ROOF LOADS vs ROOF RACKS, The 4WD industries biggest misleading issue

[@research903]

Don't know about Australia, but here the the US of A, the roof rack rating is listed in the owner's manual. I've owned Cherokees, Blazers, Suburbans, Land Cruisers, Expeditions, and Explorers from 1971 to today and all had the information listed in the owner's manual. I talked to an automotive engineer at a big off-road rally and he said the rating was NOT what the vehicle structure could hold before buckling. It was determined based on the relationship of the height of the vehicle on the OEM tire/wheel combination, the tread & wheelbase, and the center of gravity of the stock vehicle. A change of any one of these could change the roof rack rating. The main factor was the center of gravity. We got into the discussion because he noted that my brother's Suburban was, in his words, "A rolling death trap." He said the roof was dangerously overloaded and said we should move much of the gear onto the trailer and inside the truck.

[@afriquelesud]

Fanboys typically don't read, so the manuals are a dead loss.

[@GoDaveGo]

That makes all the sense in the world

[@TheDgdimick]

Myself, I'm more interested in what the Roof Top Rating is on my MX Top/Cap. I'd probably never have anything over 100# on the Top/Cap

[@exogator]

It is listed in the manuals, basically no one opens them up tho. My stationwagon has a roof rating of 80kg across 2 bars, I have a basket, awning, lights and a spare uptop. I have about 25kg left, mainly only use the leftover space for a compressable dry bag to blankets and bulky light items in to free up the boot so I can see out the rear window xD

[@jonnosjimny]

@@exogatorsadly not in the Suzuki jimny owners manual. The only place you’ll find a figure for the Jimny is in the assembly instructions for some after market accessories.

[@DaveStorton]

Another consideration is how this affects the vehicle tilt angle capability. Also, the more weight up top, the more danger of rollover in an on road collision avoidance situation when there is a lot of lateral weight transfer.

[@markelliott6105]

Spot on. 100kg about 2m off the ground on a roof rack will impact the roll stability more than 200kg 1m off the ground in the tub. This is actually the main consideration in manufacturers specifications.

[@TahjmaRahj]

Another consideration is wind drag and g force

[@Skfkf1393a]

Bought and installed a hardshell roof rack and took it off immediately after a trial run. Did not like how the car felt top heavy

[@DaveStorton]

@@Skfkf1393a I have seen many people do that. The issue seems to be that people like to take too much stuff with them. We get to camp and it looks like Cirque du Soleil.

[@markelliott6105]

@@DaveStorton Perfect. 😂🤡🎪

[@user-xx6gi5zo6p]

Is having sex in a roof top tent a static or dynamic load?

[@toddterrace153]

Depends of the performance of the couple.

[@bushranger7646]

That's a root rack😅

[@quinnmarsden9375]

This is your one of your best videos Ronnie. When I bought my wagon just after your mishap it saved me a lot of any potential hassles. I always had an understanding of the importance of weights and ratings however both of this videos really cut through the minefield. I’ve had plenty of work mates ask me about GVMs etc and refer back to your videos. One of the important things I tell them is that Car dealerships, accessories suppliers and fitters are there to take your money. It’s up to the owner to do their research to do the due diligence. Also if there driving along after I refer them to your videos it’s still their personal responsibility. I quote to them “now that I’ve told you if your rack disintegrates due to being overloaded and goes flying through a soccer mums car with her kids in it and causes a fatality expect to sit before a coronial inquest”. Being careless now becomes reckless. Thanks for the video

[@thedownwardmachine]

So glad you made this video! I would like to add the roof ratings for my vehicles: - Honda CB500X: 0kg - Kawasaki Concours14: 0kg

[@faisal3398]

Technically your head is the roof rack, measure the dynamic load of your neck!

[@blacksheep6888]

@@faisal3398 I have actually seen a nutter getting around with a roof rack on his Honda, the front rack bolts onto the mirrors, like I said a nut.

[@southerngentleman5321]

tank bag rating.. just don't....

[@thewiredfox2691]

Nice addition. I really appreciate this!

[@martinarthur8928]

😂

[@OutbackOutlaw]

Excellent video and a shame that the industry is not transparent about this. Thanks mate.

[@saint088]

Great video! I used to work at Autobarn roughly 10yr years ago. We would pump out the rhino rack sales. I remember they had a bar rating and also car roof manufacturers load rating, in their guide book for some vehicles. I'm unsure if they give this specification now. Definitely great to highlight this issue, as most people wouldn't even consider roof loads.

[@p38arover22]

I’m surprised the data isn’t in the owner’s handbook. My Range Rover owner’s handbook specifies max roof load (including roof rack) of 100kg on-road and 50kg off-road.

[@p38arover22]

The info was also in the owner’s manual of my previous model Range Rover as well.

[@nirfz]

That's what surprised me too. Can only speak for europe, but all of the 6 cars i owned (and apart from 1 all were normal passenger cars, so not even offroaders) all of them had that info in the owners manual. (just not the offroad rating for non offroaders)

[@Victorianoffroadtravels]

My Disco 3 manual has the rating too.

[@Johannesbeere21]

In germany the roof load ratig is noted in the vehicle registration document you always have to carry with you. So you dont have to do any research.

[@osckirk]

Do you know if there is maybe a website with this information available? Would be very very helpful.

[@mammutMK2]

Still hard to find a static load or off road load. Overall depending on some vehicles it's still a pain to find ground clearance, wading depth and the clearance angles. Even the max climbing or roll over angle is only shown on a few manufacturer web pages. You can find most information in off road magazines. And some manufacturers even hide if there is a true diff locker, e locker or just a "we will eat up your breaks" locker or some fancy product terms where you even after reading the documentation the third time still question yourself if it actually has a low gear or not Or AWD over electric motors, but sell it as AWD and you see it in the fine print

[@nirfz]

And in general in europe it's in the owners manual. (at least of the 6 cars i owned) Where all the main technical information is: like the weight you can put on the towing hook, the dimensions, fuel capacity...

[@EricssonStaffan]

I guess another factor is crashing. If you hit a wall in 100km/h the roof load needs to stay attached to the car

[@nirfz]

@@EricssonStaffan i think at 100 kph it gets almost irrelevant what the roofload does. ;-) But below 80 it's important that it stays put in a crash. (the crashtests are up to 65 kph iirc, at 100 you got almost no chance when hitting a wall straight on, and even less with oncomming traffic as the speeds add up. 2x100=200 kph)

[@nickgood8166]

The boiler plate video clips are cheesy as ef. Rather DON'T. I nearly threw up. I suspect I'm not alone.

[@blacksheep6888]

On my roof racks is a basket a light bar, 4 maxtrax, a shower awning and a solar panel that's all I use it for, my roof top tent and awning on a tub rack and the rooftop tent is 55 kilograms I have tried to spread the load and keep it as light as possible

[@rahalati]

Very informative video, thanks for sharing. I wish the list included the LC100 series.

[@mas921]

i thought the 300 series can hold up to 150KG; thats whats on rhinorack's load rating page for their platform rack. can you cite the source for the 92KG figure please?

[@MicahBell_1860]

Giggles. Now everyone's going to realise they are not insured

[@PerthSnaps]

The 120 prado only has a 80kg rating, and 100kg with the triple factory load bars. Definitely doesn’t not have 150kg rating (that’s coming from the manual)!!

[@Greg-oq5vc]

An excellent informative video. It’s frightening to see how overloaded the roof racks are on many vehicles using our local tracks (Victorian High Country). When I bought my 200 series in 2019 the Toyota dealer was very helpful and accurate with roof loads.

[@Locutus720]

You should add the outback wilderness trim which has a roof rating of 700lbs (317.5kg) the only limiting factor is whatever roof bars you buy, which most are at 220lbs/100kg

[@ryansearlybronco]

Andrew is grumbling right now after putting 1000lbs of junk on his roof

[@billmccarthy5920]

I thought Tyler Thompson pointed this out after his incident and you jumped in on it after the fact.

[@steveformosa5191]

Hahaha working in the motor trade for 40 years and came across roof racks fitted with pop rivets stupid lazy roof racks fitters no experience and idea on how to remove roof linings to put nuts washers bolts no more to say

[@jasonh4167]

Back in the 70-80’s any 4x4 roof rack was attached to the vehicle through roll bars bolted/welded to the frame rails. There for weigh was more secure then, nowadays due to current manufacturing practices vehicles are lighter from the bottom of the glass up.the lack of solid roll bars compound the problems.✌️🙂

[@michaelc1839]

Back when vehicles got made with quarter inch steel.

[@stevezodiac575]

Rather than 'frame rails' I think you mean roof racks were attached to the rain gutters. Also they often had more fixing/support points than we generally see today. I haven't seen a rack welded to a vehicle.

[@ontic2354]

Still no reference or shout out to Tyler Thompson for originally bringing this up when you were unaware? Poor form dude.

[@GregRamsdale]

He has numerous times before.

[@andrewjones-productions]

Land Rover actually included the static and dynamic loads for the Defender in their promotional videos at the time of the launch. Whether anybody would choose the Defender for their overlanding vehicle or not is a different kettle of fish. Manufacturers should be made to include these figures in their handbooks supplied with the vehicle. After all, it all relates to road safety.

[@mojrimibnharb4584]

You're missing a big piece of the puzzle, Ronny. Is the rack mounted on the roof or the rain gutters. The latter are mounted to the sides of the vehicle, not the roof. Completely different capacity. I have a jeep XJ with a gutter mounted basket and I've had 200kg up there without incident. Roofs are weak, A, B, C, and D pillars are strong.

[@ianbelletti6241]

Exactly. If there are mount locations built into the roof they will be attached to framework, not the roof. The framework is stronger. Also, factory mount racks will be attached to framework but will typically be of a weaker design than aftermarket racks.

[@mojrimibnharb4584]

@@ianbelletti6241 Quite the opposite

[@theseb1979]

Nope. This is incorrect.

[@mojrimibnharb4584]

@@theseb1979 Do tell.

[@SoulTouchMusic93]

Guys it's not only about how much weight your roof, even frame can take, because tesla and I bet not just them, but they bragged the roof could take 4x the weight of the vehicle. It's about what happens when you have weight on the roof and you need to brake and swerve.

[@POSS99]

This is why i bought a smallest/lightweight inno roof box i could find for my cx5. It only weights 20 pounds and i can still fill it up up to 60 pounds worth of camping gear in it. I see people carrying rooftop full of camping gears on lifted 4runners they look unstable af

[@CommieHunter7]

Hey Wes Siler, now there's two people doing load math for 4x4. Starting a movement.

[@joanhuggett5164]

Excellent Ronny! We changed the way we loaded up for camping when you pointed this out before. So important to be legal and safe. (Fellow West Aussies here :)

[@jasonh4167]

In my opinion and practice I load all my gear inside the body cargo area. Heavy stuff on bottom and pack to the roof with lighter gear going up. My 4x4 is a Jeep Wrangler 2 dr so...weight/space is at a premium.

[@doradosurfcharters]

Just buy a 125cc scooter from Asia they have better load carrying capacity

[@andrewpotgieter9721]

Dynamic, has more to do with how much the extra weight high up affects stability… So tyre size, lift and GVM upgrades would also affect everything 🤔

[@gavinramsay539]

Thank you for clarifying how it all works. Are gutter mounted racks different in weight carrying capacity?

[@simonredman4071]

Great piece for new to the 4wd scene. I had a Jimny and you are right, I had the rack, swag, awning, chairs etc and by god it was way to top heavy, great car but not practical for the loads I need to carry. Done a lot of research and picked a vehicle better suited to our style of camping\touring and now have an 2023 Outback. Now with a rear draw\cargo area layout to keep the weight down low and I am today about to sort the roof but this time Ive picked the lightest but strongest roof bars to only carry our swags etc so by my estimates I should be under the max 100KG load rating by a fair bit. Do your research and choose wisely is the best and safest advice we all need to consider before jumping on the popular dual cab train!

[@SalvoDan]

With the Jimny, you need to make sure you only carry what I need for each trip. If you are off-roading, leave your awning behind, if you are only camping, leave the MaxTrax behind. When I researched the Jimny roof load, I decided to prioritised a towbar and trailer. Unfortunately, I did not do enough research and settled for the OEM Towbar. I have since replaced it with something fit for purpose for a 4WD. Ronny, maybe you can investigate OEM and Aftermarket towbars next, especially wiring and current carrying capacity.

[@pawnotdaw4559]

I did alot of research also and I have to roof bars with no awning on my Jimny. Just put table and gas bottle up there only

[@Sh4dow682]

I laugh at this all the time.. seeing so many vehicles out there with so much shit on the roof.. not just bad for roof weight but air dyamics and fuel consumption. all the gear and no idea again being the issue

[@johncanalese588]

Maybe those people need all that "shit" on their roof and you simply don't. Why are you so concerned about their fuel consumption.

[@seanchristie7150]

Thanks for a very clear explanation, I feel most vehicle manufacturers and accessory companies try to make it as hard as possible to get a hard fact to avoid costly payouts

[@andrewwiltshire2689]

How did you determine starting from zero for factory roof bars from some manufacturers? Not sure that’s accurate

[@Ronny_Dahl]

Because that’s what the vehicle manufacturers have as standard

[@AllTerrainAction]

It might surprise you to discover that our Adventra has two distinct ratings. The roof racks themselves have a separate carrying capacity, distinct from the rear roof loading. On LX models (highest spec) there's a luggage carrier at the very back of the wagon equipped with its own aircraft-style tie-down points. For example, we can securely place a spare rear tire on this section, and the weight is considered separate from the roof rack's capacity since they are independently bolted to the roof and we arent riveted. Nut and bolts the whole way.

[@djblc2201]

Cardogan did a video about this and called out FORD for images used their advertising as being overloaded on the roof of the Everest. Forced them to change. It was great. Also I agree with some comments your videos are slick but the over use of awful music and and stock images is turning some of us off. Great content otherwise mate I have learnt a lot from your channel.

[@SalvoDan]

This is common with a lot of advertising campaigns for Volume vehicle manufacturers. The problem is that marketing and salesman showing what a vehicle "can" do sell cars and engineers (and parts interpreters) telling the customer what the can't do does not sell cars. Meanwhile, aftermarket manufacturers don't get engineering data from the OEM and need to either do their own R&D (expensive) or just make some crap up (inexpensive).

[@j.e.honiball1327]

​@@SalvoDanlike Ford getting sued for their raptor advertisement because some blokes tried to jump their raptors like in the advert and ended up breaking stuff.

[@wobblysauce]

@@j.e.honiball1327 ********Closed track and with a professional drivers

[@neilwilson984]

For reference the rating for a Fortuner is only 50kg which is a major pain, I bought one during covid as I needed a car in a hurry and there were no troopies available. When it came to adding a roof rack finding the rating from the Toyota dealer wasn’t much use but thankfully my local Rhino rack dealer had access to a database from Rhino who had done the calculations given the accesory bars Toyota supply are a Rhino product.

[@retepd1e]

I had the exact same issue but I had to do the digging to find out the load rating for my Fortuner. Pain.

[@ExpatonTwoWheels]

You're a bloody legend, from idea to research to execution

[@DMTLR4X4]

100% Ronny, Far to often we see brands hiding the truth and leaving this sort of information out...That's why you should consider buying Tracklander Roof Racks, Australian based company that will give you all the information you need every time.

[@OnCountryWithMick]

Great to see you talking about this again. After your video & Tyler's video a few years back losing his rack on K'Gari I did some research for my Gen 3 Pajero. I could find nothing online, nothing in the owners manual, nothing in the workshop manual and asking in forums especially FB gave me nothing but BS. I contacted Mitsubishi & was told then Gen 3 & Gen 4 Pajero (2000 - most recent (Not Sport) had a Dynamic load rating of 100kg BUT.......... They also told me I should be reducing that by 30% on Unsealed Roads (Many people think Offroad is hard corrugations and difficult 4wding but this means any dirt road or beach). That gives the Gen 3 and Gen 4 Pajeros and Off Road rating of only 70kg which must include the weight of your roof rack system. Using the Side Rails that come on many of the Pajeros as well dramatically reduced that load, some are only capable of around 35kg yet I see people putting RTT's on them.

[@ericpowers2469]

All important details that manufacturers need to make available to consumers. When I bought my Frontier (Navara) in 2015, after installing my topper, the topper dealer installed a sticker on the door jamb stating my vehicle capacity had been reduced by 325 lbs, the weight of the topper. I’d never seen that before.

[@quinnmarsden9375]

I agree, I reckon they make it hard or don’t print it to waiver legal liability. I think at the end of the day the onus is always on the owner. Good on you for taking the time to doing the right thing. I feel safer driving on the road with travelers like yourself

[@darrensmith4661]

Great vid as usual Ronny. Very much enjoyed and found informative the vid in 2021 and this one also. As A tradie that has ran ford Utes for over 20 years as the main work vehicle (on road) I always fitted a fiber glass canopy. Racks were installed on the canopy. Was only rated for 75kg (Canopy) but that suited as I ran light bars and only used the racks for carrying ladders/steps. After starting to look for a replacement vehicle for the ute, Decided on a duel cab (nothing out in the market place at the moment). Either with tray and canopy, or tub and fibre glass canopy. Canopy's would be the only place for any racking, except maybe one bar on the cabin roof (for long load support but not structurally taking the weight and only lightly tired down on this bar). This is because of cab chassis design. Allows canopy to move independent of the cabin (not talked about much if at all). My preferred option ($$ Approx 5k for canopy, 1.5k for racking system and accessories): Fiber glass canopy e.g. ARB min-100kg Dynamic, 350kg Static. The canopy is reinforced. (loads depend on canopy model) Tray and canopy ($$ How deep is your pockets ?? 10k goes nowhere)- varies from manufacturer to manufacturer, racking type etc. Will achieve min 100kg dynamic load and 350kg static (if not more) but there is down side of suspension work needing to be done, GVM increase etc. To maintain a reasonable load carrying capacity, balance and smoothness of ride and legal requirements. I haven't checked out the offroad load ratings yet. That will be my next step or research when I am closer to purchases.

[@falseflag545]

….😴

[@jens5934]

I dunno, but the 'static' roof-top tent can get pretty 'Dynamic' at times. 😉😎

[@daviddevaus436]

Thanks for shedding light on this matter. So hard to get the basic facts. Manufactures and salespeople of both racks and cars need to be consistently transparent and informed on this

[@NikkiTheOtter]

This is probably why higher quality roof racks are integrated into cages, so the weight is on a lower part of the frame, and on a stronger structure. I know my personal pickup, a 3m steel tube was enough to buckle the unibody, but the rack I'm putting on it will float about a handspan above the cab roof.

[@odeean]

That is why you build a solid canopy with load bearing roof overhang. My roof overhang can take my weight 100kg easily. The rest of the canopy can take the same as my bed.

[@awesomeafricatoursadventures]

Interesting, when I began planning 3 years ago for my set up, I did like you and searched the internet high and low, watched your videos and many others. I live in South Africa, so things might differ slightly here. I had chosen a Prado 150VX for its KDDS roll stability and rear air suspension for constant ride height etc. I contacted Toyota and searched for the roof load ratings. I did find load ratings , but for the Prado they are specific to the roof bar accessories. Toyota said the roof load rating would depend on the load rating of the Roof Rack fitted. The manufacturer clearly do not want to get involved in specifying an actual roof load rating as it would probably lead to liability problems. I also checked for the legal load rating for vehicle roof loads etc. and they revert to the manufacturers. Coming from an aeronautical, motor racing design and vehicle manufacturing background I know that the roof load capacity is more than twice the actual weight of the vehicle to prevent collapse when upside down etc. So I designed my set up with weight and weight distribution in mind. My complete set up including roof rack and all fittings and bedding etc. came in at 170kg. My set up is also bolted to the roof using the manufacturers mounting points, it is not pop-riveted. I had two roof rack failures (the Front Runner Sport rack for the Prado was not fit for purpose and ended getting paid out in full for all damages). I then fitted a welded Eeziawn K9 roof rack, which has been there for over 2 years. I did short trip testing before accepting it as complete and safe. I have since done over 100 000km with the set up all over Southern Africa on tar, gravel, offered and extreme 4x4. I do remove the roof top for the extreme 4x4 trips. I also ride the vehicle accordingly with the roof top on, ie. roll over and tip over angles etc. I also specify all my rooftop fitting on my insurance, as this is where the real problems occur when it comes to being paid out for accident damage or failure etc. One point you did not appear to mention, was Pick-Ups or Utes as you call them, the Roof top fitted to the canopies mounted to the load body also affect the dynamic handling of the vehicle the same as if it were mounted to the roof etc. PS, I see plenty vehicle manufacturers branded vehicles and 4x4 branded vehicles driving around and posting videos and marketing with massive roof top set ups that must weigh at least 200kg etc. But this is a very grey area. Hopefully this will lead to a great discussion with constructive input as to what needs to be done to : - make it easier for people to find vehicle roof load rating info etc. - keep the industry honest when selling or fitting vehicles with roof top set ups etc, - prevent vehicle owners falling fowl off insurance or traffic regulations etc. - reduce the number of incidents due to overloaded roof tops etc.

[@hectic6981]

Great information in this video. If anyone needs a big weight capacity for your roof racks, just get a Jeep wrangler with a gobi rack, 300lb/111.97kg driving load limit, and 800lb/362.87kg static load. This is due to the way the rack is attached, it's mounted to the chassis in the rear and to the windshield frame bracket up front. Unfortunately the jeep The downside is you can't fold the windshield down with it installed, but its a beast of a rack setup. Jeep says the hardtop isn't made to support any additional loads. Most folks have come to the consensus that 100-150lb is doable. I definitely strap my 55lb canoe up there all the time but I'd not put anything heavier than that up there even with one of them aftermarket rack setups. I can't wait to get my Gobi rack, then I can get an awning, some maxx tracks and move a few other bits of kit out of the cargo area. Plus I can add a propane tank to the mix as well as get the hilift jack off the tailgate and add some trail lighting to all 4 sides and some camp lights as well. It looks like the FJ40 has a similar setup to the wrangler for a gobi rack. They dobhave some higher rated numbers on some of their other racks, like the Toyota 4runner for example, but those are roof mount style so I'd consider the advice presented in this video regardless of the ratings given. The wrangler and FJ40 are unique in that the rack isn't attached ti the roof at all, in dact with the wrangler you can use the rack with a hardtop, soft top or no top at all so that's prety cool.

[@gruhlruben]

Great video Ronny ❤ Unfortunately I can't find any information about the roofloadrating of my HZJ75 troopy 😢😢 please help

[@haythammorsy9909]

Dear Haytham, Thank you for your recent email received by the Toyota Guest Experience Centre on the 14 March 2022 regarding vehicle rood loading rating. We can advise that Toyota Motor Corporation Australia (TMCA) do not specify a load limit for the roofs of our vehicles. This is as we do not recommend loading the roof of our vehicles alone. Therefore, we are unable to provide a recommended roof load limit, however, a load limit could be advised for Toyota Genuine Roofs racks.

[@sa2591-p5d]

Wow well done for putting this together. Question:150kg’s for a 120 Prado. Does this include the roof racks attached to the roof rails (I was of the understanding that using the roof rails decreased load- I don’t know where I read this.

[@999benhonda]

A volvo 240 from the 80s, had a roof strong enough that it could hold 3 volvo 240s on top of it...with each one weighing 1400kg. I'm pretty sure that those "roof load" ratings have more to do with safe handling than with how much weight the roof can handle before it caves in. Putting 200 pounds over 6' in the air will affect rollover potential.

[@marklaurendet1861]

Late last year we took delivery of a Prado 150 with the factory bolt on roof racks We emailed Toyota and they indicated they no longer give roof rating for the Prado. Only a rating for the Toyota roof rack fitted with their bars to the rack that came with the car 75Kg. According to our dealer they used to give the Prado rating, but were unsure if it is still applicable and indicated if in an accident [or checked in say QLD] the 75Kg would probably apply. I have heard of a few people now pulled over in QLD and weight checked. Not towing either, just roof rack and vehicle loading.

[@dramadu998]

Yep I had read in the provided info books it was 75kg max for the LC150, with the standard roof rails and Toyota roof bars. But Ronnie's team sourced it is 100kg?

[@marklaurendet1861]

@@dramadu998 Yes one of the roof rack companies I looked into indicated it used to be 100Kg, but since Toyota wont verify this now if you are pulled over and deemed over weight at 100kg Toyota wont back you up. Be nice to know what the weigh bridge people list the weight as. I am going to try and keep under the 75kg for now

[@qfan8852]

User manual says my 2024 Jeep Wrangler can only carry 45KG on the roof. It's like... At most I can install a roof rack and strap a shovel and a maxtrax on it?

[@TimsBitsnPieces]

Hi Ronny, a great and very informative video... Just curious, you do not have in the listing anything for an 80 series.. .... I have one and would love to know the rating, please.

[@retepd1e]

Car manufacturers are hiding the obvious and blame anyone who has problems later because of unknowingly overload their roof racks. There should be a push from authorities that for all cars should have this information MUST be provided for the customer.

[@EverestOffroad.]

Always giving out great info Ronny, Your last vid was the reason I went and did tons of research to pick the current rack I have now and make it safe.

[@mtojo8]

very informative video no one is talking about thanks for the recommended ratings your vid can be a quick reference. I can only imagine those people who loaded so much stuff that is unnecessary and over the recommended ratings this video is an eye opener great job mate

[@tadeuszmichaelwlodarczyk3120]

WELL ""IF"" THEY #STILL# HAD ROOF GUTTERS DIFFERENT STORY. My 80series can easily carry300 kilo's with ease

[@kpuhov]

Tank 300 russian manual speaks: The maximum load capacity is 50 kg. With a sharp decrease in speed , the maximum load capacity is 35 kg. Useful information The load capacity of the rails includes the weight of the crossbars.

[@mikehawkslong5529]

80kg? My american tacoma can hold 272kg (600lbs in freedom units). Is that raining (the 80) fairly common amongst yalls mid size pick ups? For those who don't know, the tacoma is basically the American hilux. We can't get a hilux due to chickens unfortunately. Super lame, I know.

[@Victorianoffroadtravels]

Discover 3 roof load including weight of the roof rack from the manual. On road 75kg, off road 165lb. 165lb is 74.84 kg.

[@johncanalese588]

Don't forget that like everything,. there is a safety margin in those factory numbers. So it's not like if you're rated at 100kg and you load up to say, 102kg that all hell is going to break loose! I'd say there is at least a 10-15% margin, but if you go 100% then maybe you're asking for trouble.

[@godsinbox]

DUH, safety factor is a thing in engineering. usually 4x or if a bogan owns the vehicle then 8x. There is nothing misleading about not telling a bogan that truth. It is for their own SAFETY. The moron would load it up by a factor of 2 AS A MATTER OF COURSE and then still have at least 2x safety in reserve. Therefore, you can temporarily stand on your rack without caving in your pillars and writing off the vehicle! Of course static and dynamic forces come in to play depending on the density of the load, which would even itself out (ie a 70kg metal bar doesnt get wind forces like 2x 25kg kayaks with 6m of surface area in every direction)

[@wiciuwiciu2783]

I always laugh at that "super durable" roof racks. They need to be as light as possible! I made one myself, a sleek design that weighted 8kg. CNC cutted steel sheets bent in specific way (alongside) with 20mm tubes across and few horizontally. And mounting of course :) LED bar fitted with just one twitch. And guess what? I could carry MORE than those overpriced, ugly baskets.

[@johncanalese588]

The Nissan Patrol Y62 has a 100kg Dynamic roof load rating. Also, it has three anchor points on each side of the vehicle for rails or backbone's with each point secured by two bolts into the roof itself - not onto rain gutter channels, so I think that'd be pretty solid and secure for a platform or rack in a dynamic environment. Don't know what the Static roof load rating is. Also, if you install roof racks instead of a roof platform then surely the weight of these is NOT 0kg, especially if it is to support anything substantial.

[@zdenekholy2634]

I'll be honest with, I'm really shocked that to some people this was a new information. I own a Russian 4x4 = LADA NIVA. When I saw, how the roof is made I knew immediately, that a roof tent + 2 people = possible damage to the roof !!! Still, thanks for bringing it out to peoples attention.

[@Mechman0925]

Not sure if it helps my situation or not but I own a Jeep Rubicon with a soft top. Because of that I had to go with a Gobi rack which attaches 25% the way up the front windshield pillar and to the chassis in the rear, no weight on the roof (since I dont have one) Ive never experienced any problems with rack loads up to roughly 190 lbs / 86 kg. this does not include the weight of the rack which is easily over 100lbs / 45 kg. I have now changed all that for various reasons though. Vehicle handling, wind resistence, ease of loading, vehicle height are a few. I now have a trailer Ive modifyed to handle most of my gear + RTT.

[@Heinrichhattingh]

Thanks for the video. My frontrunner on the 76 weights 41kg? Can that be correct. You were saying that you and and the rack weighed in at 117kg and you being close to 90kg? Thanks

[@benjim_]

Just make sure you understand that OEM Roof Bars are about 5kgs. And in most cases arent at all offroad recommended unless using fixed point mounts eg. MQ/MR Triton, Landcruiser 200/Prados without rails.

[@666kingie]

😂. Can't tell if you're serious. But is so, here are a few ideas for your next video: 1. Car industry's biggest lie - top speed vs speed limits 2. Fuel tank lies - maximum capacity vs the amount you usually fill up 3. The towbar industries biggest dirty secret - maximum load of towbar vs cars maximum towing capacity What a waste of a video! It's the consumers responsibility to check their respective cars specifications and ensure they are working within them - its not the entire 4x4 industries fault if some moron can't do his due diligence and decides to overload his cars roof. Instead of the click baity title, I think a better title/direction for the video would have been Understanding roof rack loads - instead of trying to market it as an outrageous industry conspiracy

[@lukeagex]

Thanks for posting the list of dynamic loads at the end! I see my Prado 120 has 150kg, which is more than the 100kg I thought it had? What an awesome surprise. I'll continue to budget for 100kg though, to be safe.

[@HeliRy]

I’m honestly surprised that the old Defender has a rating of 150kg, and that it’s MORE than the new model. There is zero structural support in an old Defender anywhere above the bottom of the windows. It’s roof is designed to keep the wind and rain out… that’s it. Pop out the rivets and the thing collapses like a house of cards lol. We’ve all seen the horror story that is a Defender when it turtles onto it’s roof. It pancakes immediately. The new Defender on the other hand is virtually bomb proof by comparison. But it’s roof load rating is lower. Like… what? 🤣 Just proof that the new one is even more stupid than we thought 😇

[@christurner1791]

Trying to figure out the static load of a Volvo XC90, which is impossible… Figured that they don’t crush when rolled on their roof, so 500Kg’s would be ok.

[@andykaufman4184]

HI Ronny, was surprised to see the Prado 120 was shown to have a roof weight limit of 150kg. Do you list anywhere where that was referenced? Also what do the colours for the limit indicate? Thanks..

[@cotepierre68]

This subject is one of my pet peeves. I read a lot of « The roof of your car is made to support 3 times the weight of your vehicle, you can put what you want on top ». This make me mad, even more when it comes from people that sales RTT.

[@Flash1857]

Agree, the roof need’s to support the vehicle upside down

[@cotepierre68]

@@Flash1857, they do. Doesn’t mean the vehicle is suitable for a roof rack. Sun roof are not all equal when it’s time to calculate the appropriate load, anchoring point either.

[@nathanpayne2342]

Because of the hilux video i also went down the rabbit hole with roof load limits for my cars as i didnt know it was a thing. For my dmax that has a tub and canopy. If you add structure support bars on the inside of the canopy that you bolt roof racks to, arb ones had the highest rating of 150kg. The GQ Patrol has 100kg roof load limit. Cheers for always putting out great information that most 4x4 channels ignore.

[@nirfz]

That wasn't too surprising apart from the unclear roofload rating of your new vehicle. That's the big surprise to me! I have owned 6 cars up to now, and every single one had that number in it's owners manual (and in the registry papers we need to get the car registered here in europe). And 4 of those were normal passenger cars (even an AMG Mercedes e-class) and one small SUV. No nightmare to find those numbers like you encountered.

[@afriquelesud]

And then they add lift kits, which on SFA vehicles do NOT raise ground clearance, AND they take that unwieldy daddy longlegs and camelback it halfway to the stars. Some guys have brawn but no brains.

[@itolond]

how would i work out the roof load capacity for a Def 110 97 TDI300 fitted with Safety devices L242 roof carrier system ?

[@joekresan8990]

It’s basically a known number modified by an infinite number of fluid variables . Eyeball it and be conservative. Put the bulky light stuff up top. Done.

[@GeneralKato]

Manufacturers are just guarding themselves from lawsuits. And keep the max load number low. Good since most people have no idea about anything. And the manufacturers have zero control over this but to limit the load weight. The same with loading a caravan. There are good ways of loading and many bad ways.

[@kennethprocak5176]

Max roof load was in normal vehical specs. What happened? it’s like tow capacity being fudged by not giving max tow weight after vehicle is at max payload.

[@jerrymyahzcat]

You mean Roof Platform NOT Roof Rack. Roof rails go along the roof front to rear. The manufacturer usually states the roof loading on top of these rails. On rails you attached roof racks (cross bars left/right on the vehicle) with or without a platform on top OR you attach a Platform directly to the rails. My Rhino Rack weighs 17kg. What you call roof bars is the roof racks. What you call roof rack is a roof platform.

[@ricki11cook]

If the roof rack manufacturers actually quoted the remaining usable load capacity of their products on specific vehicles… no one would bother buying the rack.

[@hrodebertcoad9848]

As someone who has never needed a roof rack... was this stuff not obvious or self-explanatory? Then again, my coworkers can't grasp simple mechanics 👀

[@antbro75]

A bit left field, but I've been wondering since watching this video. Maybe sometime knows the answer. Would putting gear in a small box trailer have lass impact on fuel efficiency than loading it on the roof rack?

[@asfn5267]

I have a Jimny so the OEM roof bar is excluded from the 30kg? that's a bit off. What about Front Runner roof bars?

[@ericmurphy3970]

Thank you for the information. I added the prinsu rack recently to top load the light weight bulk pieces that take space and not much weight. You present many facts in regard to static and dynamic loads. Much important. In fact, throwing gear across the field is poor hygiene for the rest of us to see as your rig rolls over many times in spectacular fashion, possibly killing the occupants. makes for a bad day. Our center of gravity and height profile is to be considered along the adventure. Wheel ON!

[@philiplucky7170]

Ronny Great Information thank you, i remember your original video and it was great. I know its a tough question but who do you rate from roof top Roof Rack Perspective given your history and knowledge if you are happy to. Thank you

[@Geosbudy]

If it's a Toyota double it, no, triple it, here in Kenya the probox carry about 180kg on roof(3 sacks 5okgs maize) and boot load of ½ tonnes

[@AsianPersuation24x7]

good information my Bronco apparently is only 50KG dynamic and 205KG static and I don't ever plan on a roof tent so I would only use it as a dynamic load which leaves me with very little... 😅

[@jamiegreenwood7996]

i had the new Hilux with same roof rack rated at 100kg my big missus jumped on and kept on jumping on it shes way to big 160 kg fucked my entire roof in the center don't know what to about this Ronney do u think insurance will cover me with my big pig hunker wife ....im so disappointed my new Toyota has collapsed under her pig hulking Waite can u give me any suggestions as my roof is dented so bad now or do i get a petic little Asian missus needing you advise ASP Ronny

[@elliotkane4443]

If this isn't a rating I am legally liable for then it would be good to know if this is a rating based on stability (vehicle starts to tip at a given angle) or structural integrity (roof starts to bend or crush or crack at A or B pillar). Obviously stability would be affected by a heap of things we do to our 4x4s and even a moderate lift would throw that way off while bigger tyres might make it better, etc. There's an engineer somewhere that actually knows how these figures are derived but boy, he has tight lips. I think if this stat isn't a legal requirement then we should feel free to exceed it but keep in our minds that it may come back to bite us.

[@qwerty2008100]

I wonder what the roof load rating on my 68 Mustang is. I keep 2 spare tires, my hi lift jack, six lights, and an axe up there. When I take it on trips, I throw all my camping gear up there too.

[@Pretzil43]

Wtf is a "Mitsubishi Pajero Current"? Do you mean a real Pajero or a Challenger (sport)?

[@JasonMorrish-k5x]

Would you happen to know the load rating for the 100series Land Cruiser wagon?

[@deityreefer6617]

2024 crosstrek wilderness 700 pounds static and almost 170 dynamic

[@Vikingocazar]

Given that overlanding is a powerful aphrodisiac I believe there should also be a “pipe laying” rating… jus’ sayin’ 😉