[Galantagon]

Hi Pathy crew,

I routinely use the interior cargo tie-down points (referred to as "Luggage Hooks" in the owner's manual" to secure my dog in the car in transit for her safety. She is a whippet weighing 14kg. One day she jumped out of the car whilst attached to the Luggage Hooks and snapped the hook clean in half (see picture).

The Owner's Manual states that they are rated up to 110lbs (~50kg) or 490N, or that the load on any one hook shouldn't exceed that.

Now my highschool physics is a little rusty, but with the help of the internet, the weight of the dog, height of the floor of the cargo area relative to the ground and acceleration due to gravity, I can't get anywhere close to 490N. The hooks appear to be made from some kind of lightweight alloy cast, so it really is no surprise that they are brittle.

Can anyone suggest an alternative fitment? Or a part number for replacement? I'd sooner rather attempt to make one out of scrap steel TBH but to save re-inventing the wheel I figured someone out there must have experienced this or has some ideas to share...

Regards,
Grant

 

[sonarman726]

They look cheap! And if they're only rated for 110 lbs they are cheap- like one of those fake carabiners you buy at walmart. Just a thought- instead off attaching to those tie down hooks, attach to one the car seat latch hook. They're rated for a car crash.

 

[jman]

Welcome to the forum.

Your dog jumped so gravity wasn't the only force involved, she must have accelerated above 35 m/s2 to brake the hook... pretty fast dog!
My wife broke one just by sliding some groceries against it so yeah, it doesn't take much. The previous advice is the best, use the child seat hook instead.

 

[joclyn]

i haven't had need to use them yet - and really don't have too much faith in them as they look pretty chintsy.

i agree with jman that your girls jump and quick-to-top speed running adds to the reasons why the hook broke. and i agree with sonarman about attaching her lead to latch hook on the seat as a better option.

or you could get a grate to put in there - you wouldn't even need to cover from top to bottom either - just a piece big enough she can't jump over it or manage to crawl under it. something with a gate opening or one solid piece that you can lift out and lay it flat on the bed when not needed and it would be easy enough to slip into the tracks when she's going along with you. i see those grate things all the time around here in the various suv's.