I redrilled the holes on my Thule box...and then found I'd missed by about an inch and took it to the local rack expert who did it just about perfectly for $20.
I haven't experienced any problems from mounting it much further forward...I was tired of the tailgate not going all the way up as well.
CWhy not just redrill the mounting holes? Move the box as far forward as required to open the hatch, line up the holes and redrill. The only problem here is that you may end up with a fair bit of unsupported overhang in the front since the stupid crossbars don't move forward enough (dumb design). I just make sure I only put light stuff in front. No problems in 4 years!
DS
I had considered that, but was unsure about all the "unsupported" length sticking out over the windshield. I had visions of the air blowing up from the windshield and flexing the box upward pulling on the front crossbar, a load is most likely was not designed for.
We just got back from a camping trip with the rocket box using my "strapped on" scheme and it worked fine. One advantage: when you unload the box taking it off the car is fast since it is not mounted on the bars.
If anyone else has some comments, I would love to read them.
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