Just repaired my Sears X-Cargo Sport 20 after watching a few of your videos and ordering the small repair kit. I had a stress crack near the rivets for the top right hinge. I drilled out the rivets, used the fiberglass and patch kit on the inside and exterior, and re-riveted the hinge back to the box. Couldn't have done it without the videos!! Thanks! PS - I am now proudly displayng my MammothMend sticker on my box.
I made a new strut post for my thule mountaineer. I used a grease zirk a little larger that the original ball and shaped it down a little smaller with a belt sander. It was $3 at the hardware store.
I had the exact problem that you illustrated in this video. Your instructions were clear, camera angles were excellent and pitfalls were clearly explained. I had to separate the top and bottom. I purchased the small repair kit and was able to repair my cargo box easily. I also watched a few of your other videos. Between those and this one I repaired my cargo box with confidence. Thank you for these videos and an excellent product.
I was not sure how to repair my cargo box. Watched a few of your videos, purchased the materials and repaired the box. I can’t believe how easy it was. Thank you for these videos and how clear your instructions were..
Hello; would love to follow but being in Europe would like to get any equivalent substance… there are some solvent cements but with some different tags like PVC-U; or CPVC or even PVC / ABS … can you please provide me with some hints … tried to repair my roof top box using fiberglass and some two epoxy set but it was total failure 🤪 … found Tangit brand with some range of the product and also Griffon … which of these and what product matches your solvent cement ?… thank you so much for your help 🙏👋
does this work in the area where one of the hinges mounts? I have a box where the hinged got ripped out leaving a hole where the hinge should mount. Is this repair type strong enough to have a hinge remounted on it?
It sure is. If you have the piece, put it back where it goes and then do one repair on the inside and then one on the outside. Just rememeber to transfer the mounting holes, drill it out and tape over it, before you do the next repair. If you don't have the piece, you need to do at least three or more layers in that are.
I've got a box I'd like to repair that appears to be made of HDPE. How would you go about fixing a hole in it? I'm assuming your repair method is for ABS plastic.
Great video! Is there any reason you didn't put the mesh on the inside instead? Would mean you dont need to clean up all the excess cement and could just use some body filler and spraypaint for the outside and look almost oem.
Great question. This box was pretty beat up and the laminate had already pealed off on most of it so I decided to do it on the outside as an alternate way of repairing boxes. If you watch my other videos, I typically remove the lid and do the work on the inside.
This guy truly knows his stuff when it comes to cargo box repairs. I noticed he's in Denver (where I live) so I showed up in person to ask about the details of the repair I needed to do on my Thule box. He talked with me about the materials, how to do the repair correctly, and general Thule talk. At that point I knew he'd do a way better job than I would so I handed the box over to him to fix.
Thank you for sharing your repair! I’ve been struggling to perform a different mend to the latching system on a similar box (Skybox 21). I’ve drilled out rivers and dissected the latch assembly. A plastic pin sheared off of a collar which slides onto the latch shaft. Normally this pin links the external open handle to the rotating latch shaft…so the box will not open. There are no OEM replacements available from Yakima, have you found a mend?
Wish I found your channel before I started my repair. I used hardening resin but will use your stuff to update the repair. I am going to use your stuff to fix a wheeled tote that cracked from a fall off our moving van.
All boxes us a 3/16" gauge (size 6) and the length that covers most situations is called "64" which has about 11mm of usable shaft. If in doubt, go longer.
Unfortuantely it's not. We have developed our own blend that has beneficial additives such as elastomers that help with elasticity and UV inhibitors that stop the UV rays from breaking down the repair.
Our kit is unlike the one you mentioned. Our product actually chemically welds the fiberglass to the cargo box and is not a two part epoxy that is considered a surface band-aid. The chemical weld actually slightly melts the cargo box on the surface and then the fiberglass is applied and then another coat on top, as shown in the video. It ends up physically being part of the cargo box and can't be removed with a chisel without outright damaging the box. The fiberglass gives it the structural support it needs under any condition. When the Bondo repair is subjected to twisting and turning, which happens when the cargo box is opened and closed, especially during very cold or hot conditions, it will either crack or start to peel off. Thank you for your input.
Someone once mentioned that Fiberglass does not adhere well to ABS plastics. Instead the suggested to use ABS slurry (ABS + acetone) for such repairs; except you're missing out on the fiber part and the added strength it provides. I'd love to hear your opinion on this.
He's not doing a fiberglass repair pr se.He's using fiberglass for reinforcement but he's not using bonding agent which is used to repair fiberglass Fiberglass mat is used for a variety of repairs for reinforcement. Cement, stucco, epoxy, tarps and other kinds of repairs where strong reinforcing is desired are some applications where fiberglass mat strengthens the repair.
This is a tough one to explain but I'll try and give a brief explanation. I'll be releasing a video soon to show how this is done. Basically we use duct tape over the hole on the outside and then do the repair on the inside where the sticky side of the tape is. The tape and repair won't bond together. After 24 hours has passed you can remove the duct tape. We then do a repair on the outside and once more on the inside to give it a total of three fiberglass layers in total. Give plenty of time for each layer to cure.
This helped my repair tremendously. I started with simple fiberglass drywall tape and went in layers alternating orientation. But it looks like you're actually using a fiberglass clothe? As opposed to a fiberglass mat? I 'had great success using Oatey ABS cement medium.
Unfortunately our formal doesn't us the Oatey. We found that by using that formula that it doesn't hold up to the wear and tear of the extreme conditions of salt, Mag Cloride and extreme temperature swings of hot and cold. It will eventually peel off. Our formula has extensive additives to prevent this including elastomers and UV inhibitors.
Do you have advice for repainting the lid? We had a small chip or two which expanded when we had freezing rain. I chipped off the loose stuff to expose the raw plastic.
We have a proprietary blend that we've developed over the last decade. We've taken into consideration the harm of UV light and also the elasticity needed for the boxes to twist and bend.
I just bought a mystery pallet that has this exact model in it with a crack/ hole right where the strut goes. I was wondering if this would work for that or if I should just throw it away which I might do anyways. Thanks
I see no reason to throw it out. You'd be missing out on the hundreds of dollars that you can sell it for after being repaired plus the aspect of not throwing away something until it can't be used anymore. Just drill out the rivets connecting the strut and do two layers on the inside, re-rivet the strut back on and you're done.
This is an awesome video. I'm waiting to hear back from REI to see if they'll sell me their damaged Yakima Skybox 16 display model. It has a pretty long crack in it. Fortunately it doesn't extend to the edge but there is a slight dent. I think this process would work well. I assume it would work on a Yakima just like a Thule?
This is an awesome video. I'm waiting to hear back from REI to see if they'll sell me their damaged Yakima Skybox 16 display model. It has a pretty long crack in it. Fortunately it doesn't extend to the edge but there is a slight dent. I think this process would work well. I assume it would work on a Yakima just like a Thule?
You're right, this repair works on all Thule cargo boxes and all but one Yakima cargo box that was made 20 years ago. That box has a white top. Most dents can be knocked out. Put the cargo box on the floor and press or kick from the inside with your foot and it should pop.
I find I do less repairs on the Motion series boxes. They seem to be slightly more robust and never have issues with the locks. The achilles heal for the Force series are the locks. I currently have four of the Force series boxes sitting in my shop with lock issues. Most of them are operator errors but none the less they have weaknesses. My rental fleet are all Forces but we give very detailed instructions to our renters. When talking actual strength of the plastic, they are the same. When a box hits a garage or any other low lying structure, it doesn't matter how thick the plastic is, the garage always wins. Enjoy!
We have developed our own blend that has beneficial additives such as elastomers that help with elasticity and UV inhibitors that stop the UV rays from breaking down the repair.
I've had mixed results with painting cargo boxes. Usually after I give it a try, I wish I would have left it alone but then again painting isn't my strong suit.
