Roof racks and loading...

[DaveInDenver]

All you need is patience.

Maybe. Yeah, it wouldn't be a big deal to tug it up some USFS dirt road or something. No worse than trying to haul my GVWR+300 lbs truck over the Divide at 11,000', which is a grind. But my truck barely has the muscle to grunt itself over trails, forget trying to drag a towed pig behind it. I'm running 33" tires and 5.29 diff gears, but otherwise still stock 3.93:1 first and 2.28:1 low range. My truck does not make significant torque until above 1,000 RPM (and really it's only usable at altitude above 1,500 RPM), so off highway driving is a lot of working the clutch and A LOT of momentum. Maybe when I get decent crawler gears things will be different, but having a trailer would be a huge PITA for what I do with the truck.

 

[madizell]

Try dropping back to 30 or 31 inch tires and leave everything else the same. Sounds to me as if you are under geared for the tires, and since changing tires is far cheaper than changing gears, I would swap out the 33" tires for something more appropriate to the build state of vehicle. I did this with my F-150, which came with 29" P235's. When I "upgraded" to LT265/75/16's (about 32" tires) I discovered that the old 300cid six didn't have any poop anymore. I switched back to 29" tires and got all my horsepower back.

 

[Hltoppr]

I have followed Tom's advice as close as practicable from the first time I prepped my Cruiser for Mexico. That being said, I have had some pretty heavy loads on the roof, which gave my old Cruiser it's nickname of Babar...because you felt like you were riding an elephant with the sway when loaded....

Cross winds at speed with this setup were....interesting....but not unstable if you were alert. Max load with the kayaks was about 300lbs.

No kayaks was lighter...I only filled the NATO cans when necessary...

For the Troopy...I'm looking at a ground tent/awning & enclosure, so that nothing is on the roof...

-H-

 

[BIGdaddy]

Easy for you to say, what with your fancy V6 and triple digit horsepower. Just count me in the disinterested ambivalence crowd on the trailer subject. I think everyone needs to try touring with a 4 cylinder 4WD vehicle, then they might see the less is more ideal. Oh dear, how will I ever survive on 10 gallons of water, a paper map and no on-board shower?

X2...I MAY consider a trailer sometime in the future, but i doubt it. i have the grunt to pull it, but honestly, i don't want to deal with it on or offroad as far as parking, backing and negotiating obstacles...

 

[Alaska Mike]

I remember when I towed Scott Brady's M38A1 with my CJ-5 back from a trail ride, in 2nd gear the whole way. His motor mounts broke, and as I maneuvered my Jeep to tow him, I lost 3rd and 4th gear (shift rail broke). What usually took 45 minutes to drive at highway speed was a long, monotonous drone at high RPMs. Still, we got home safely and all was good. So, to the requirement for patience, I'd have to add earplugs.

I'm debating rebuilding a roof rack I got with my Series III and running a rooftop tent. The roof rack basket is in great shape, but I'm missing one of the rain gutter "feet" and I can't find a manufacturer marked on it (probably out of business) or a similar one on the internet. I may just fabricate my own that spread the load over a wider area. I think any rooftop tent on the market is going to fill the basket anyway, so more load than the tent/rack is unlikely on a regular basis. I do like having the flexibility of having the rack there for extra, as-needed storage- especially in a short-wheelbase vehicle.

Still, the pictures in the OJ article gave me pause.

 

[Fifthpro]

I read Tom's article last night and found it equally as informative. With that said I am from the other camp..two sides to every coin. I will not nor could anyone argue the center of gravity (COG) points.

Of course a vehicle dynamics are going to be different both on and off road when the vehicle is loaded in different ways. What is capable without a load suddenly becomes a high risk of rollover; this must be considered at all times.

Someone in the above posts stated they "cringe" when they see a loaded roof rack. No need to be a hater or worry about us roof rack users, I think we will manage somehow.

 

[762X39]

My old 4X4 was a russian Niva and it had an expedition rack that regularly carried about 125 kilos on it and I never worried about it. Of course I also understood the laws of physics,know about contact patches, the coefficient of friction, the centre of gravity, how to properly secure a load and other unimportant stuff. I also made it a point not to be in a hurry (I am not afraid of rolling a Suzuki in high speed lane changes either). Is it just me or did IQ's drop while I was gone. Seriously, In the 60's till the late 90's, Landies and other 4 by's carried a tonne of stuff on the racks and it was never a problem. Maybe the problem is speed, unsecure loads and general ignorance. If I followed the instructions on my ladder rack I would only put styrofoam on it.
I guess the solution is to lighten up (pun intended).

 

[madizell]

Wish I could find a photo of a friend's TLC in Alaska, loaded for the trail. Spring over lift, 38 or 42 inch tires, roof rack, and fuel cans totally across the back of the rack, something like 6 cans. Not to mention that the rest of the rack had gear on it as well. Assuming that a fully loaded steel gerry can weighs around 40 pounds, there was 240 or so pounds of fuel up top, plus a similar weight of other gear. The rack was so far from the ground I got a nose bleed sitting up there transferring fuel. With Swampers aired down to 8 pounds, the TLC waddled down the trail like a doodlebug and gave everyone a heart attack going up hills and doing off camber sections.

But you know, it didn't roll over.

[edit] couldn't find the photo, but found the link to the webpage with the trip report, and yes, the load up top even included the spare tire:

http://home.gci.net/~lf4w/trip reports/2002/Gunsight2002.htm

 

[DBS311]

Easy for you to say, what with your fancy V6 and triple digit horsepower. Just count me in the disinterested ambivalence crowd on the trailer subject. I think everyone needs to try touring with a 4 cylinder 4WD vehicle, then they might see the less is more ideal. Oh dear, how will I ever survive on 10 gallons of water, a paper map and no on-board shower?

Yes, thank you for saying this. It seems that as more and more people transition to trailers, "roof rack" becomes a 4 letter word and those of us running them with children in the vehicle might get a visit from social services for child endangerment. Please....I've had roof racks on different vehicles over the years and never had issues. I simply adjust how I drive. With my low power and relatively heavy weight, I wouldn't even think about hitching up a trailer, and like some have mentioned, I wouldn't be interested even if I had the power.

 

[Scenic WonderRunner]

Easy for you to say, what with your fancy V6 and triple digit horsepower. Just count me in the disinterested ambivalence crowd on the trailer subject. I think everyone needs to try touring with a 4 cylinder 4WD vehicle, then they might see the less is more ideal. Oh dear, how will I ever survive on 10 gallons of water, a paper map and no on-board shower?

Um....Careful Dave........

If you keep that up......you might have to start your own apology thread...........! .............hehe


(disclaimer: I totally agree with you, but have no intention of starting an apology thread!:elkgrin: )

 

[I Leak Oil]

I used to have a rack on my series rover but removed it because a) it made the already tall series even taller, which here in the north east is not good, and b) I really didn't "need" it afterall. There is certainly an appropriate application for roof racks. I've been reading all the potential faults with racks and lots of positive "my trailer..." responses. How about the negative safety and handling characteristics of trailers both on and off pavement? Just interested in others experiences....
Jason T.

 

[biere]

For right now I am building as conservative as I can.

I do try to be realistic since I can't do everything exactly how I would like to do it.

But for now I have time to plan because the vehicle is in warranty.

I want to do things once and have them done well.

Plans for the roof are bulky but extremely light stuff only. Not sure if reality will be that way in a few years when warranty is gone and tire size grows a bit, but part of that depends on how far I want to take a wk grand cherokee that is not a super popular choice for such things.

 

[R_Lefebvre]

I used to have a rack on my series rover but removed it because a) it made the already tall series even taller, which here in the north east is not good, and b) I really didn't "need" it afterall. There is certainly an appropriate application for roof racks. I've been reading all the potential faults with racks and lots of positive "my trailer..." responses. How about the negative safety and handling characteristics of trailers both on and off pavement? Just interested in others experiences....
Jason T.

In my experience, light weight trailers are basically non-existent when towed behind a vehicle more than 4 times their own weight.

 

[dieselcruiserhead]

I personally think you guys it all wrong... "Light loads"

 

[Scott Brady]

Those with roof racks should not read this thread to mean that a roof rack is entirely inappropriate. It is just like anything else, from suspension height to tire size, etc. Moderation is the key. Try to keep the entire roof load well distributed and secured and preferably less than 150 pounds. Maybe 200 pounds on a larger/ wider vehicle.

However, if you must put even more weight up there because it fits your budget or because you have two kids, don't think it is a reason to not take a trip. You should just adjust your road speeds down and be more cautious about the level of trail difficulty.