Roof rack weight. will it hold 200kg?

[the dude]

getting a bit worried about what were going to put on the roof rack. so far its: 4/5 spare wheels
2 jerrycans 20l each.
bags of stuff - 3 weighing 30+kg each

so were looking at 200kg + on the roof, on that tiny bit of guttering. whats the bets it will hold?

any other way of making it stronger?
anywhere else to put stuff - the boot, but to be filled with food, water, tools, spares and handy things.

suggestions?

[burgo]

just use a ratchet strap to strp it down and it'll be fine

[Mike]

Or fcuk off the rear seats and chuck it all in there.

[Welsh Dan]

Trailer?

[the dude]

im liking the ratchet strap ideas. mainly as theres 3 people going and no trailer licences to be seen.
has anyone stress tested roof racks?

[Welsh Dan]

Could you put the wheels on the bonnet like you see on landrovers? If its a saloon you could use the bootlid aswell.

[mowgli]

the roofrack won't cope with 200kg. I think the max is nearer 75kg.
Also sticking 200kg that high up will make it handle like a narrowboat.
you could fit side panel brackets for tyres & jerrycans (look in a landrover mag for inspiration) & also hanging stuff off the bootlid would be ok.
you don't need a trailer licence at all if the trailer is 750kg or less, & you can get erde trailers with 100pcd wheel fixture just like a nova, or you could make a decent trailer from a nova rear axle beam turned upside down. I did some years back & it is strong. remember, removing the side cards from the rear seats & the boot frees up loads of cubby hole space for clothes, junk etc

[jimbob-mcgrew]

im with dan on the trailer option man, youll bend up the frame stickin 200 kilos on.
if no tow hook for trailer, mikes idea on the back seats oot, the floor can probably take it.
lemme guess tho, the backs full allready, thus why your loading the roof, no ?

[mikey14sr]

75kg's is the maximum legal weight you can put on a nova roof.

And for those who have only passed their test in the last 5 or so years, the towing limit is 550kg's without doing an extra test.

[Dod]

I dont really think a Trailor is an option. IIRC this is the dude crossing some mad terrain in his Nova for charity?

Roof racks themselves wouldnt be strong enough to hold all that weight. As for the gutters, as long as it doesnt need to be pretty, theres no end to the ways it can be strengthened.

But as the lads say, you need to balance everything out. Lightest stuff on the roof, but keep your Jerry cans on the inside for various different reasons, most of which I'm sure you'll probably understand anyway.

Bare in mind, 200kg is the weight of 2 large adults to be added to your cargo which might leave your car a little Low on such terrain.

[peester]

crickey.. was worried for a minute then , it taking until the 7th answer to get a decent reply..
Ide suggest no more than 65kgs tbh - gutter mounted roofbars/rack systems arent as durable as the newer type; and they as mentioned max out at 75kgs..
Playing with fire well under 100kgs, over 100kgs isnt funny.

[burgo]

crickey.. was worried for a minute then , it taking until the 7th answer to get a decent reply..
Ide suggest no more than 65kgs tbh - gutter mounted roofbars/rack systems arent as durable as the newer type; and they as mentioned max out at 75kgs..
Playing with fire well under 100kgs, over 100kgs isnt funny.hence the ratchet strap. those things are rated half a ton. it'll be fine

[CP]

lol Burgo you aint never gonna a job in health and safetylol
Sure ratchet straps will strap the items to the roof rack ok- the point is will the rest of it be safe on top of the car? You've gotta to admit its a bit dodgy to say the least .....

[burgo]

yes its dodgy but im sure this is for the mongol rally or something so **** it

[CP]

lol

[the dude]

yes its dodgy but im sure this is for the mongol rally or something so **** it

Same group, new rally. and thats the best thinking.

its still to be M.O.T'd (failed today on loose headlishgts) so its going in tomorrow, and then we can find out what its like to pack.

but ok, no weight ontop, im liking the idea of side carriers, would improve the handling alot too.
bonnet wont work (how can you see?)

Trailer would be far too sensible. can't go for that, anyone behind us would be ina mile deep rut.

as for the back seats, they are occupied, by jonny. so they have to stay in unfportunately. load it up to the roof.

thanks guys.

[Lee]

If you have a split rear bench you can get rid of the double bench and leave a single seat in the back. That will open up shed loads more storage space.

[Jack]

Get a saloon, you'd have all that in the back and still be able to fit the entire land mass of luxembourg in there.

[FUSION X16XE]

could you not put lighter objects on roof and heavier ones in the boot?

[the dude]

If you have a split rear bench you can get rid of the double bench and leave a single seat in the back. That will open up shed loads more storage space.

nope, its a 1.0 Trip, hasnt even got a rear windscreen wiper.

trouvble with a saloon is that it doesnt come with a 1.0l engine - illegal, gets in the way of all sorts of fun.

were looking into side bags, or boot lid racks for the jerry cans, and less spare tyres. space is tight.

picks coming soon, still got to make the roof rack (better) so expect something good.

[mowgli]

nope, its a 1.0 Trip, hasnt even got a rear windscreen wiper.

trouvble with a saloon is that it doesnt come with a 1.0l engine - illegal, gets in the way of all sorts of fun.

were looking into side bags, or boot lid racks for the jerry cans, and less spare tyres. space is tight.

picks coming soon, still got to make the roof rack (better) so expect something good.

to mount a 60/40 split seat, you only need to get the small brackets that are welded to the floorpan & carefully drill & self-tapper them on ( no welding cos the tank is underneath) then you mount the 60% side only.

[burgo]

you all seem to be missing the point, **** getting a new rear seat and the bracket and that bollocks, get the fooking chainsaw out:thumb:

as for your spare tyre situation, couldnt you take aload of tyre weld cans? or learn how to actually change a tyre so you just need to take tyre instead of build up wheels?

[Welsh Dan]

equally, learn how to repair tyres and take the tools aswell, obviously you could only patch the smaller holes, but it would help.

[Jack]

trouvble with a saloon is that it doesnt come with a 1.0l engine - illegal, gets in the way of all sorts of fun.
Erm, 1.0 was the second most common saloon engine. I'd say about 30% are 1.0's.

[the dude]

you all seem to be missing the point, **** getting a new rear seat and the bracket and that bollocks, get the fooking chainsaw out:thumb:

as for your spare tyre situation, couldnt you take aload of tyre weld cans? or learn how to actually change a tyre so you just need to take tyre instead of build up wheels?

well, we are auctioning the car, so its got to be in a useable state, unfortunately, even though it will be rallied out.

tyre weld doesnt work. i dont trust it, ever since i was in oxford 2am, with one, and a flat spare. all it did was make a mess.

may well bring just tyres, some 14" tyres would be easier to find than 13s.
trouble is, the 14's are alloys, and may explode. if you saw jack ozbourne's adventure to mongolia, you know how many rims we are likely to get through. still to see how to pack and fit them on anyway.

She passed the M.O.T :D still getting a V5 on wednesday (VIC)...leaving on friday...with or without road tax.

we will see how to pack it all... what fits on and where we can loose weight.

[Dod]

Dont go for Just Tyres because they'll take an age to fit. Grab yourself some 14" Cavalier, Vectra or Astra wheels. Load up as many as you can. Its also worth your while fitting something like Cavalier or Astra rear springs to the car, it'll keep the ride height pretty high and firm to allow for some pretty heavy weight in the rear.

[ck]

regarding the roof rack, in a nova sales brochure it states the "Roof rrack-max load" is 176lbs