Roofrack problems offroad/touring

[grazza]

Just about to head up the Cape and I am pretty worried about the roofrack.

I have heard that roofracks are the #1 problem area on hard corrugated tracks and would like to hear others experiences.

I have a rhino rack with the usual gutter mounts on my Patrol and quite honestly they dont seem that great.

I am only storing light stuff up top but the corrugation hell has me worried.

I dont have much choice with 2 in a SWB...

Any advice? Am I wrong to worry about it?

[AndrewPatrol]

you may be better off asking this on "exploroz". Personally we did a trip across the simpson from melbourne. two of us had 4-Rhino bars, one with a rhino rack and other with steel rack. Not one prob, but I hear corugations on Cape are worse than what we had. just make sure the rubbers are on the feet ( in the gutters) and check daily the bolts.

[Hardcorr]

I've done many trips to the Cape, and my theory on it is that it tests your vehicle, where most other trips, test the person.
Pending on time of year you go, but the corrogations can get to the stage where the little blanks fall out of the grab handles, and the face of the stereo has trouble staying up, and the whole dash shakes on the firewall. Those that have been through, know exactly what I mean.
It is rough, at this time of the year. We have always travelled with a roof rack, but when buying it a number of years ago, I went for the ARB Steel Rack, and we only carry light gear up top as we enjoy taking the harsher tracks rather than the easy ones. I have seen an alloy rack tear from the top of a car at the gunshot. Makes a mess, and it's difficult to work out where to put everything that come off it.
I'm not saying that what you have got won't go the distance, what I am saying is that you have to take into consideration what you have got and pack it accordingly. I've seen some pretty amazing vehicles and trailers up that way that do it all without question, and I've seen some pretty well set up rigs that fail.
You just can't expect too much from anything that you have, and it all needs to be treated with respect, the day you don't, it will fail you. Murphy states that this will happen miles from no-where.

Hope this is of some help,

Cheers
Corry

[-Scott-]

grazza

Real men don't need roof racks. The ex and I spent 5 weeks up Cape York in a shorty, without roof racks. Had a great time, wish I could do it again (the Cape, not 5 weeks with the ex. )

The corrugations suck big time. Drop your tyre pressures to help take the edge off, and SLOW DOWN! When I saw the speeds some people were doing over the corrugations, I'm not suprised they broke things.

Drive the OTL both ways. It may take longer time wise, but it's far fewer corrugations and easier on you and the vehicle.

Best of all, have a great time!

Scott

[V8Patrol]

I dont tour as such in 4x4's ...... time factor more than enything else.

But ......

I do particapate in charity bashes, you know the thing, driving a 2wd car to places that 99% of australians will never see let alone know of its existance ! ..... and I've been lucky to see most of these places from the comfort of a 2wd car..... ok so its been extensivly modded to do the job


Things we learnt in the early days was about vehicle setup more than preperation belive it or not......
If its not setup the right way it will fail and usually your not prepared for that failure. With the bashcars we know for a FACT that roof racks are a major issue and the std supercheap/supermarket/autobarn/etc etc racks wont last the distance....... if by some freakish chance they do its probably more likely that the gutters on ya car have gone west instead !


Usually its an overloading problem that causes the failure, in the fleet of bashcars on the last trip (44 cars ) around 50% had roof racks in which they placed 2 spare wheels & a 20lit jerrycan of fuel......

then of course there's always room up there for a spare slab ( or 3 ) + a swag that wont fit in the boot cause we packed the boot wrong in our hungover state this morning + that bit of gear that another competitor left behind........ its the jerry can that usually brakes the camels back tho but we still pile the goods up there cause theres room.


So .......
Ive seen 1/2" X 2" engine bolts through the failed connections plates and then through the actual roof to hold up the racks.....

Ive seen racks welded onto both the roof and the gutters.....
I've seen countless miles of 100mph tape holding whats left of the rack in place till it can be welded onto the car.....

I've seen heaps of other competitors carrying extra gear from someone elses car after the racks gone awol......


Then ........
there's the broken back window after the rack broke and let the jerrycan fall through the glass......
there's "Oh shyte....... the spares are gone ( usually around 200K's back ) & only noticed when ya get a flat tyre
& my favourite........
the 2 boughs off of a gum tree holding up the roof on an early holden stationwagon ..... yep they collapsed the whole roof !!!, so they then emptied the roof rack, lifted the roof back up to where its sposed to be, cust some tree down for a couple of solid lengths of wood that fitted between the floorpan & the roof.... add some fencing wire and hey presto its time to reload the roof rack again !!!!


Now......
you'll be alright with a roof rack PROVIDED you do some work to it BEFORE you leave. What usually fails is the plates that fit between the gutter and the actual cross bars, they simply are NOT strong enough for anything heavier than a pair of skis, a surfboard or maybe a 3 metre length of timber to fix the front gate with on the w/end.... after all thats
all that they are designed to do !

By.......
increasing the amount of connection area or "foot hold" that the rack has
to the gutter will allow it to carry a slightly heavier load such as a spare wheel or 2 .... IE make some new plates atleast 12" long to fit in the gutters...... double the number of lockdown bolts per plate for example 2 lockdown bolts will increase the binding area dramaticaly.
add extra cross bars too seeing you now have bigger connection plates, this will distribute the load better

& ......
dont forget that the rack also move sideways as well as back n forth so additional braces to triangulate the connection plates to the cross bars, this will add even more strength so that you can comfortably carry 2 spares & the jerrycan of fuel up there

and on tour ......
Check the lockdown bolts everytime you hail for a piddle break...... 2 mins with a spanner will save hours of grief in the middle of no-where.


been here

done this



Kingy

[MattGU]

Have travelled to "The Cape" a few times and yes the roads shake the absolute s#$T out of everything. We have had one cheapie set of roof bars with solar panel attached on at 75 series ute die. They have been replaced with 2 rhino bars and survived 2 more trips. I have an ARB steel roof rack for my GU ute and it survives carrying 1 spare and 1 swag. As said above a bit of time checking saves serious heart ache in the middle of no where and yes go up and back on the Overland Telegraph Line as even though it is slower it is more fun and less likely to shake every thing to pieces. That said if you take the hard drop into Gunshot things might still fall to pieces.

Cheers Matt

[BundyRumandCoke]

From experience, if you are going to use a roof rack for off road work custom make a full length gutter rail, the piece that sits in the gutter- make it full length, and contour it to suit the shape of the gutter. This spreads the load over the entire length of the gutter, not just in 2,3, or 4 places. Then have about 6 clamps each side to secure it. Because you have upwards movement as well as downwards with the corregations.
Then only have light things up there.

[grazza]

Thanks for your help everyone.

I like the idea of the extra gutter piece.

I am going to take the Patrol to the roofrack place and get the guy to have a look - the Rhino legs just dont seem to grab the gutter correctly and the hex-head bolts seem to loosen up quite easilty (loctite)

Perhaps spot-welding or riveting an extra strip along the gutter will help.

I had an ARB rack but it was very heavy - but much better looking mounts.

[aloa9061]

Be really careful with the Rhino bars. make sure you also check the mount from the legs to the cross bar is tight as part of the structure is the tension between the two legs. let them get loose and they will come off!


no not me my mate patrol on the french line