Thread: Roof rack or Trailer?

Originally Posted by foz.in.oz

The trailer and tyres look cool so I live with them

So that was yours at Cooma? I took a number of pics as I really thought that was a great idea, using the top and tub off a Landy.

Yes it was me Ron.

I also like the idea of an internal high level sub roof rack thingy and I might just put that on my projects list with all the other things that I dream about and never seem to get done...........

I used to use a 10 x 5 tandem trailer for work. It had a closed lockable section at the front as high as the Rangie and 6 feet long. It was always loaded with tools. Since I work in the city alot now I have loaded to back of the car with tools and use a roof rack as it is difficult to find parking places even for a car. I have found I got better economy towing the trailer (with considerably more tools in it than I carry now) than I do with a roof rack and ladder/ladders on the roof.

Ian

This has been a great, appreciate all your responses.
Im sort of unsure even still where to go with this.......I see the negatives with the trailer option - yearly rego, another set of wheels/ bearings to maintain.
Understand the negatives with the roof rack - noise, height etc.
My thoughts are this, the roof rack, I can take off when not in use, space availability, the place for the time being wouldn't support the storage of a trailer when not in use, and the rack will look sweet with some driving lights hanging off them, as i can not obtain a light bar at this stage.
The 90 have already wears wrangler M/T 285, so fuel cant get any better, or maybe it could create some aerodynamic stance!
We would usually be carrying on trips is the spare tyre, swags, 4 jerry cans and an army like trunk 1100x550x750mm(Pelican trunk?), fishing rods, mtb bike at worse.
Would this be seen as over loading? The rack is 1.9mr long it would be fairly spread??? How much noise does the rack create when fully loaded?
This is what would be fitted...
Dolium PTY Ltd
Jason

Have a look at the Hannibal racks as well, they come with a ladder for defenders and the slats are front to rear so they may even be a bit more quiet. A trailer with a mesh cage will dramatically increase wind drag and fuel consumption as will one that protrudes outside the profile of your vehicle. A trailer may limit where you can take your vehicle off road as well depending on where you go. I'm going to get a rack for the new Disco but I've also got a ute to do all the jobs that I might put a trailer to use for.
Something you may also want to consider is one of those roof pods. We had one that we borrowed from Disco Pom for a tour around Tassie and found that it worked very well as a lockable place to put all the bedding and camp chairs that we didn't have to unpack unless we were camping. It did make a noticable difference to overtaking performance at 100-110 KM/H but had negligable impact on fuel economy with a TD5 Disco.

Originally Posted by Xtrem90

We would usually be carrying on trips is the spare tyre, swags, 4 jerry cans and an army like trunk 1100x550x750mm(Pelican trunk?), fishing rods, mtb bike at worse.
Would this be seen as over loading? The rack is 1.9mr long it would be fairly spread???

YES it would be overloaded. UK spec says 75kg maximum including the rack. South African spec says 150 kg. I do not know why there is a difference. Unless Australia spec is even higher then your roof rack is overloaded.

Four full 20 litre cans weigh about 100 kg, tyre on rim weighs about 20+ kg. Rack weighs 20+ kg. That is at the maximum on the higher SA spec. On UK spec it would be overloaded!

Thrown on your Pelican box plus contents = lots of kg. Mtb bike =10kg+, fishing tackle another 10+kg EQUALS a very seriously overloaded roof rack.

Not sure what Australian insurance companies are like, BUT if you had an accident in the UK with an overloaded roof rack on and insurance company realised then they would INVALIDATE your insurance policy. You would be left up the creek without the proverbial paddle

The LR wire cage I bought for the 110 is very light and cost me £60 or about 130$AUS. Cargo net cost about £10 or about 20 $AUS

Regards


Brendan

Just a note re the roof's carrying capacity

I bought some bars for the rooftop tent, as you do.

In there was a note making very clear the carrying capacity drops by half or even 2/3 in rough conditions like corrugations. Perhaps just their way or avoiding liability, but common sense nonetheless.

Regards
Max P