If you have a small car, or you need to transfer more cargo than it is possible to fit into the trunk, then for this there are special boxes on the roof of the car. We will tell you how to choose the right box, classifications and characteristics, as well as manufacturers and price. If you have a small car, or you need to move more cargo than can fit in the trunk, then there are special boxes on the roof of the car for this. Let's talk about how to choose the right box, classifications and characteristics, as well as manufacturers and prices.
The content of the article:
- Car box
- Classification
- Choosing fasteners
- Anchoring process
- Leading manufacturers and price
Transportation of goods is always not an easy process; in terms of dimensions, it can be both large and small. Trucks and pickups are clearly designed for this. But what to do when you are going on a trip, and the volume of the trunk of your car is not large. Especially in the case of long-distance travel, this is when passengers try to take the most they need.
It is not the first year that the so-called boxes on the roof of the car have been known and exist. Their purpose can be very diverse, as well as classification. Could serve for small or medium cargo, thermoboxes or tourist with different compartments. The most unique are box-tents, which can turn a minivan or SUV into a mobile home.
In the box on the roof of the car, you can transport absolutely everything that fits into it: personal belongings, baby strollers, various tools, fishing or hunting equipment, etc. But in order to choose the right roof box for a car, you need to know and take into account a number of criteria. To do this, consider the features of the choice and characteristics of a car cargo box.
What is a cargo box
Those who have been driving for several years will immediately understand what a cargo box is, but for beginners there will be a question. I would like to say right away that there is no specific type of roof box for the car roof. Depending on the purpose and body of the car, it can be either flat and elongated, or in the form of a box made of durable plastic. The most common cargo boxes are considered to be small and flattened for the transportation of oversized cargo.
Generally, roof boxes are containers made of high quality plastic, tapered at the front for better aerodynamics and larger at the back. Such a cargo box consists of two parts, the upper one, which is also the cover, and the lower one for storing the cargo. A sealing rubber is installed around the perimeter of each part to prevent moisture and dust from entering.
Depending on the manufacturer, belts are installed on one or both parts to fix the load. To make it convenient to lift the lid, the manufacturer installs shock absorbers or a retainer, which allows you to hold the lid in one position. Finally, in order to protect the cargo box, a turnkey lock is installed on it.
How are cargo boxes classified?
Any thing or object can be classified according to certain parameters, often color, size or purpose. A car roof box is most often classified according to three main criteria:
- volume;
- the purpose of boxing;
- by the size of the car.
As a rule, the volume of a box is measured in liters, based on this criterion, it is necessary to select a future box. Small capacity boxes are considered to be 300 liters or less, medium boxes can hold from 350 to 450 liters, and the largest cargo boxes can hold about 500 liters or more.
As for the purpose of the cargo box, it is customary to divide them into:
- short and wide - great for transporting personal belongings, tents, baby carriages and other similar cargo;
- narrow and long - as a rule, they are designed for oversized but long cargo, it can be skis, various kinds of tools, snowboards or other similar cargo.
The last and not unimportant criterion is the size of the car. Often not even the volume, but the size of the car, influences the choice of the cargo box. Firstly, this is the appearance, so that the box does not go beyond the roof and does not seem cumbersome, as if the box is twice as large as the roof or the car itself, and secondly, it is worth considering the dimensions of the fasteners and functional parts of the car, since choosing the wrong box can to be a problem to open the rear door (if you have a hatchback or SUV), you will also not be able to open the hatch or panorama (in the case when the type of fastening and the landing of the cargo box are incorrectly selected).
What should be the fasteners for the roof box
The roofs of cars are different, even in the same model, it can be either with stiffening ribs or completely solid. The type of fastener will no less depend on which box and with what type of fastener you will need to buy. To understand in more detail, consider the 4 main options for fasteners and options for attaching a cargo box to them.
The first on the list are roof rails, they are most often installed, since they are easily attached to the roof of a car and dock with almost all types of cargo or boxes. To attach a cargo box, you will need to purchase transverse arches, if such were not included with the rails. According to the type of material, the transverse arcs are steel with a plastic coating and aluminum.
In shape, such arcs can be aerodynamic or rectangular, it makes no difference which shape you choose, here preference is already given to taste and style. It should be borne in mind only that the rectangular shape affects the appearance of noise when driving and the drag coefficient increases, there are no such disadvantages in aerodynamic roof rails.
The second option is the mounting holes. To install the roof box, you will need to purchase a special luggage system, it consists of crossbars and stops, as well as a variety of fastening bolts and elements. Often this system can be considered universal, since it can be used to attach roof boxes, bicycles and other various loads. The third fastener is designed for installation on gutters, for this you need stops with special rubber tips. During installation, these rubber lugs must be installed at a considerable distance from each other in order to correctly distribute the load around the entire perimeter of the car roof.
The last, fourth option of fastening, when the roof is completely smooth. In this case, roof supports with a special grip are used, which cling to the doorway, and not to part of the roof, like the previous ones. It should be borne in mind that for the installation of such fasteners, you will need a special kit that goes separately for each car model.
Well, when choosing fasteners for the roof, you should also take into account the load of the roof box on the roof of the car, as well as its dimensions. Having picked up the wrong parameters and poor fastening, due to the windage, the cargo box can come off at any time, harming not only you, but also driving cars behind.
How to fix the roof box
Securing the roof box is not a difficult process, but it requires care and correct calculations. Depending on the type of fastener chosen, the roof box will need to be connected to the cross rails.
But in addition to securely bolts and fasteners, it is necessary to correctly position the trunk, since the load on the roof must be uniform. Otherwise, when cornering with a full load box, the vehicle may tip over on its side.
The main rule is to correctly calculate the center of gravity of the roof box so that it coincides with the center of the roof of the car. Thus, the roof box will carry an even load on the axle and on the entire vehicle.
Depending on the manufacturer, the cargo box can be fastened with special latches or with bolts. Regardless of the type of fastener, there is an instruction for each box, so there should be no problems with fastening.
How much is the cargo box of the car
Today there are a huge number of manufacturers producing cargo boxes for cars. The most popular with a reliable and proven reputation are:
- Thule is a well-established brand, among various things for transportation and protection. In addition to cargo boxes, it produces many other products, including roof fasteners. Roof box price starts at $ 300;
- Yakima - similar to the previous brand, has proven itself well in the quality of cargo boxes and reliability. Pricing starts at $ 325 for a regular roof box;
- SportRack - the simplest cargo box will cost from $ 210;
- Rhino-Rack - often found on minivans. The brand mainly specializes in large boxes, and the price for the simplest cargo box starts at $ 445;
- Pro Series - does not have a lot of variety, the choice is presented in several models, the cheapest box will cost from $ 315;
- Sherpack - unlike all the manufacturers mentioned, this one produces soft roof boxes for the car's roof, but the disadvantages are that they are not as reliable and not durable. The starting price of such a box starts at $ 150;
- The last, but no less popular, can be considered the Car Top Cargo brand, the variety is also not very large, and the price starts at $ 240.
As you can see, the choice of cargo boxes is very diverse, both in terms of volume and purpose. The main thing when choosing to take into account all the necessary factors that we have introduced, thereby get the desired result.
