add a range of components to create a carrier to exactly match
all your requirements. The base-rak can hold up to three roof-type bike
racks, or the specially supplied Cubag for example.
The CuBag, from BakRak, is a very heavy duty bag with stiffened sides
capable of carrying 600kg. It is a 600mm (2ft3in) cube in shape and made
out of heavy duty polypropylene and are resistant to a fair amount of
dragging around. The material is similar (but heavier) to the well known
gravel bags. The bags fold completely flat for easy storage in your boot. Please note these the manufacturers do not have the CuBag available at present.
In Use
Bak-Rak carries loads in the most efficient position on a vehicle,
both from the point of view of loading and economy. If you have tried to
load heavy cases into a roof-box you would know how inconvenient is
loading onto the roof.
Independent tests have put the drag increase due to a roof-box on
some cars at 70mph as over 10%. The effect of a load on Bak-Rak is
likely to be unnoticeable. In fact on most cars it will slightly reduce
the drag and increased petrol consumption does not occur since the load
is sheltered in the aerodynamically dead area behind the car.
A big advantage over using a trailer is there is no awkwardness in
manoeuvring and reversing! And it's easier to use than a roofbox, with
no difficult stretching and leaning to put items on top of your car.
We had two large adults standing on the Base-Rak and there no was no
indication of bending or slipping and the Base-Rak remained solid and
strong.
We found it easy to fit, and a very handy device for carrying your
tent, bikes, luggage and no end of other items. Using the Base-rak
does mean that your number plate and lights are blocked, so you will
need to also use a separate trailer / number plate board.
If you want to find out more
visit the Bak Rak website
The Bak-Rak comes with a FIVE year guarantee
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