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Tow Bar Mounted Bike Rack as a Luggage / Cargo Carrier

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I wonder if anyone knows if there is an issue "converting" our existing tow bar mounted bike rack (Atera Strada DL3, pictured below) into a luggage / cargo carrier?

I know we will still have to keep to the weight limits (ie 55KG including the weight of the rack itself).

But as long as the luggage is secured properly (likely with ratchet straps) is there any issue doing this? (Is there a legal issue driving in the UK like this?)

I am really struggling to think what this could be - from what I can see the racks that are designed as luggage / cargo carriers look pretty similar, albeit with a completely flat base (the Atera has a slight curvature to it, as you can see in the photo).

It would be great to get your thoughts as - apart from anything else - having just found and booked a last minute staycation (Norfolk here we come!) I cannot buy a "proper" luggage rack as they are pretty much all out of stock... And the one I did find in stock does not tilt to let you access the boot as my existing Atera bike rack does.



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@VanillaAir_UK looking at the plate on the door, it says the limit is 375KG. So you are right: that limit also needs to be adhered to. Luckily, even with the four of us plus luggage, plus rack we should be under that weight - even after the lockdown weight-gain !

So my question was more around whether there are any issues to think about when using a bike rack as a luggage rack.
 
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you can buy specific tow bar racks for storage, that look like a bike rack with a large coolbox rather than bikes.
I don't think bike racks are stamped with any regulations, so I guess it's not illegal to modify it as long as you don't alter any of the safety/structure of the frame or mount??? They're not very common, so even if you did buy an official one you might get pulled by the local plod wondering what the hell it is.
I think I'd rather have a mini trailer, as it would be easier to unhitch and charge if you couldn't park sideways blocking other bays (most superchargers have massive "tesla chargers" signs between the chargers so you can't reverse far enough back to charge with a towbar bike rack on) :mad:
 
I wonder if anyone knows if there is an issue "converting" our existing tow bar mounted bike rack (Atera Strada DL3, pictured below) into a luggage / cargo carrier?

I know we will still have to keep to the weight limits (ie 55KG including the weight of the rack itself).

But as long as the luggage is secured properly (likely with ratchet straps) is there any issue doing this? (Is there a legal issue driving in the UK like this?)

I am really struggling to think what this could be - from what I can see the racks that are designed as luggage / cargo carriers look pretty similar, albeit with a completely flat base (the Atera has a slight curvature to it, as you can see in the photo).

It would be great to get your thoughts as - apart from anything else - having just found and booked a last minute staycation (Norfolk here we come!) I cannot buy a "proper" luggage rack as they are pretty much all out of stock... And the one I did find in stock does not tilt to let you access the boot as my existing Atera bike rack does.



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Hi @gidster99 I have just bought he same strada bike rack but I can't connect the electrics. The spacing of the cut-outs and ridge on the plug (bike carrier) just don't match the socket on the M3. Do you have the same issue? See photos below - or am I being dim??
 

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That looks correct in spite of half the pins missing.
Only the first 8 pins in the 13-pin trailer plug are actually wired up in the Tesla socket and the 8 pins shown represent 7 "lamps" and one earth pin.
Pins 1-4 are the "diamond cluster" in the middle (pin 3 is Earth) then pins 5-8 in the outside arc.

Missing pins include permanent battery power, ignition controlled battery, several earth pins and a mysterious 'pin 13'.

Probably easier to plug in and release than a full 13-pin plug with less friction of fewer pins.
 
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Sadly its not the pins that are the issue, I physically can't push the 2 together - note the ridge on the inside of the plug is adjacent to one of the outer cutouts, whereas with the M3 socket the first ridge is at about 2 o'clock when the cut out is at 12.
 
Sadly its not the pins that are the issue, I physically can't push the 2 together - note the ridge on the inside of the plug is adjacent to one of the outer cutouts, whereas with the M3 socket the first ridge is at about 2 o'clock when the cut out is at 12.
It should twist/turn into place. Usually this is guided by two notches on the outside. But it could be that it has turned incorrectly by trying. You can turn it by hand in the start position again. Happened to me once.
 
@mrco I cannot get mine out easily as it is stored way back in the shed... but I do remember needing to really pull the wires as tightly as I could (without causing damage!) to thereby give me as much play in the length of the wires as possible so that I could then connect the Altera lead to the M3 socket.

Once I did this there was just enough play to fit the two together and rotate the fitting to properly connect the two.

I cannot remember exactly what it was but I do think there is an indicator to tell you how to start marrying the two connections together prior to twisting them.

I hope you manage to get the rack connected !

(I also used my wife's yoga mat to make it easier to mess around under the car, but probably best keep that to ourselves!)
 
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Many thanks all for the replies, there is indeed an indicator and pins do move round c60 degrees but not enough to allow them to mate with the car socket, bit frustrating but I think it must be a manufacturing fault so have gone back to them.
 
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Many thanks all for the replies, there is indeed an indicator and pins do move round c60 degrees but not enough to allow them to mate with the car socket, bit frustrating but I think it must be a manufacturing fault so have gone back to them.
@mrco Are you sure you are applying sufficient force?
These are "Egor" sized plugs (AKA heavy duty) so need appropriate effort to turn them into the socket.
I found some plugs have a detente at the end of travel in an attempt to retain the correct position for reassembly - a little extra effort is required to get it to "click" into position if its been twisted off position.
The plug pin assembly and cable/clamp are one part and the "screw" cover and "round-flat" part are separate rotating part.
Grab the cable clamp and twist the outer cover.
 
This weight limit discussion is making me worried about camping with my model 3 using my roof box. I hadn’t considered weight and was planning to just pack what would fit like normal when I go

Do Tesla Model 3s have a particularly low weight limit compared to my old Nissan Qashqai?
 
Do Tesla Model 3s have a particularly low weight limit compared to my old Nissan Qashqai?

I don't know the weight limit of the Nissan, but our Model 3 at 375kg all up is a significant enough reduction over our previous car that some of our old loads would have been marginal at best - I've often needed to carry >70kg of batteries for an electric car school project.

The all up (cargo, hitch nose and passenger) weight is on the inside frame of the front passenger door. I think you probably need to check roof limits separately in same way that tow hitch has its own limits - nose and overall capacity.

Its going to vary between car weights (SR is lighter so has more spare capacity) and wheel size (20" wheels seem to be singled out for weight limit reduction) and of course passengers and other cargo weight. You certainly don't want to be driving around 4 rugby players in the car.
 
This weight limit discussion is making me worried about camping with my model 3 using my roof box. I hadn’t considered weight and was planning to just pack what would fit like normal when I go

Do Tesla Model 3s have a particularly low weight limit compared to my old Nissan Qashqai?
I think the answer is "yes"... It looks to depend by model, but I found this link which spoke about the Qashqai having over 500KGs of cargo/weight capacity ( Nissan Qashqai size and dimensions guide ) so coming down to 375KG is maybe something you will have to consider.