4WD Touring Australia — October 2017

092 | 4WDTouringAustralia

DRIVE TIME

THE REAL

DEAL BEHIND

THE WHEEL

Every 4WD sold in Australia has an allocated roof load capacity. Pretty

much all 4WDs should have a capacity of at least 100kg, while a few larger

vehicles like the 200 Series LandCruiser are capable of bearing loads of

up to 200kg.

If you aren’t aware of your rig’s capacity, you’ll be able to find it in

your owners’ manual or through a quick Google search. If you’ve got any

doubts, you can always contact your vehicle’s manufacturer and they’ll be

able to set you straight.

It’s worth remembering that your 4WD’s roof capacity includes the

weight of the roof racks or cage that you install up top, as well as any

additional gear that you load.

So if your rig’s capacity is at the lower end of the spectrum, it’s prob-

ably not a good idea to go and fit up a heavy steel roof cage that could

account for more than half of overall capacity.

As well as overall roof capacity, the roof racks or cage you fit will have

their own weight limits that need to be adhered to. If, for example,

you fit up three roof racks that each have a 50kg weight limit, but your

vehicle’s overall roof capacity is 100kg, it’s important to keep your load

below 100kg.

On the other hand, if your roof capacity is 200kg, but you only have two

roof racks fitted that each have a 50kg weight limit, than you still need to

keep your load down below 100kg. Essentially you need to know your

vehicle’s roof capacity plus roof rack limit and stick to the lower of the two

numbers.

KNOW YOUR LIMIT KEEPING WEIGHT DOWN

They say that the more you know, the

less you’ll pack. This philosophy certainly

checks out when it comes to rooftop loads.

The best place to start reducing rooftop

weight is with your storage system itself.

Heavy steel roof cages might be strong,

but they can account for an inexcusable

amount of weight. Look into a set of qual-

ity roof racks. All the big name brands are

producing high quality roof racks that can

handle some massive loads yet are built

from aluminium and heavy duty plastic

and weigh hardly anything.

If you’re set on fitting up a roof cage

or tray style platform, an aluminium unit

could come in at as little as a third of the

weight of a steel platform.

Remember when loading for a trip that

the best items to store on the roof are

bulky yet lightweight gear like swags, mat-

tresses and camping gear. Keep heavy

equipment like spare parts and tools inside

your rig to keep the centre of gravity lower

and to avoid rooftop loading issues.

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