Scout Cargo ideas (and of course, questions)

[pharmer <pharmer@domain.elided>]

I'm trying to quickly get my Scout's capabilities up, with a variety
of adventures in mind.  My objectives are to improve storage capacity,
and cart a boat (rowboat or canoe) around.

I've got some designs quickly coming together for bumpers.  My rear bumper
will have two swing-away storage rack-things (for spare tire & gas can).
I'll be bending the rack vertical posts inwards so that they don't interfere
with the tail lights when closed, and don't interfere with tailgate when
open.  ex:

                  | |                               | |
                  | |                               | |
                 / /                                 \ \
                / /                                   \ \
               | |                                     | |
               -------------------------------------------
               |       bumper    (hi-lift goes here)     |
               -------------------------------------------
                                \|   |/
                                  ---

(sorry if that diagram got shifted around by the mail)

This will limit the area available to hang stuff off.  But, I'm thinking
that
I'll still be able to fit one big tire and one gas can on there.  And, maybe
have room for shovels, etc on the rack.

I really don't want to get the 33-gal gas tank, because it's so much money,
and
really drops the rear down a ton.

Here's a few questions:
  1.  Where's a good place to get 5-gal gas tanks from?
  2.  Can you get a locking gas cap for a 5-gal tank?
  3.  I'd like to be able to take 4 bikes along.  I'm thinking about a
receiver
      mounted rack (but might not fit with tire there, and a lot of work to
get
      into the back of the scout), or something that is mounted on the
actual
      tire mounting studs.   Think 4 bikes weigh too much for that?
  4.  Any ideas for temporary cargo capacity?  When we went to St. Elmo, it
was
      pretty cool the way Scot had like 40 gallons or so of extra fuel.  But
where
      to keep it?  If I store the gas cans on the back sideways, I think I
could
      fit two - but they'll stick way out.  How about bolted to the wheel
studs?
      I've found some receiver-mounted platforms that sit in the back, and
could
      carry 500 lbs of cargo to a campsite - for about $119.  But, I'm not
sure
      I want to go that way.  Any other ideas?
  5.  Will the stock rack on top of my scout support an aluminum rowboat?
If not,
      can it be reinforced?


Of course, the Travelalls don't have this problem with storage at all!  But,
I
want the flexibility to take either vehicle - Travelall for when the family
needs to go out for a week or so with junk and/or haul the camper, and Scout
for when we want to hit some rougher/tighter trails.

Thanks,

Ken Farmer
1980 Scout II
1975 Travelall
1974 Travelall










> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-ihc@domain.elided [mailto:owner-ihc@domain.elided]On Behalf Of
> alice@domain.elided
> Sent: Tuesday, February 09, 1999 12:45 AM
> To: ihc@domain.elided
> Subject: KenF ...Scout Magic Mix
>
>
> 	Ken and others,
> You mention the greatest (IMHO) attribute of the Scout (2 in my
> case) ...they have the magic mix of power, ruggedness and size.
>
> Jeeps may have as much power but seem to never have enough room
> for me.  A lot of people love them ...but I find the Scout2's full
> width body gives me just enough space to haul a decent firewood load,
> carry a dinghy boom (diagonally), sleep in the back (diagonally),
> fully recline a set of Volvo seats (great for sleeping or star
> gazing), etc.... yet the overall width is "just the right size to
> squeeze in some amazingly tight spaces ...tighter if you don't care
> about scratches. I used to own a Traveler and while the extra space
> is nice, for two people (mostly), it was more than I cared to drive
> around all the time.
>
> Don't get me wrong ...I actually prefer to look of an old series Land
> Rover over my Scout2 ...but again, they (at 88 inch WB) really do not
> have any more room than a Jeep and are more costly than my Scout2.
> While volumes have been writen on Land Rover ruggedness, when I
> directly compare them with the Scout2 ...well, yes the LR has greater
> axle articulation (but, for me, I would much rather have the bit more
> room, more power to tow a modest trailer, ability to cruise at decent
> highway clip without strain (70mph) and get parts most everywhere
> (at least the parts necessary to get me back on the road)
>
> This has been on my mind a lot lately ...a number of tempting Land
> Rovers have recently crossed my bow ...always too much $$$.
>
> Always interested on your take on this topic ...Mark
>