D2 Roof Load and GVM

Just to stir the posum,ops I mean add to the thread,

I have a full lentgh steped steel roof rack, 4 legs each side with braces to each pair (TJM).

On rack...Front (lower).. 4.5Kg gas bottle and holder, 20Ltr water (Full or empty only).
Rear.. 2 swags,shade cloth ground sheet, Oztent(3 man).
Side.. High lift and shovel.

Inside.. (timber shelf and cage combo),
Usual tools, 5Ltr oil, recovery gear,20Ltr water, stove, cooking gear, food, fridge, 2 sleeping bags and matres's, cloths(4 people 4 days),4 chairs, 1 table and day back pack(1st aid ect).

Now heres the sums..;)
Gross..shade short off 3ton.
front axle....1.3ton (Bull bar with no winch fitted(To go back on))
Rear axle.....1.96ton.

This was with 3 adults and 1 child w/end just gone.
Weight distribution feels good, Higher centere of gravity is noticable but only at highway speeds in corners(off road negligable but I drive to suit).
Only option to loose weight is to loose pasengers and cloths,beding, food and water to suit.( At 23 he should have his own Landy;)).

Cheers

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Blknight.aus

my full stop end of story opinion on roof loads.

DON'T

Apart from the extra wind drag sucking your fuel out of your tank and side gusts catching them and making you sway they put the COG up and shift it around. Then you have the whole problem of not getting into carparks or wiping them off on low branches or stabbing the tents (seen that once or twice)

the max weight is stipulated as a load evenly distributed around the center of the roof.

If you abide by the given limits you dont change the limit of the gradeability of the vehicle.

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I completely agree however I see it as my best solution.

I'll be using 2 (prefer 3) cross bars, no heavy caged rack or anything. Mounting my roof top tent on top. I am only purchasing a cheap roof top tent simply because they are lighter. I only plan on touring the top end in the dry season so there is no chance of rain so I dont need any super heavy wear resistant, water proof thing. Just something to keep the mozzies out. I have checked some weights and most run aroung the 54kg mark, add maybe 4 - 6 kg for the bars and I should be able to keep the roof load under 60kg.

I'll load all the sleeping gear in the back to keep as much weight down as low as I can.

Happy Days.

I have a small basket, into which is put our 2 stretchers, tent and/or sides for the awning, and mother-in-law. works for me. Bob

this is us this year, on our way from Yunta to Arkaroola, Tradesman engineering roofrack with continous metal strip between all legs to spread load evenly across the gutter

I have to admit, sometimes I think a small 4x4 trailer is a better option, than a lot of weight up high, Bob

If you are going to carry more than clothing and bedding up top get a trailer :) Having said that many many people do carry more than that up top and no problems.
A trailer will not add any more fuel use than a loaded rack and be a damn site easier to pack and unload:D These guys with 5x20l fuel and 3x 9kg gas bottles up top scare the heck outa me! sudden stop any1?
Cheers Scott

Quote:

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Originally Posted by schuy1

If you are going to carry more than clothing and bedding up top get a trailer :) Having said that many many people do carry more than that up top and no problems.
A trailer will not add any more fuel use than a loaded rack and be a damn site easier to pack and unload:D These guys with 5x20l fuel and 3x 9kg gas bottles up top scare the heck outa me! sudden stop any1?
Cheers Scott

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I have a resonably small trailer which started it's life as a 1.2m square crate. It used to be carried around in my box trailer to keep the dogs in. Then I figured I was towing the trailer around for nothing so I cut the springs of the trialer and welded them straight on the bottom of the crate. Then a roof was folded up. It's built pretty bloody well now and would be perfect to mount the roof top ten on top of the trailer rather than the vehicle but I am concerned about dust ingress into the roof top tent. At least on top of the vehicle it gets a clean air stream which is far from what it will get on the trailer.

I could use the extra space to carry stuff in the trailer though.

Happy Days.

ROFL!! Adds another meaning to being in the dog house! :D But yes dust will get in with a trailer. Id put the tent on the roof and use the trailer for all the heavy stuff.
Cheers Scott

insurance wows aside

touring with a family of four or five means space is tight and roof racks become essential

i know there are a few that can travel on the bare minimum.........just have a look at all the 4wd's you pass when tourng, they are all fitted with roof rack loaded with gear, my bet is they are all probably exceeding the limits for the roof. yes you see the odd roll over sitting behind say the birdville servo but think about the thousands of other slightly overloaded rigs that return in one piece

i now have a camper trailer which means towing 1.2T around, prior tot he camper trailer i only did one extended trip, for this youwould cringe at the weight i had on the roof..........but i was aware of this and drove accordingly and when i return yes there was gear that i didn't even use for the whole trip, would i pack it again? probably would as you never know

soooo, i reckon there is a good chance you are going to exceed the manufacturers limits but so long as you keep it in check as much as you can.............get out there and explore this great country, i let a few kg's stop you

you wont really know what your GVM is unless you go across a weigh bridge.....otherwise its just a guess, i lucky i have a weigh bridge at work and regularly run mine arcoss it when returning from a trip

Quote:

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Originally Posted by schuy1

ROFL!! Adds another meaning to being in the dog house! :D But yes dust will get in with a trailer. Id put the tent on the roof and use the trailer for all the heavy stuff.
Cheers Scott

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I'd only consider taking the trailer if the tent was too heavy on the vehicle roof. Otherwise I'll fit everything in the vehicle.

Happy Days.