What size rack - is bigger better?

[FeatherWeightDriver]

Minds out of the gutter please, it's already far too crowded down here... ;)

Brains trust,

I'm looking to get an expedition style rack for my 110, but can't decide on size or mounting options.

And yes I already know I should not be overloading the roof... ;)

Size:

The 2 options seem to be 2m (or less, which covers the plat section of roof) or 2.7m long (which covers the flat and sloped section of roof).

Is there a downside to the 2.7m size? Is it much noisier / make the car noticeably thirstier on the highway?

Mounting:

I notice that Rhino only provides 4 legs with their Pioneer platform, whereas Hannibal and Front Runner use 6 or 8 legs.

Is it safe to assume that more legs are better?

Is the full length rail mounting bar of the Hannibal rack the strongest option? Are there any downsides to this approach?

Thanks in advance...

[noyakfat]

I know this reply may seem obvious, but I'd suggest compiling a list of essential items for any given trip. Go over it several times and weed it out to a final list.

Work out what items are most suited to being carried on a roof rack (also including total weight) and ensure you purchase one that is suitably rated. If you can't, then re-think your items or re-allocate your in-vehicle storage options.

Hope this helps.

Nige

PS- for what it's worth, I have always managed without a roof rack. I appreciate this may prove difficult with a family, so I'd suggest spending lots of time in the planning stage of compiling a list of essential items to carry.

PPS - gutter thinking or not, I am a firm believer in quality over quantity :)

[Iain_B]

The rack on mine is pretty big. But mine is not supported by the roof, but rather my Safety Devices "ladder rack" with comes directly from the chassis.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/11/157.jpg

I had the OEM rack but the overall weight you can put up on the roof will limit you more than the rack size. The bigger and heavier the rack, the less actual weight you can put up there. I needed the roof to be re-set ( under warranty) after a trip up to Cape York, the OEM rack as the doors ended up hitting the A-pillar. All we had was a roof top tent and some clothes on top, but would have been right on the limit as far as weight is concerned. The OEM rack was pretty noisy, and I ended up putting in some aluminium inserts in to reduce the noise - the photo shows the plywood trial bits I taped on as a test. My current rack has a no front bar and a mesh insert on the front, and is much quieter.

The OEM rack has 10 feet, and the more of less line up with all the pillar.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2014/11/882.jpg

Since I have never driven mine without a roof rack or the roll cage, it is hard to tell about fuel consumption, but I get 10l/100km on average over the past three years.

[voltron]

I had the old school Land Rover rack on my 110 at first. It was full length and probably the best rack in terms of functionality, but it was steel and heavy, and rusted pretty quick and began staining my car. Replaced it for the frontrunner half length alloy rack and I am happy with that size. If you dont have it sitting in the right spot it can whistle and vibrate. The smaller rack obviously means less loading space but I didnt really like loading the old one up, always made the car feel too top heavy.

[Simon]

I've the Rhino pioneer on my 110, from memory 1.9m and covers the flat section only. Platform only, so no raised side bars.

Never had a problem with noise and combined with a roof top bag gets this family of 5 away on holiday (ok the rear load space is pretty full). All the light stuff goes up on the roof

The shop moved one set of legs for us which was a simple drill new holes along the side operation, so pretty sure you could add extra legs if you need to. Just bear in mind the rhino legs, even defender specific, may foul on the Alpine window rubbers and need some grinding

[n plus one]

Go as short and light as you can get away with - I wouldn't bother with side rails either. I've been through 4 or 5 Defender racks over the years and have now got a 2.2m Front Runner 2 with 4 legs each side - seems to be a good option.

[TeamFA]

Our 110 came with a full-length Front Runner aluminium one (8 legs, I think, from memory).

No experience with it not being on there, so can't help with fuel economy comparison.

We usually run 2 adults, 3 kids, and 3 dogs - so you can work out that a roof rack is pretty essential for us for camping and road trips.

In summary... I can honestly say that there's never been a single instance of me wishing that I had a smaller one... and there are many, many times when I'm glad we had the full-size one.

And the aluminium one is light - I can take it off and put it back on myself.

Road noise... WHAT????? YOU'LL HAVE TO SPEAK UP - I DRIVE A DEFENDER.

It probably does contribute to road noise (especially as ours was missing the "wind deflector" component), but I'd be hard pressed picking it out over the other noises...

[copba]

My defender had a 2.4 m TJM steel cage rack and ladder when I first bought it, I took it off as I couldn't handle the howling and buffeting it produced and also it was too tall for the carport. I saved about a litre per hundred km in fuel consumption without it.

I've just ordered a 2.2 m Frontrunner, which I'm hoping will be quieter and looks to be a good compromise on length covering the flat part of roof but not much more. I pick it up next week so I'll see how it goes then.

[DiscoMick]

I scored three Rhino bars with the 2009 Defender I've just bought and I already had two Rhino bars, so have five in total.
On the Disco I just had a black Rhino flat mesh tray (not the silver-coloured aluminium rack with sides). If you get a Rhino catalogue they are there, but don't get as much mention as the aluminium racks, which cost more.They come in three sizes and cost about $2-300 depending on the size from memory. I got mine through Autobarn.
The one I have is the smallest and I plan to buy another - probably the larger - and use them both, as I already have all the required legs.
Doing it this way will be far cheaper for me than the cost of buying a new large flat rack, which could be $600-1000 depending on the one chosen.
I prefer flat racks with no bars at all because they make less noise and it reduces the weight up there.
It will only be used to carry TREDS, a jack and shovel, a second spare, possibly two fuel containers in racks for remote trips and maybe a swag or two and folding seats, so the weight will be low.
I don't have any need to extend it over the sloping front of the vehicle at present. However, I do plan to put a 80-100 watt solar panel up there eventually, probably at the front.
My advice would be to keep the weight down and minimize the size of your rack. Hope that helps.

[Lagerfan]

We have the 2.1m Hannibal - which is full length on a 90. Can't say I notice any (more) noise but did increase the fuel consumption. We got it when the motor wasn't run in and at the same time we got a bull bar so I don't know how much exactly but read somewhere a full length adds about 20% on a Defender, which would be about 2l/100km and seems right.

Rock solid build and Peter at Hannibal was full of good advice at the time. He correctly predicted it needing tightening up after a few 100km but hasn't budged since. Very happy with it.

As someone else said don't bother with the top rail.

[gusthedog]

It will only be used to carry TREDS, a jack and shovel, a second spare, possibly two fuel containers in racks for remote trips and maybe a swag or two and folding seats, so the weight will be low.


A spare wheel is 30-40kg. Two Jerries are 50kg, a hi lift jack (I'm assuming) is 15kg, and swags at approx 10kg each. Let's ignore the shovel and chairs for now and you're still up for over 115kg plus the weight of the rack. To me, that's a heap of weight. Low weight on the roof would be 30kg. I personally wouldn't trust a deefers roof with over about 50kg.

[Simon]

Concerning the Rhino mesh platforms, I had one on my previous vehicle, after a few years it started to rust where the mesh strands crossed, and drop rust marks onto the roof.

It's fair to say I did abuse it, as it lived on the car which was parked outside, but something to consider as an alloy platform may be cheaper in the long run if it avoids replacement costs

Simon

[MLD]

i too had a pioneer 2.2m rack on a 110 (4 legs). it was the length of the flat section of roof. I was able to fit a RTT, a shovel east/west in front of the RTT and a 33" mud tyre up there with room to spare. You will be surprised how much a 2.2m rack will hold.

I agree with the weight comments, the RTT and tyre was near on 85kg, add the platform and legs and the weight was about 110 to 115kg. It played havoc with the handling of the 110.

for what it's worth the aluminium pioneer rack looks new even after 18 months of exposure to the elements. I only mention that because the powder coating on some racks go dull with UV exposure.

MLD

[juddy]

If you are going to get a rack IMO I would always go for the 2.8m one this allows you extra space if required.

Both the Hannibal and Patriot rack leg supports spread the load more as they run longer in the gutter.

The 3.5m rack I have would normal take, 1x 65kg 1.6m Hannibal Tent, 14kg Hannibal 2.4m Awning, 3x wolf box, ( maybe 20/25 kg in total ) and 2 z 25ltr jerry cans mounted mid way, never had any problems, no gutter cracks either.

I would do the same with the 110 2.8 load wise.

[Landy86]

What's a good rack for a dual cab 130

Looking for a flat base one and only as long as the cab

Does Hannibal make one?

[FeatherWeightDriver]

Thanks all for the input! Certainly lots for me to think about...

Yes I know more space on the roof inevitably leads to more weight up there, but I'm up against:


carrying long but light stuff (wood, pipes etc)
touring with a family
possibly going down the RTT path (as a result of the previous point!)

[Loubrey]

What's a good rack for a dual cab 130

Looking for a flat base one and only as long as the cab

Does Hannibal make one?

Seeing as you're in Perth, it might be worth getting a price for the Frontrunner "Wind-cheetah" aluminium one from Opposite Lock. They have a number of lengths and there will be one specific for the 130 dual cab.

The Patriot and Hannibal are good racks, but very expensive compared to the Wind-cheetah which is really equally as good. The Wind-cheetah is available in low profile as well which makes daily use of the car easier (carparks etc).

Cheers,

Lou

[DiscoMick]

Yes, you could be right.
I was thinking the spare would be about 30kg, the 2 x 20 litre fuel drums about 40kg (and would be emptied ASAP) and I'm not sure about the weight of the jack. The shovel and the swags wouldn't be much.
On our Simpson trip the D1 had more than that on the roof without any problems. I also spread the weight very evenly over the whole roof.
I have five Rhino bars I can use on the Defender so can spread the weight very effectively. The Rhino flat racks seem to be pretty light, but I haven't weighed them.
I must get the manual out and look up the recommended maximum roof weight for the Defender.



A spare wheel is 30-40kg. Two Jerries are 50kg, a hi lift jack (I'm assuming) is 15kg, and swags at approx 10kg each. Let's ignore the shovel and chairs for now and you're still up for over 115kg plus the weight of the rack. To me, that's a heap of weight. Low weight on the roof would be 30kg. I personally wouldn't trust a deefers roof with over about 50kg.

[Simon]

If memory serves the Defender roof max is 150kg, that's for the 110, not sure if the others are different. I have paint cracks in the gutter from well under 100kg so not sure I'm game to load up to the max

[Loubrey]

Simon,

Paint crack inside the gutter is absolutely normal and par for the course. There is a mastic/ rubbery type lining that gets painted in there and it will alway crack the paint with no detriment to the roof or gutter itself.

The car will in fact become un-driveable long before you are able to actually damage the roof gutters with overloading. The 150kg load limit is for centre of gravity purposes and the associate road holding deterioration with offsetting the centre of mass. The rating/ warning is not a structural limit.

In Zambia I saw a Defender that rolled (nice and gently I must admit) with the roof rack quite bent, but the roof, roof gutters and windscreen frame all remaining dead straight.

Cheers,

Lou

[juddy]

Frontrunner make a very good Defender rack, not sure if they do a cab only 130 rack? definatly not a 3.5m 130 rack. Lou is correct Hannibal And Patriot are more expensive, but you have to compare apples for apples here, front runner planks run east to west thus cause a lot more wind noise, Thus there optional wind deflector, add there ladder and you are not far of a Hannibal which is constructed from a thicker box section, and the planks run north to south.

Patriot are modual and manufactured from aircraft grade aluminium,, the other two standard material, factors would be availability, cost and something more bespoke.

Saying that The Front runner D3/D4 rack would be my choice if I required one for that vehicle.

[Landy86]

Does Hannibal make a rack for a dual cab 130
Just the length of the roof

Cheers


Frontrunner make a very good Defender rack, not sure if they do a cab only 130 rack? definatly not a 3.5m 130 rack. Lou is correct Hannibal And Patriot are more expensive, but you have to compare apples for apples here, front runner planks run east to west thus cause a lot more wind noise, Thus there optional wind deflector, add there ladder and you are not far of a Hannibal which is constructed from a thicker box section, and the planks run north to south.

Patriot are modual and manufactured from aircraft grade aluminium,, the other two standard material, factors would be availability, cost and something more bespoke.

Saying that The Front runner D3/D4 rack would be my choice if I required one for that vehicle.

[juddy]

Indeed they do.

I recently spoke to Land Rover Special Vehicles Division I wanted some tech info on the Quadtech we have fitted, I asked about load ratings on the 130 Double Cab.

Cab roof only, 75KG in transit. Interestingly this also covers the rear section if you had a box or tray that had the ability to carry a higher load. Meaning 75kg for both. I was told that its just to cover themselves the chap said both the front cab and separate rear body, i.e. HCPU, or Quadtech with separate rack would still carry 75kg.

If you fitted a full 3.5m rack then the roof load rating would be 150kg.

[gusthedog]

Defender 110 off road roof weight limit is 35kg (from memory) according to the manual.

[Simon]

My manual says 150kg, does not show a lower limit but says using a roof rack off road is "not recommended" but if it is unavoidable remove load before traversing side slope.

[Loubrey]

Indeed they do.

I recently spoke to Land Rover Special Vehicles Division I wanted some tech info on the Quadtech we have fitted, I asked about load ratings on the 130 Double Cab.

Cab roof only, 75KG in transit. Interestingly this also covers the rear section if you had a box or tray that had the ability to carry a higher load. Meaning 75kg for both. I was told that its just to cover themselves the chap said both the front cab and separate rear body, i.e. HCPU, or Quadtech with separate rack would still carry 75kg.

If you fitted a full 3.5m rack then the roof load rating would be 150kg.

Juddy,

Can the Patriot in modular form be configured in a deck only (no side up-stands)? If I was touring only and didn't have to fit in multistory car parks on a near daily basis, the Patriot would be my first choice for a Defender by a country mile.

I've only always seen the Patriot with the side rails though, but if it can configure "deck only" I might actually look to replace mine.

Cheers,

Lou

[ProjectDirector]

The rack on mine is pretty big. But mine is not supported by the roof, but rather my Safety Devices "ladder rack" with comes directly from the chassis.



https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/11/157.jpg



I had the OEM rack but the overall weight you can put up on the roof will limit you more than the rack size. The bigger and heavier the rack, the less actual weight you can put up there. I needed the roof to be re-set ( under warranty) after a trip up to Cape York, the OEM rack as the doors ended up hitting the A-pillar. All we had was a roof top tent and some clothes on top, but would have been right on the limit as far as weight is concerned. The OEM rack was pretty noisy, and I ended up putting in some aluminium inserts in to reduce the noise - the photo shows the plywood trial bits I taped on as a test. My current rack has a no front bar and a mesh insert on the front, and is much quieter.



The OEM rack has 10 feet, and the more of less line up with all the pillar.



https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2014/11/882.jpg



Since I have never driven mine without a roof rack or the roll cage, it is hard to tell about fuel consumption, but I get 10l/100km on average over the past three years.


Iain

I have the same roof rack ie original LR, and want to reduce wind noise. I notice you have some sort of plywood on yours, can't really see clearly on the photo. Can you please let me know what you have used and if there is any improvement

Cheers86736

[juddy]

Juddy,

Can the Patriot in modular form be configured in a deck only (no side up-stands)? If I was touring only and didn't have to fit in multistory car parks on a near daily basis, the Patriot would be my first choice for a Defender by a country mile.

I've only always seen the Patriot with the side rails though, but if it can configure "deck only" I might actually look to replace mine.

Cheers,

Lou

Yes Lou. Just fitted one to the 130 I will take a few pics.

[landy]

I had a steel Tradesman rack on mine. I extended it by 12inces to make it 2.8 metres long and added a full langth chequer plate floor. It was a great rack and very strong but I never liked that it was a bit heavy and was getting rusty. In fact it was the rust and leaving stains on the paint that annoyed me most.
I looked into several alloy racks and settled on a Front Runner Slimline II full langth rack. So far I'm vey happy. It's relatively light weight and I like the modular aspect. It's easy to add brackets or tool holders etc and remove them if they aren't needed. it came with the wind deflecter and I haven't noticed excessive noise.

Cheers

Nino.