I am looking for a cargo carrier that has edge holes for padlocks. I am told the Thules all use the same key, so they are not secure. Why you would do that eludes me. There is nowhere to look at them, and the Amazon pages are useless for this. JEGS says none of theirs will accept padlocks.
None of the cargo carriers are all that secure.....Even if they made one with molded in holes for padlocks the clamps that hold them onto the car or roof rack are pathetically insecure.
ReplyDeleteIt would not be all that hard to add a couple of hasps for padlocks onto any cargo carrier, but they are not all that thick of plastic. Made for weather, not security.
You would be better off buying a metal roof rack and using Sterilite type boxes with padlocks and some chains to keep them secure...
Of course then you gotta use straps to hold them down too, but they would be secure(ish)
As a side note: Have you ever considered using the U haul Pack and ship boxes? They will deliver and later pick up and then deliver to your new home. Not cheap, but fairly secure and very convenient.
One additional thought: You can generally either re-key or replace most locks if you take the cylinder to a locksmith.
ReplyDeleteI've never had one that couldn't be replaced or rekeyed. It is just a simple 1/4 turn lock though...not as secure as a high school locker when it comes down to it.
Yakima racks have lock cylinders you can buy and lock the bars to the roof. The cylinders come in boxes of four or two. I do not know how many variations they have. My bars lock with one key and my Tule Box locks with a different key. I have what is called a "basket case that merely clamps onto the bars that I could take a bicycle cable lock and wind it around the bars and the rack to keep the rack in my possession, custody and control. I think there may be some long-shackle padlocks that may be usable to lock the boxes shut and lock them to the bars.
ReplyDeleteAnother possibility may be to look closely at the lock cylinders you have now and see if they aren't interchangeable somehow.
One thing I found was that I get a large fuel economy penalty for a roof box that I don't get with a box of similar volume on a trailer-hitch cargo rack.
ReplyDeleteSo if you've got a hitch-receiver on the car, something like the Buyers Products 44-in x 19-in x 17-in Black Plastic Chest Truck Tool Box Model #1712240 that Lowe's sells (or a Tractor Supply Large Rotomolded Utility Box), along with one of those steel grate hich cargo carriers, (and of course a locking hitch pins and padlocks for the cargo box, ) might be an option if the load isn't too heavy.
Mount the box to the rear cargo rack with holes drilled through its bottom and either carriage bolts sized to the grating of the cargo rack so the head cannot be turned from below, or square u-bolts with the nuts and fender washers inside the box.