4 Inch U-Bolt Option For An Older Thule Mountaineer Cargo Carrier

Question:

I have a use Mountaineer that is a real pain to mount. the plastic plates on the inside are all cracked and am looking for new u bolts. the original does not have u bolts but I would like to replace the old bolts with u bolts. The center to center width seems to be 4inch or about 101.6 mm. Everything out there is either 80 or 85 mm. I guess I can just drill new holes in the box! I would like the bottom of the U to be rubber dipped if possible. What have you got?

asked by: Bob S

Helpful Expert Reply:

We do not have an option that is rubber dipped, however I did find a couple options that may suit your needs.

The first one is the:

-Replacement U-Bolt for Thule Sidekick Cargo Box # TH02943 which measures 4" wide, and is 2" deep. This is a 6mm U-bolt that would not require you to drill new holes, but rather maybe bore out the existing holes if they're smaller than 6mm.

The other option I found is the:

-CE Smith U-Bolt # CE15504A.

This bolt measures 4-1/2" from center to center, or 4-1/8" from inside to inside, is 3" deep, and is 7/16" in diameter.

This bolt would cause you to have to re-drill some holes but they wouldn't be too far apart so it may not be noticeable, and this kit also comes with two washers and two nuts.

If you end up having some undesirable holes that you'd like to go away, you could use some silicone sealant like # FAS49FR for black, and # 0160297 for white to fill in the holes and keep your cargo box water-proofed.