Roof top weight help - how much is too much for my van?

[pegy_the_van]

I have a 2007 chevy express 3500 cutaway with a 10ft box. I plan on getting a stout 4 bar rack and would love to throw some aluminum boxes up there to store extra gear. I found boxes that are the right size and price for what I would need but they weigh 110 lbs each (which for how big they are I don't believe it is a lot) so two boxes plus roof rack I am thinking about 300-350 lbs empty. Does any one have any comments concerns bout the weight? The Van will soon be built out and I plan on keeping all the other heavy items close to the ground.

It is a 1 ton axel and has massive leafs. Would love to brainstorm this out with folks that may have experience with this sort of thing. Thinking mostly on road with occasional forest road plus winter driving.

Thoughts? comments? concerns?

Thanks

W.

 

[rayra]

The mounting attachment of the rack will be the point(s) of concern. I would suggest that if you are creating the rack that you make the foot / feet of the rack have as large a contact area with the roof as possible, to spread the load. If the foot of the side rails are in full continuous contact with the roof, as far to the outside edge of the roof as possible, you should have no trouble at all with the weights you are talking about.

eta and frankly that's too much top weight for empty. You really dont want that kind of weight throwing off your center of gravity. Use the thinnest / lightest containers you can on the roof. And put the lightiest bulkiest objects you can up there. Keep the heavy stuff as close to the floor as you can.

 

[southpier]

ditto; take less stuff, and keep it off the roof.

 

[Buliwyf]

Should be fine. Ladder racks and ladders on the utility box Express vans are heavier than that.

My beef with our 3500 Express vans:
-shocks don't work at all. Get some high quality shocks for these vans to stay safe.
-the rear springs a soft like on a new Ford. Air bags on the rear suspension significantly help the trucks handling.
-needs a truetrac rear diff desperately

-rotate your tires every 5000 miles. Oddly worn front tires can cause something similar to "death wobble" that's 100 times worse.
-keep an eye on the trans cooler lines, and beware, GM had so many warranty issues with leaky cooler line, that they started selling trucks without them.