Estate car - how to secure crate

peteb2

Decided to treat myself to a 2009 Mondeo Estate with a baby on the way.
Had pretty much decided on the travall dog guard with the divider to split the boot but once the missus her the price she wasnt so sure!!

So now am considering just getting a separate crate to put in the car if we go somewhere but how does anyone keep the crate in one spot in the boot?

stackerman

peteb2 wrote: »

Decided to treat myself to a 2009 Mondeo Estate with a baby on the way.
Had pretty much decided on the travall dog guard with the divider to split the boot but once the missus her the price she wasnt so sure!!

So now am considering just getting a separate crate to put in the car if we go somewhere but how does anyone keep the crate in one spot in the boot?

Bungees
Can be bought for fleck all, and very effective if used correctly.

gerrowadat

Aye, lidl do bungees every so often, and halfrauds do a decent tin of them for not too much. Any estate car should have attachment points on the floor of the boot.

carav10

I've used a collapsible crate in the boot of my estate & have never secured it. Have been in two bad crashes in the past 12 mths with dogs in the crate & all has been fine (except the cars unfortunately!) although if there's nothing else in the boot & the dog is light then bungee cords would work (B&Q have them). I do have a stronger crate on the way now though. I did have a dog guard in place but got fed up of losing all my boot space plus they're not as secure if you're opening the boot in a busy area, e.g get a flat tyre & have to get at the spare. I considered one of those dividers (from the UK?) but after a lot of thought discounted it as I'd really have wanted the rear guard as well & then dividing the boot would have been useless because of the access of the rear guard.

With a Mondeo, definitely crate as it can be easily taken out & you'd fit storage to the side I'd imagine if needed.

Also recommend a Ventlock (ventlock.com I think or google). For letting in air via the boot if you're parked with dogs in the car for any period. Just mind where you choose to use it & make sure arms can't reach the doors of the crate (or lock the crate). But a very handy gadget.

aw

carav10

Could you tell me where you got your new crate or what model it is?
I am in the market for one, too.

Thanks!

carav10

aw wrote: »

carav10

Could you tell me where you got your new crate or what model it is?
I am in the market for one, too.

Thanks!

I'm afraid it's a friend of a friend kind of job. Find a Metalwork teacher who does outside jobs, it's useful as a demo to the class :-) To buy one, a proper strong one, is very expensive as they're really only available in the UK & they charge for them.

If you can find someone who does metalwork as a hobby, they should be able to make one up easily & for far less than buying one. If you're not too fussy about size & dimensions & they're not in the car that often, then the collapsible crates are ideal for a car.

The Sweeper

I'd say don't use bungees - use straps. See if you can buy those straps that have a tightening clasp on them, for securing loads on the back of vehicles or trailers - bungees are elastic. If you're in a crash, the weight of the dog will be magnified exponentially and the bungees will be insufficient to keep the crate in place - you'll have both crate and dog spinning around in the boot. Plus bungee cords will snap under pressure - I wouldn't fancy one of those breaking and whipping free in the seconds that the car is out of control after a crash.

Crating the dog is definitely proven to be the safest way for them in the car in case of a crash, but you should be able to strap the crate down with non-elastic cords so it remains still if the car is hit.