Hi everyone, I thought readers may be interested in the genesis of the attachments I have ended up with since fitting my Weldbeat rear frames on my 2021 419 4x4 Sprinter in January 2026.
I actually purchased the frames while taking my ‘big loop’ around Australia in 2025. The reason being that I had been keeping an eye out for something made in Australia with a wheel carrier and space to add other cargo. I had got to the Gibb River Rd Pentecost River campground and noticed an earlier Sprinter with a frame set so I made sure I introduced myself to check it out. The owners were most obliging (thanks Lisa & Paul) so I waited to get decent comms at Katherine and did the business there. I asked Weldbeat to hold it until I was heading west across the Nullarbor some three months later, which they kindly did.
Anyway, I was sort of waiting to have my last ‘in warranty’ service done before fitting it in January 2026. This was to avoid any final warranty claims post the big trip (which there were, although relatively minor). I ended up fitting it myself which wasn’t that difficult although holding the frames up while fitting the hinge bolts was a bit tricky on my own. All good in the end although I fabricated an extra packer on the cargo side (rhs) as I didn’t like the amount of deflection induced stress the door skin would have undergone with a single packer as supplied.
The left hand side wheel rack enabled me to remove the second spare from the boot and carry a good quality dirty bag. I ended up with an Echidna Offroad product which I highly recommend. Very well made with a pull out internal mesh sack.
The right hand side arrangement developed over time. First thing was a lock box from Renegade which is actually an under tray truck item. It was perfect for getting all of the tyre change/repair gear out of the boot to improve accessibility in times of need. It carries:
- Jack base
- Timber packing blocks
- Can of Holts puncture repair goo
- Puncture repair kit
- 18v blower and battery
- Kneeling pad
- Rechargeable stick light
- Wheel chock (OEM)
- Cargo frame prop
- Various straps
The second item would be a fuel can carrier however I didn’t really know what would work, especially as I intended to carry a spare 4kg LPG bottle (sometimes) and my mountain bike. I had a top loading single can carrier however it became an issue to load unload at height above the lock box and under the gas bottle holder. Lo and behold the same maker (Ark) now has a side load version to which I added a vertical retainer to improve security for the fuel can.
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| Older top load fuel can holder |
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| Side load fuel can holder |
I purchased a simple Vonnies ‘claw’ gas bottle holder that I had to modify to grip a range of 4kg lpg bottles but it works as intended. I wouldn’t trust the grip level without strapping it up on the roads I frequent.
By this stage it was clear that I was going to need to fit auxiliary repeater lights as the main ones were obstructed significantly. Fortunately Weldbeat have four in one LED units (stop/tail/indicator/reverse) which I fitted myself. They sit just below the doors and above the rear step.
The next challenge was lifting the wheel off and on. It was not easy for an oldie like myself so I invented a drop in manual davit and it works swimmingly, PLUS it drops in on the cargo side and lifts the full fuel can in and out as well.
Drop in davit link
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| Lifting the fuel can |
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| I added a soft sling to thread through the holes in the rim to level up the load |
The final challenge (for now) was the mountain bike. This was a similar driver to the second spare as the bike was in the boot and had to be removed before getting to other gear. I scrounged around and found an old unistrut air conditioner support leg which looked promising as a main support outrigger. I added a lateral stiffener and a polyvinyl sheath plus a vertical turnbuckle tension tie. I also fashioned a fork stay made out of a shelf bracket which holds the bike in line. The front wheel goes in the boot but it’s not so squeezy any more.
Load on the wheel holder frame:
- Wheel 27kg
- Dirty bag ~20kg full
Load on the cargo frame:
- Lock box 25kg
- Gas bottle 7kg
- Fuel can 20kg
- Bike 15kg
Drop in davit: 5kg in the boot
I have road tested all but the bike carrier thus far and it seems to work. Time will tell. I have been generous in my use of reflective tape in an attempt to avoid run-intos. I have also fabricated a prop for the cargo side to load share into the step on rough road sectors rather than relying on the hinge mounts entirely.
Note: the hinge mounts have loosened a bit on each trip so I carry a torque wrench to nip them up from time to time. That’s the only issue I have with the Weldbeat system, I would have preferred M10 over the supplied M8 for the hinge plates. Maybe I will modify them one day.
PS I carry an official WA auxiliary number plate just incase someone gets antsy at the level of visibility.
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