Forum Discussion

Naio's avatar
Naio
Explorer II
Nov 13, 2019

Do you think a front cargo rack is too dangerous?

I've had a basket type one on my van for a while, but it has seen very, very little freeway speed driving. Mostly slow roads.

An engineer friend saw it yesterday and said he thought it was extremely dangerous, because at freeway speed it could potentially set up a wobble, twist itself off, and end up underneath the front of the van. And, as he pointed out, that would be much worse than a rear rack coming off and dragging.

Well, I found this image terrifying. But then I thought I should consult you all :-).

(My rack plus contents ways maybe a hundred pounds, but one of the problems he pointed out is that the weight is necessarily evenly distributed. It's not possible to consolidate it in the center. This was why he was concerned about wobble at speed.)

45 Replies

  • Is what you are carrying, so heavy as to pose an overloading issue?
    Plenty of folks use all types of front carriers ranging from carrying a cooler and fishing rods down on the NC Outer banks, to folks in other areas carrying things like these. (and yes, these are a bit big)



    Just dont block too much airflow to the radiator, or obscure the headlights, and you are likely safe so long as the size and weight are not too much for your vehicle.
  • Gee, you need to be extra careful if you add to the front end. Safer on the roof too IMO.
  • If under-designed or overloaded...sure it's a bad thing.

    If properly designed and loaded...no particular concern other than not parking too close to vehicles and fixed objects.

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