Thread: Defender 90 roof racks

I've got rhino bars. The full racks are nice but the carport height is the issue. I've found that the rhino bars allow enough attachments to meet most needs. There is an option to mount a roof basket to the bars and then take it off when you get home to save on fuel consumption for normal driving.

Or are you also after the overall look of the half rack?

I've had experience with both these racks. When I bought my 90 (my11, 17k kms) it had the steel rack. Looked the goods - suits the 90 very well. But there were a few issues that steered me to the slimline. The mesh you see on the steel rack bends out of shape, and the welds (both mesh and one of the legs) didn't fare so well (you get what you pay for right). So off she came and I decided to go for the slimline. Aluminium, so light - but solid (and doesn't rust - my hi-lift rubbed the paint off on a long stretch of corrugatd track, so nice to know that it's not an issue). The only criticism I'd offer to the slimline is the bolts they supply do rust. Not happy seeing the bolts that clamp the thing to the gutter looking less than ideal - need to replace.

I'm not sure you can really compare front runner with the one in the link

Weight?

Does the one in the link actually fit a defender?? Opps missed it yes it does

Front runner has slots in the cross bars to easily mount accessories.

No side rails is handy for getting thing on and off the rack and is lower overall.

You loose some space with the angled piece up front

I do agree it's price is attractive

Weight is your enemy and steel is heavy.

I would suggest you reconsider the Front Runner, or a Rhino platform. There are others too such as Hannibal or Patriot. A good quality alloy rack is a much better proposition than steel - strong and much lighter. I also think a bit of flexibility is good in a rack as it reduces the chances of cracking your roof.

Cheers,
Jon

Hi guys,
Sorry for not replying to the thread, I just came back from an 18 hour round trip Syd, melb, syd

I bought a bull bar and the seller also had a "Tradesman oval steel" roof rack made for a 90 defender, I had a close look at it and found it to be just a bit on the heavy side, It also had mesh at the front and a bar that ran around.

I will now reconsider a frontrunner, I eventually want to fit a roof top tent so i might have to go the full length rack, I also had a look at Hannibal racks and they look schmick but fairly expensive.

If your planning a RTT than go a rack without rails/sides....

Hannibal, Patriot, Front Runner all do a good rack, front runner is the better priced one...the one I had on the 110 was given a good work out regularly.

Having sold Hannibal, Patriot and Frontrunner, all 3 should be considered, Frontrunner are the cheapest, followed by Hannibal then Patriot, Patriot are constructed from aircraft grade aluminium and are far superior in quality to the other 2 brands, but more expensive. If cost is a factor Frontrunner is the way to go, if you want something bespoke and made to a very high standard then choose Patriot, followed by Hannibal, I run both Hannibal and Patriot and have never had any issues with them.