Exceeding Roof Rack Weight?

[Smcconnell]

Hi again folks,

Not to be deterred by our Stockton Beach fiasco (http://www.aulro.com/afvb/d3-d4-rrs/222553-d4-vs-stockton-dunes-d4-didnt-win.html), the wife and I started planning an extended 3-month trip across Australia.

I started researching roof racks and one that got my attention was BajaRack (http://www.bajarack.com.au/collections/land-rover-racks/products/land-rover-expedition-rack), but I had a slight aneurism when I saw the weight - 50KG!

Considering the weight limit on D4 is 75 KGs, that practically defeats the purpose, doesn't it?

I was planning to tour with a roof tent (45+ KG) and a spare wheel (30KG) on the roof, but now I see that it will be impossible. The part I DON'T get is this - why am I seeing photos on AULRO (http://www.aulro.com/afvb/d3-d4-rrs/162186-bajarack-2.html) and on Bajarack Website (http://www.bajarack.com.au/collections/land-rover-racks/products/land-rover-expedition-rack) where D3s and D4s are clearly loaded past 75KG?

Is this just a case of people posing for photos or is the limit a "soft" one, with people regularly ignoring it (and not running into major issues)?


Steven

[AnD3rew]

I think many people and not just Land Rover owners regularly exceed the limits but it is a very bad idea, it can lead to disasters and also potentially denied insurance claims if there is a disaster. Have a look at the Rhino Pioneer platform which is more like 30kg.

[SimmAus]

I think many people and not just Land Rover owners regularly exceed the limits but it is a very bad idea, it can lead to disasters and also potentially denied insurance claims if there is a disaster. Have a look at the Rhino Pioneer platform which is more like 30kg.

Agree. I have a pioneer platform, full length - a little under 30kg. Very aware of weight limitations.

I would guess the "reason why so many appear to overload" is because

1) it's really easy to do once you have so much space
2) unaware of weight limitations
3) spending $1k on a roof rack to store a jerry can seems stupid, so I should put some more stuff up there.

The 75kg load limit is related to the safety of driving with weight up high, increasing the centre of gravity.
The roof will hold more static weight.(ie in case of roof top tent)

[ADMIRAL]

I think many people and not just Land Rover owners regularly exceed the limits but it is a very bad idea, it can lead to disasters and also potentially denied insurance claims if there is a disaster. Have a look at the Rhino Pioneer platform which is more like 30kg.
Agreed.It doesn't seem to matter which vehicle, particularly when someone fits a boatloader, and carries the outboard under the boat also on the roof ?? What the!! It will do wonders for the handling of any 4WD.

[Fred Nerk]

I have mentioned this previously. It is easy to reach the weight limit on the roof and you can carry more on a short rack system as it weighs less to start with.

[Fatso]

Seen a defender at the English car day at Gingin WA with so much on the roof rack it looked it would roll over parked on a curve .
In think there are now some roof tents that bolt straight onto roof rails which would be better than a whole roof rack which should be under the load limit . Lifting a spare up onto a roof rack is not an easy task .

[CSBrisie]

Anyone noted the article in latest 4x4 Australia? LR put three cars in a tour that went across the Bight. One D4 had the LR Expo Rack with:


6 jerry cans
1 spare wheel and tyre
2 swags
and 2 max trax


Whats that...150kg plus?? And that was a LR Australia Car.....!


cheers

[plusnq]

Anyone noted the article in latest 4x4 Australia? LR put three cars in a tour that went across the Bight. One D4 had the LR Expo Rack with:


6 jerry cans
1 spare wheel and tyre
2 swags
and 2 max trax


Whats that...150kg plus?? And that was a LR Australia Car.....!


cheers

Yeah I saw that too!

[weeds]

Not sure what the baja rack is made of but you need search for the lightest possible. Should be a few quality aluminium ones on the market.......

Pretty sure I posted on here what my rack was loaded to for my simpson trip...........the rack the previous owner built weighted in at 120kg by it self, I knew it was heavy duty by didn't realise it was that heavy until I remove it a few years later.

Toal weight on the gutters was 220kg.......not sure I would ever do that again

[ADMIRAL]

The Front runner slimline bolts direct into the roof tracks. Base weight is about 35kg. Aluminium and very strong in construction.

[Redback]

I'd be looking at the Rhino Platform(30kg) or the front runner(35kg) they are much lighter, then I'd be looking at putting your 2nd spare elsewhere, swingaway carrier maybe, you don't need a rear bar to have these or folding your 2nd and 3rd row seats down for extra space, reducing your jerries to one only, or find a device that allows you to carry your fuel internal, boab do one, you could make a false floor to house it.

Baz.

[winaje]

The Front runner slimline bolts direct into the roof tracks. Base weight is about 35kg. Aluminium and very strong in construction.

Is there anyone in Melbourne who has one of these fitted, and would be happy for me to have a 5 minute look at it to take measurements?

[Smcconnell]

Anyone noted the article in latest 4x4 Australia? LR put three cars in a tour that went across the Bight. One D4 had the LR Expo Rack with:


6 jerry cans
1 spare wheel and tyre
2 swags
and 2 max trax


Whats that...150kg plus?? And that was a LR Australia Car.....!


cheers

Let's not let safety get in the way of looking cool :D


Steven

[Smcconnell]

PS I like the Rhino Platform, though I'm concerned about strength of its mounting legs.

The Platform attaches to roof tracks using (plastic?) legs - it seems that they're the same legs Rhino uses to attach roof bars. Will those legs hold weight of 2 adults, plus weight of roof tent itself?


The Front runner slimline bolts direct into the roof tracks. Base weight is about 35kg. Aluminium and very strong in construction.


ADMIRAL, yes, that's what was thinking, though from what I saw on their website it seems that this rack attaches using its own proprietary legs (thus requiring me to remove the factory rails). Whilst I'm not totally opposed to doing this, it's a hassle and creates a need for me to store the rails somewhere. I'd love to just bolt it straight on to the factory rails. Do you know what else is required to do that - any special screws, brackets, spacers, etc?

Thanks!

Steven

[AnD3rew]

One of the advantages of the rhino system is that you can get short legs so that the whole rack is very low down. Good for carparks etc.

I don't think you will have any problem with the strength of the legs, I am quite large and I jump around on there along with tyres, gas bottles kayaks etc. solid as a rock.

[BMKal]

From what I've seen, even with the shortest legs available, the Rhino platform still sits higher than the Frontrunner.

My boss in my previous place of work fitted a Rhino platform with the shortest legs available to his D4 - his rack was still higher than the Frontrunner platform on mine (height was critical to us, as we both parked in under the office building in Perth, and the access was only just high enough to get under with the suspension lowered to "access height". Mine made it with about an inch and a half to spare - his was almost scraping).

Also, my Frontrunner platform is the old style with the legs down both sides. The new version of the Frontrunner platform for the Disco sits on a pair of rails which bolt directly to the track mounting points on the higher section of the Disco's roof, with only two legs at the front end (if you are looking at the full length version). This version of the Frontrunner sits even lower than the one that I have, which is great if height is an issue.

New version of the Frontrunner rack for Disco 4 shown below.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2015/07/469.jpg https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2015/07/470.jpg

And the older version with legs (same one I have on mine ...........................

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2015/07/471.jpg

The only disadvantage of the new version of the Frontrunner is that it is too low to fit the under-rack slide rails and aluminium / stainless steel camping table that I have under mine.

This table slides in under the Frontrunner rack and is a bloody handy bit of gear. I have modified ours by fitting a couple of long stainless steel towel rails / handles from Bunnings - one at each end. Gives you a much needed handle at each end for removing / replacing table from under roofrack, and also SWMBO likes to have somewhere to hang the tea towels. :angel:

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2015/07/472.jpg https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2015/07/473.jpg

[Redback]

Tracks come supplied, are almost as low but more importantly, $200 cheaper Brian:D:p

[Smcconnell]

Since I'm mainly interested in attaching a roof tent, should I forget about getting a roof tray (e.g., Pioneer) altogether, and simply get a a pair of roof racks? (e.g, Rhino's Vortex or the slightly heavier duty ones they have)

That would save a lot of $$$, but the big question is that of longevity - those bars are rated at 75kg and 2 sleeping adults plus roof tent are considerably heavier than that.

Now, 75kg is clearly a dynamic rating and they don't provide a static one - it would be great to hear from someone who has actually done it and hasn't broken anything.

BMKal, yes I love that FR setup - looks like it will withstand anything you throw at it!


Steven

[First LR]

Since I'm mainly interested in attaching a roof tent, should I forget about getting a roof tray (e.g., Pioneer) altogether, and simply get a a pair of roof racks? (e.g, Rhino's Vortex or the slightly heavier duty ones they have)

That would save a lot of $$$, but the big question is that of longevity - those bars are rated at 75kg and 2 sleeping adults plus roof tent are considerably heavier than that.

Now, 75kg is clearly a dynamic rating and they don't provide a static one - it would be great to hear from someone who has actually done it and hasn't broken anything.

BMKal, yes I love that FR setup - looks like it will withstand anything you throw at it!


Steven

I had the same dilemma, so I bought 4 Rhino bars for my XL roof top ten that can sleep upto 5.


Have used it with 3 (total weight approx. 250kg) comfortably and no issue to date. Have also tried with 4 (approx. 310kg) and the roof/bars appear to be fine. A lot will depend on how well the roof top tent spreads the weight over the bars.


Hope this helps.

[Smcconnell]

I had the same dilemma, so I bought 4 Rhino bars for my XL roof top ten that can sleep upto 5.


Have used it with 3 (total weight approx. 250kg) comfortably and no issue to date. Have also tried with 4 (approx. 310kg) and the roof/bars appear to be fine. A lot will depend on how well the roof top tent spreads the weight over the bars.


Hope this helps.

Andrew, that's not a bad idea! Cost-wise, it's still cheaper than the full tray (though by not that much). I emailed a Rhino distributor to get an official word on whether it's possible to get away with 2 bars. Will report back when find out.


Steven

[LGM]

I use a Rhino short roof platform and when I add the complete spare tyre and rim, a shovel, a ladder, a small warn winch, a 10L jerry of petrol for my generator and the mount plus the max tracks I am not far from a 'Full Load' if you stick to the rules!:angel:

P.S. Don't put the max tracks to the front like I did! They whistle at certain speeds and it will drive you nuts!:o

[SimmAus]

I use a Rhino short roof platform and when I add the complete spare tyre and rim, a shovel, a ladder, a small warn winch, a 10L jerry of petrol for my generator and the mount plus the max tracks I am not far from a 'Full Load' if you stick to the rules!:angel: P.S. Don't put the max tracks to the front like I did! They whistle at certain speeds and it will drive you nuts!:o

Interesting that you say it was the max tracks. I recently loaded the roof rack with a spare tyre (like in your pic). No max tracks. Also got harmonics at a certain speed until I closed up the "rim space" with a foam tile and tightened the straps.

Big lesson...once loaded - take the car for a drive and test for whistles!!!! They WILL drive you nuts! ;-)

Cheers
Mark

[LGM]

Max Tracks on front of platform = Whistle:mad:
Max Tracks not on platform = No Whistle!:)

[TuffRR]

On the topic of racks and leg options, I'm looking to move my ARB alloy unit from the Pajero to the new D4.
Now ARB don't make the fittings for a D3 or D4 (but the racks are all interchangeable), so if I'm to use it I will need to adapt mounting points from something else.
My D4 doesn't have the rails and I'd rather not mount off the std rails anyway as I like the fully integrated rail that frontrunner now offer and similar to what ARB have on the Pajero.
Does anyone know whether frontrunner sell the rails separately and more to the point, whether the ARB rack would work with this?

[BMKal]

On the topic of racks and leg options, I'm looking to move my ARB alloy unit from the Pajero to the new D4.
Now ARB don't make the fittings for a D3 or D4 (but the racks are all interchangeable), so if I'm to use it I will need to adapt mounting points from something else.
My D4 doesn't have the rails and I'd rather not mount off the std rails anyway as I like the fully integrated rail that frontrunner now offer and similar to what ARB have on the Pajero.
Does anyone know whether frontrunner sell the rails separately and more to the point, whether the ARB rack would work with this?

Drop in to your local ARB store and ask them. ARB are now agents for Frontrunner - (at least the one in Kalgoorlie is, so I assume that they all are).

I bought the Frontrunner camping table & slides recently from ARB in Kalgoorlie. Was previously unable to source through various other Frontrunner agents in Perth. ARB in Kal knew exactly what I wanted when I enquired about the table - the owners already had one mounted under the Frontrunner rack on their County. :D

[Redback]

Drop in to your local ARB store and ask them. ARB are now agents for Frontrunner - (at least the one in Kalgoorlie is, so I assume that they all are).

I bought the Frontrunner camping table & slides recently from ARB in Kalgoorlie. Was previously unable to source through various other Frontrunner agents in Perth. ARB in Kal knew exactly what I wanted when I enquired about the table - the owners already had one mounted under the Frontrunner rack on their County. :D

That is a cracker of an idea, how's it stood up to the weather Brian, or do you remove it and store it when not away.

Baz.

[BMKal]

No problems at all in the weather Baz. The underside of the table (which faces up when it is under the roof rack) is a very highly polished finish - I thought it was a mirror when I first unpacked it. And there are drain holes in each corner so that it does not fill up with water.

Having said all that - my vehicle lives in a shed when it is not being used. so out of the weather most of the time.

The mod to add a handle / towel rail to each end of the table is worth the effort too. ;)

[winaje]

No problems at all in the weather Baz. The underside of the table (which faces up when it is under the roof rack) is a very highly polished finish - I thought it was a mirror when I first unpacked it. And there are drain holes in each corner so that it does not fill up with water.

Having said all that - my vehicle lives in a shed when it is not being used. so out of the weather most of the time.

The mod to add a handle / towel rail to each end of the table is worth the effort too. ;)
So did I understand your previous post correctly, that the new style of front runner with the bigger front foot sits lower on the roof and therefore can't take the table underneath at the rear?

[Tombie]

So did I understand your previous post correctly, that the new style of front runner with the bigger front foot sits lower on the roof and therefore can't take the table underneath at the rear?

KRLD022T is the 2nd generation (no table capability)

KRLD028T can have the table

[TuffRR]

The table is a good idea - but its nearly a third the price of the whole roofrack! :o

[winaje]

The table is a good idea - but its nearly a third the price of the whole roofrack! :o

Thanks for the info, sounds more viable to strap a table on top when I need it.

[jashtonkiwi]

I use a Rhino short roof platform and when I add the complete spare tyre and rim, a shovel, a ladder, a small warn winch, a 10L jerry of petrol for my generator and the mount plus the max tracks I am not far from a 'Full Load' if you stick to the rules!:angel:

P.S. Don't put the max tracks to the front like I did! They whistle at certain speeds and it will drive you nuts!:o


Hi LGM

would you happen re recall which rhino legs you used on your platform??

thanks in advance
James

[LGM]

Hi LGM

would you happen re recall which rhino legs you used on your platform??

thanks in advance
James

James,
Legs not used, I just lashed them onto the platform! Cheap and cheerful!
LGM

[AlexRS4]

Old thread but since someone else has ready revived it... I'm keen to fit a roof top tent and awning to my disco 4. Having the same issue as a few above - tents are 45-55kg and awnings 20-25kg (Foxwing style) which takes up the entire load limit!

Anyone done this successfully? I was looking at a Rhino half size platform but that adds at least another 20kg in. Can I get away with no platform somehow?

[scarry]

Old thread but since someone else has ready revived it... I'm keen to fit a roof top tent and awning to my disco 4. Having the same issue as a few above - tents are 45-55kg and awnings 20-25kg (Foxwing style) which takes up the entire load limit!

Anyone done this successfully? I was looking at a Rhino half size platform but that adds at least another 20kg in. Can I get away with no platform somehow?

Our RTT is 65KG,plus the bedding.
Foxing is 19KG i think??
Plus weight of two Rhino bars and legs.

Been on some pretty rough roads,no issues at all.

But didn't have them on when we did the shocking road between Alice,down through Finke to Mt Dare.The worse corrugations i have ever come across.

[Tombie]

Old thread but since someone else has ready revived it... I'm keen to fit a roof top tent and awning to my disco 4. Having the same issue as a few above - tents are 45-55kg and awnings 20-25kg (Foxwing style) which takes up the entire load limit!

Anyone done this successfully? I was looking at a Rhino half size platform but that adds at least another 20kg in. Can I get away with no platform somehow?

Have you got factory rails?

[AlexRS4]

Factory short rails yes. So we can get away with just two bars? [emoji848]

[Tombie]

Factory short rails yes. So we can get away with just two bars? [emoji848]

Yes you could...

And I have a set here looking for a new home after fitting a Prospeed rack. I’m down in Adelaide on the 9th.

[Redback]

If you're worried about weight then just put roof cross bars on and put the roof tent on them, you don't need a rack to carry a roof top tent, just get the legs and cross bars to suit your car..

153931

[scarry]

Exactly what i have done,mine has been fine,but the RTT only just fits.I also have no factory rails.

You have to be careful, that the bulge at the top of the rear lift up tailgate,where the centre brake light is doesn't hit it.

Also most RTT's have a max distance from front bar to front edge of tent.

I just have two bars on the higher part of the roof.

I have the low Rhino legs with Rhino packers to get a bit more height to clear rear upper tailgate,when it is up.

For those that want more height,you can use longer rhino legs that are made for the front lower part of the roof,but i didn't go that way as i want the rails as low as possible,for access to car parks,when tent is not on roof.

[NavyDiver]

Front runner slimline on my 2005 (RIP) is now on my 2009D3. PM sent if you want a look for measurements- welcome to bring the table as well

I have frequently had 3 swags. 20ltr water a locked box with recovery kit and possibly a bike or two. Maxtracks and high lift jack stay up top all the time. At a guess the roof top tent would be fine on top if I stopped loving my swag [biggrin]