Maximum roof rack loads? Are they serious?

Hey All-

Just wondering - I constantly see tons of photos showing Rovers with a huge amount of gear on top of their roof racks and I'm planning on buying a rack for my Disco II. Why is it then that LR sets the maximum roof rack load at only 100 lbs then (for the '04 Disco II at least) when they know that owners insist on carrying a LOT more weight than that? A tire and a few gallons of gas and you're already past the 100lb limit. Are there ways to safely increase the load capacity that the mounting track for the roof rack can handle?

Here's another thought - the 100lb maximum capacity that they're referring to is for the manufacturer installed roof rack and not the type of roof rack that gets installed onto the perimeter track? Does anyone know the maximum (safe) load for the perimeter track type of roof rack installation???

Thanks!

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Originally Posted by SixthFlick

Hey All-

Just wondering - I constantly see tons of photos showing Rovers with a huge amount of gear on top of their roof racks and I'm planning on buying a rack for my Disco II. Why is it then that LR sets the maximum roof rack load at only 100 lbs then (for the '04 Disco II at least) when they know that owners insist on carrying a LOT more weight than that? A tire and a few gallons of gas and you're already past the 100lb limit. Are there ways to safely increase the load capacity that the mounting track for the roof rack can handle?

Here's another thought - the 100lb maximum capacity that they're referring to is for the manufacturer installed roof rack and not the type of roof rack that gets installed onto the perimeter track? Does anyone know the maximum (safe) load for the perimeter track type of roof rack installation???

Thanks!

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Most likely has something to do with not wanting to put more weight above the trucks center of gravity. Especially on the hard ball road, having to do an emergency maneuver with an extra tone of stuff on top would not be good.

Im sure the rack can hold more, but in my oppoinion its not smart....

Light stuff goes up top, heavy stuff inside.

I agree with MSG,

One could probably put 400lbs on the roof rack if the weight were distributed properly, and the truck were parked.

The bigger concern is the tipping moment...

Its probably a lot to with liability, there were pix around awhile ago of folks putting all sorts of goods above the roof line, turning a sharp corner and a messy rollover was the result. Setting a limit way under the actual weight is erring on the side of caution.

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Originally Posted by Les Parker

Its probably a lot to with liability, there were pix around awhile ago of folks putting all sorts of goods above the roof line, turning a sharp corner and a messy rollover was the result. Setting a limit way under the actual weight is erring on the side of caution.

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there should be a 10 point penalty on a drivers license if they are caught overloading a roof. i just had to go get this pic.

http://sheshavingababy.files.wordpre...loaded-car.jpg

Love the photo! Reminds me of a lot of trucks I used to see going into / out of Mexico with furniture loaded to the sky!

The weight limit is a little on the low side but the body roll gets pretty severe when it is overloaded.

One of the places we go fishing is at the end of a long drive on secondary roads and then a few hours on a washed out forestry road. We have a canoe, several jerry cans and a few other items on the roof. About 225 lbs and you can really feel the effect on the winding roads and offroad the truck readily rocks side to side as it reacts to the rough road!

Even with great shocks a swerve at full highway speed would probably put the truck on its side.

Crash