Roof racks and loading...

[dieselcruiserhead]

In all seriousness, having a couple rounds of full racks, one I inherited that weighed a ton (major two man operation to install) and one that I was able to build using really thin steel but the design made itself really strong... Before I welded in the floor, the frame itself weighed maybe 40 lbs or so. If I were to do it again I would use aluminum strips to keep the weight down.

My point is that in regards to racks and loads, not a lot of people consider the actual racks themselves and what they weigh... I whole heartedly agree about keeping the load as light (and aerodynamic) as possible. But sometimes it is your only option. If loaded correctly even a really heavy load can balance out. In this pic I had easily 300-400 lbs on the roof. Balanced out by 60 gallongs of water and maybe another 40 gallons of fuel in addition to a full factory fuel tank. AKA a ballast to keep weight a low as possible, which made the roof feel much less loaded.
Here is an excellent discussion about roof racks themselves, excellent comments and insight.
http://expeditionportal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5890


Hope it helps!
Andre

This is the first, really heavy rack. With proper load balancing, even thought it weighed a ton I was able to get it to work well. What sucked about it was it was always noticeable, and drastically reduced mileage...

Here is my second rack, did not affect mileage at all, was light weight, and still very strong. I slept on it many a night, it was also very comfortable with the perforated steel

 

[teotwaki]

....................Here is my second rack, did not affect mileage at all, was light weight, and still very strong. I slept on it many a night, it was also very comfortable with the perforated steel

It was hard to look at the nice rack as that is such a GREAT action shot!!

 

[R_Lefebvre]

Here is my second rack, did not affect mileage at all, was light weight, and still very strong. I slept on it many a night, it was also very comfortable with the perforated steel

Didn't affect milage at all? That's what I'd like most! Any idea how or why?

 

[madizell]

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

I think the reference was light cargo, not light in the loafers...

 

[madizell]

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

Until you have to back up an 1/8th of a mile on a rocky incline with no margin for error.

 

[BIGdaddy]

Until you have to back up an 1/8th of a mile on a rocky incline with no margin for error.

x2...i've had to back down some hairy stuff.

Now, don't get me wrong, I'm a VERY good driver, but if I'm having issues driving in reverse on the road, i don't even wanna think about one offroad...lol.

I'm planning to carry these things on my roof rack...

-firewood (20lbs)
-camp chairs (10lbs)
-bug net enclosure for the babies/food (10lbs)
- aluminium camp table (5lbs)
-mebbe(very mebbe) a can or two of gas (40lbs each)

my rack system is rated for 500lbs. so i'll be around 150lbs or so total, not including the rack floor/basket(60-80lbs probably). So about 220-250 total...

i don't think that's excessive at all. but thats just me.

water will go inside, as will food/clothes/cooler/blankets/kitchen, etc.

 

[lowenbrau]

I think a lot of people expect their expo vehicle to handle like their Volvo. With the proper suspension work and minimizing roof loads some of the best rigs actually come close. For the rest of us who are willing to trade road handling for off road capability the answer is simply to slow down. I have a bad habit of traveling 10% over the posted limit and frankly, when the limit is 110 KPH, that puts the rig into a speed category which is not safe. I put many many miles on this way but I don't swerve for deer. If something runs out in front of me, there's a pretty good chance it is going to get flattened. I'm starting to plan out trips now with less interstate driving on them. I really enjoy the state highways with the 55 MPH limits. There is often a much more enjoyable driving experience there and stopping from 55 MPH takes about half the distance as 75 MPH.

There are plenty of overlanders traveling around the world without incident with many hundreds of lbs on the roof. They travel very slowly compared to us weekend warriors who need to see 2000 miles in a weekend.

The Schmids have been traveling continuously for 25 years with a dozen nato cans on the roof and, thus far, have managed to keep the rubber on the road.

 

[R_Lefebvre]

Until you have to back up an 1/8th of a mile on a rocky incline with no margin for error.

Well that's a good point.

I don't think I'd be taking a trailer along on something like that anyway. But, for going long distances at higher speeds, the trailer is probably the better choice.

 

[Mobryan]

Until you have to back up an 1/8th of a mile on a rocky incline with no margin for error.

LOL, yeah BTDT. On our honeymoon, we drove quite a distance on a 10' wide goat track of a trail hanging off the side of a mesa. Came around a tight blind corner, only to find a 100 sheep, 3 horses, and 2 VERY confused Navajo herders We had to back up over 1/4 mile, around 2 extremely sharp corners to find a spot where the animals could pass single file.

It would have been impossible with a trailer, any trailer.


Matt