Express Van rear swing out ideas

[45Kevin]

I'd really like to get some storage at the back of the van.
I'm not sure that a rack/box mounted directly on the door could support two 20 liter cans as well as a chainsaw over washboard and bumpy off road tracks. I might have a max load of 100 lbs or so.

I don't think I need a $2000 aftermarket bumper and I've been racking my brain trying to come up with a suitable mount for a swing out rack. As you owners know the way the doors open means that a pivot point for a swing out rack needs to be outside the body on the side of the van.

I have a class 3 hitch on my van and I thought that might make a good mounting point for a bracket to put on a spindle for a swing out rack.
It would be a short piece of 3x3 square tube inserted into the hitch and fastened with bolts, then a couple of pieces of 2x2 or 1x2 tube to form the spindle support. It would be fastened to the front mounting point of the hitch as well using existing hitch bolts. The spindle would be welded to the end of the bracket and a tube hoop with a shelf for the load would bend around the corner of the van and be secured to a clip of some sort on the bumper in the closed position.

Take a look at the picks and let me know what you think.

 

[WVI]

In my neck of the woods, you'er good to go now. Just mount a box on it!
Really, I think your on the right track.

 

[whith]

Love the idea and looking forward to seeing where you go with it. Just an FYI, Aluminess does sell one that mounts to the factory bumper or rather to the frame behind the factory bumper. The top is secured at the door hinge though. Those are around $600 last time I looked.

 

[Ovrlnd Rd]

Why not just get a Wilco Hitchgate?

https://www.wilcooffroad.com/shop/hitchgate-max/

 

[45Kevin]

Love the idea and looking forward to seeing where you go with it. Just an FYI, Aluminess does sell one that mounts to the factory bumper or rather to the frame behind the factory bumper. The top is secured at the door hinge though. Those are around $600 last time I looked.

I've seen those but US$675 is about $1000 for me.

Why not just get a Wilco Hitchgate?
https://www.wilcooffroad.com/shop/hitchgate-max/

Look cool but... around $1700 for me. Might think about making one though.

I'll have a bike rack on the hitch itself.
I have used a hitch mounted platform before and found that the thing did a lot of swaying from side to side because the receiver and the platform were a sloppy fit. Over 1000s of miles that's a lot of stress on welds and joints.

Anyone have any idea how much weight the door itself could handle?

 

[Ovrlnd Rd]

Look cool but... around $1700 for me. Might think about making one though.

I'll have a bike rack on the hitch itself.
I have used a hitch mounted platform before and found that the thing did a lot of swaying from side to side because the receiver and the platform were a sloppy fit. Over 1000s of miles that's a lot of stress on welds and joints.

The Hitchgate uses a wedge lock to get around the swaying and also is open at the rear of the receiver so you could install a bike rack as well. They have different models that are less expensive so you might want to reach out to them and see what they have at what price. You might be surprised by what a good company is willing to do to work with you. Maybe they have some "scratch and dent" stuff or a return that they can't really sell at retail.

 

[Len.Barron]

I would just buy the same size tube as your hitch and weld / extend it out the end of the bumper. You could buy a scrap of the the next smaller size tube or even make it with angle to make a sleeve to join them...it would be more than strong enough and look like a nice clean install... weld a trailer spindle hinge on the end and Fab the rest how you want.