We fell in love pretty quickly with a spare tire mount for the rear of our Grand Californias. There was only one problem, the amount of providers is quite confusing and makes the selection of the right product extremely difficult.
Of course, we contacted the “best known” providers first and were simply shocked, either we received no response to our request for a quote or we received a quote that was just completely ridiculous and outlandish in price. Everyone should be clear that a handicraft product, which is of good quality and perfectly finished, has its price. However, some providers should question whether the success of the past few years has not outgrown them somewhat. For a rear ladder with spare wheel holder and rear carrier including Cargobox well and gladly nearly 7000 euro were called. Wait, what?! It was just too much for us and in the end not worth the price. Don’t get us wrong, an inexpensive product doesn’t have to be cheap, but as the name implies, worth the price.
Absolutely by chance we became aware of H32 on Instagram, a small startup from near Linz in Austria. Fun Fact, the name H32 is derived from the address of the company, Humerstraße 32. The first impression was convincing and also the prices mentioned on the website were in a range that looked reasonable. So all the ingredients were there for a purchase. Firstly, a startup where the customer and the product and not one’s own ego are in the foreground and secondly, a product that is worth its price.
After the first contact via Instagram the first impression was confirmed once again, so a few emails and messages later we made an appointment for our rear conversion. But now to the setup and the assembly, the latter you get completely free of charge if you go to the guys in Linz.
Our rear setup
We have chosen three products from the H32 portfolio:
- H32 Rear ladder with spare wheel holder
- H32 HeckRack – flexible universal carrier for the tailgate
- H32 CargoBox M
H32 Rear ladder with spare wheel holder
The rear ladder is mounted on the left side of the vehicle and has a spare wheel holder. Climbing the ladder is facilitated by two fold-out rungs under the spare wheel.
The complete frame is black powder coated in RAL 9005.
The assembly, which we will go into further with a few pictures, is done by means of theft-proof hinges.
The spare wheel can be secured with a separate lock. If no spare wheel is carried, various equipment can be flexibly carried on the mounting plate.
The ladder has a total weight of 12 kilograms, of course, without the spare wheel.
H32 HeckRack – flexible universal carrier for the tailgate
On the right side, the H32 rear rack was mounted on our Grand Cali.
The 8.3 kilogram light and extremely flexible hole pattern of the carrier offers you various options for mounting accessories.
Just like the ladder, the rear carrier is powder coated in RAL 9005. Two airline rails are also pre-mounted as standard, offering maximum flexibility for accessory mounting.
H32 CargoBox M
As an accessory to our HeckRack we have chosen a CargoBox in size M (W x H x D 480mm x 1100mm x 361mm). Besides this, sizes S and L are also available.
With a capacity of 190 liters, the M variant is the perfect size for us.
The box has a weight of 23 kilos and is locked by means of two compression latches with lock. These prevent the penetration of water. For easy cleaning, there are convenient drain holes on the bottom of the box.
The CargoBox can also be additionally secured by separate locks.
The complete set brings an additional weight of 43.3 kilos on Cali.
The assembly
Since we have two left hands and like to get to know the people behind the products, it was clear to us: We’re going to Linz and watch the whole game from the front row. On site Daniel and Dominik took care of our Grand California.
Both the rear ladder and the rear rack are mounted on the original door hinges. However, in order to hold the weight of the spare wheel and the CargoBox, including its contents, the holders must be fixed in the door with screws. Yes, you read that right, there are holes in the doors.
The mounting points are marked using templates, then drilled and finally reinforced from the inside with aluminum plates. All holes are deburred and treated with zinc to prevent rust. In addition, the mounting screws are equipped with rubber seals, so the penetration of water through the holes is prevented.
The cost
As mentioned above, the installation is carried out free of charge on site, so if you have two left hands, for example, your way leads to Humerstraße 32 in Hörsching.
We paid 4300 euros for the complete rear conversion and think it is definitely worth the price. Considering the high-quality workmanship and the quality of the parts, the price is more than justified.
Current prices and information can be found on the H32 homepage https://h32-design.com/.
Really practical:
The guys have come up with another little eye-catcher….
