Roof storage/roll cage 110 Defender

[defenderqld]

Have been researching purchasing a new Defender 110.
Im a Builder, have no need for a ute other than to carry lengths of timber (5.4m) using a t rack off my front bar. (trailer for the dirty stuff)
My aim is to build a vehicle that can take weight on the roof around 300kg that I can also use as a tourer. (wagon)
Have seen the Safety Devices external roll cages with their expedition racks and think that this could be a good set up for me. I like the Safety Devices products as they seem quite tight and don't make the Defender look like a comp truck.
Can anyone on the forum give me their experiences with these or similar products?
Can anyone put me in touch with someone in Brisbane that can build me a similar product and advise on any compliance issues?
Any advice welcome.

[uninformed]

Safety Devices have a very good reputation in the UK. I like the look of them also. The beauty of them is they have been working with LR for years and know the ins and outs. Alot of local guys cant get their heads around the construction of the Defender and approach it like a Nissan or Toyota which may leave it a bit wanting. I would try and find a sales rep for SD here in Oz??? maybe someone is already bringing them in? Im sure there are guys here in Oz that can build something good, but it is going to be a bigger cost than normal stuff as they would see bugger all Defenders and have no prior experience.

I hope I am wrong and there are local guys building this stuff.

good luck and let us know how you go...pictures are always nice :D

[Summiitt]

Last year,I did a trip thru the oddnadatta track, birdsville track, simpson desert, innaminka,camerons corner etc, we had a mate with a Robinson helicopter with us and I ended up carrying his fuel. I had a full length arb tradsman rack on my 08 puma, I had two spare tyres, 75 liters of diesel, 250 liters of av- gas and some other crap, total load was prob close too 400kg on the roof, I know that was excessive, but another Toyota on the trip hit an emu and had to be towed back to Canberra for repairs, so I carried all the supplies,it was only an issue if the vehicle got into the soft sand on the edge of the road, other than that the defender handled the weight easily.up to 200 kg, a good steel rack would be fine on the roof of a defender, over that, a roll cage/ rack system would be the go.

[slug_burner]

I think you will find the defender to be ok with about 75kg on the rain gutters. With the Safety Devices? More?

SD designed to stop roof crushing passengers with best part of 2 tonne truck pushing down on roof plus what ever the additional G they have to allow for. I suspect that 300 kg will be achievable, but then your driving style and maybe suspension sway bar may have to be beefed up to stop the thing leaning over on corners.

If you don't find a local importer, see what SD from UK will cost including shipping. You might be surprised. Many other things come in at less that what the locals are retailing for. A custom roll over protection fabricator with a bit of rally car experience should be able to copy the basic concepts. Would cost more than something they have jigs for but then again they would be local.

[Drover]

total load was prob close too 400kg on the roof.


Wow, that is way to much. !

So much to much !!!

Was it just a gutter mounted rack ??

[Summiitt]

Yep, a full length arb gutter mount, I agree, it was way too much weight, but our circumstances of loosing one of the vehicles with an animal strike meant that the poor old defender was running well and truly at or above it's gvm. I def wouldn't recommend that sort of a load under normal circumstances, the less weight on the roof the better.

[Rimmer]

I remember seeing a bloke at Saphire Beach, near Coffs Harbour as a supplier of SD cages/bars.

Will have a look around and post up when I find it.

Found it.

www.landrovertuning.com.au

[juddy]

For the record Hannibal racks have been tested up to 800kg, but you have to look at the dynamic load rating of each vehcile concerned.

You can buy a. Number of different roll cage systems in full and half style protection. There's also a internal roll over system, same as the mod have got ( made by sd too )

[PAT303]

It's got nothing to do with what the vehicle can take,if you put 800kgs on the roof your a bloody idiot. Pat

[camel_landy]

Do NOT stick stuff on the roof!

If you need to put stuff on the roof, you're carrying too much unnecessary stuff.

A 110 is big enough for a family of 4 to be able to live out of it for 12mths... I know, I've done it.

M

[juddy]

It's got nothing to do with what the vehicle can take,if you put 800kgs on the roof your a bloody idiot. Pat

Read what I said, dynamic load rating, I never said the roof could or could not take 800kg.

[roverrescue]

the original question wa about a builder wanting to put sticks on the 110 not av gas or camping gear for a years touring with 2 rug rats.

Defenderqld, a cage that is chassis mounted will be far better at carrying temporary heavy long roof loads between jobs than a gutter mounted rack. One thing to think about is a fender rack will be much higher up than say a japper dual cab builders ute.

I reckon you should buy a 130 tray:-) strong tray mounted rack at the back, sturdy headboard, bull bar t bar up front. With a 1.8m tray you can under qld transport rules legally carry lengths 6890mm. And fork loads on and off.

I know a 130 tray that carried just under a tonne of portal frames to the galvanizers in this manner :-)
Oh yeah and a 130 makes a better tourer.

S

[slug_burner]

Yes you can readily connect to the chassis at the front where we attach a bullbar and at the rear cross member. Other than perhaps the utes attachment in between will require an internal or external cage to connect a rack back to the chassis.

[uninformed]

guys, if you havent, look at the Safety devies stuff...btw they did the bar work for the NAS 90's and 110's

[Didge]

My 110 has the full length steel roof rack with sides and I reckon its a pain trying to get sticks of timber up there; it's all up too high. I also read somewhere in an official LR manual of sorts that the max load on the roof is suppose to be around 100kgs. I remember it being less than my daughter's Barina. :)

[newhue]

I can vouch for the 130. I had my canopy/rack made to be the same height as a Rhino bar so for smaller loads it still had something to sit on. This intermediate roof bar also holds my awning.
I have a T bar at the front bbar, and a framed edge alloy rear canopy. I carry around 250 to 350kg worth of scaffolding occasionally on it.

However these days I noticed at a steel shop, the legal (qld) weight allowed on a roof is 100kg. So I tend to do more trips now instead of one big move. They way people cut in on me because I have left space to stop with a big load is not worth the potential hassle.
The dynamics of the vehicle change remarkably with that much weight up high.

[defenderqld]

Thanks for the responses. I understand that loading up the roof of any vehicle is not desirable however it is unavoidable in my industry.

I currently have a dual cab Navara, upgraded suspension lifts the roof rack to about 2200mm so the height of the Defender is not too much of an issue. Being 6'6" helps also (not in cabin space).

Purchasing a 110 crew cab and the designing a front external hoop to connect an expedition rack from the tray to the front of the cab is an easier option although the reason for my first post was to try and find someone who could make a cage/ rack work for the wagon. For me, the tray on the crew cab will be dead space. Crew cab might also get less attention with the rack, I know that cages etc can be illegal.

Still looking for someone with a similar setup or someone who has experience with a local cage builder in Brisbane. Short of this I might just order the cage and rack from Safety Devices and make it work.

Thanks again

[isuzurover]

... I know that cages etc can be illegal.

Still looking for someone with a similar setup or someone who has experience with a local cage builder in Brisbane. Short of this I might just order the cage and rack from Safety Devices and make it work.

Thanks again

Internal roll cages need to be approved/blue plated. External roll cages or ladder/roof racks don't. There are plenty of people in QLD and elsewhere with external cages (no officer they are roof rack supports) who have never had any legal problems...

Your best bet would be to have a chat to some of the buggy/comp 4x4 builders who do this stuff on a regular basis.

Haultech eng. Icepack - Haultech Engineering (http://www.icepack.com.au/) used to run a bunch of competition landies and buggies - they would still have contacts even if they can't help you

Bubs also does good work and has done some landy stuff: budscustoms - custom parts & fabrication! (http://www.budscustoms.com.au/)

[Bushie]

My 110 has the full length steel roof rack with sides and I reckon its a pain trying to get sticks of timber up there; it's all up too high. I also read somewhere in an official LR manual of sorts that the max load on the roof is suppose to be around 100kgs. I remember it being less than my daughter's Barina. :)

You want to put your daughters Barina on the roof ?? :D:D:D:D


Martyn