Roof rack loading

[Bongo Bonkers]

What is the Max weight for elevated roof as i have seen bongo's with 15 feet canoes attached which are about 80 lbs in weight.We are getting a 3 man canoe in a few weeks so it would be helpfull.Im going to construct my own bars from 2 inch stainless box section to reduce the corrosion problems as some bars have cheap and nasty coatings.

[dave_aber]

For carrying any real weight, you are best off with the type of rack which spans the roof completely, and attaches to the gutters, like the genuine Mazda ones do. They use the 4 bolt holes in the AFT so that the unladen rack can be detached from the gutters and go up with the roof without falling off.

I'd not be too confident with any great weight just on bars attached to the 4 AFT mounting points personally.

[Bongo Bonkers]

Cheers dave,where would these bars be available from?

[dave_aber]

The genuine Mazda ones are more like a tray shape than just bars, so not ideal for long loads like canoes. I'll try to find a pic.

Either way, I think they are sold along with the hen's teeth and the rocking horse poo so you might be better off sticking with the idea of fabricating your own.

Edit:
If you do a google search for "bongo roof rack", and select Images, the first result shows you one with a roofbox fitted, raised (presumably empty). For some reason I can't link to it, although it appears to be hosted somewhere on this forum.

[M 80NGO]

As long as you make em as light as poss and the bars are empty when you elevate the roof then you should be ok, i always stand inside the rear of my van and just give a very light assistance while pressing the roof elevation button.

It may even be a better idea to use the lightest possible materials and get them powder coated. my rack is made of plastic and bolted to the mazda supplied threaded holes on the AFT and have not had and issues.

[M 80NGO]

Mine has 4 square plastic 2"x2" cross members which are great for large single boats or 2 ordinary kayaks but if i want to load the double and single then i need to remove the front and rear plastic bars and incorporate my home made wooden extendo bars so i have a point to attatch the ratchet straps

[mikeonb4c]

For carrying any real weight, you are best off with the type of rack which spans the roof completely, and attaches to the gutters, like the genuine Mazda ones do. They use the 4 bolt holes in the AFT so that the unladen rack can be detached from the gutters and go up with the roof without falling off.

I'd not be too confident with any great weight just on bars attached to the 4 AFT mounting points personally.

I tend to agree with that. My own experience is leading me to think that the AFT should receive as much TLC as possible, if it is to stay healthy into old age. Something that transfers roof loads onto the metal guttering is a 'good thing' in that respect.

[Bongo Bonkers]

We have good local powder coating chap just up the road about 3 miles away who has won awards for his work (Aerocoat)my give him a look and get some work done on the bike at the same time.

[teenmal]

What is the Max weight for elevated roof as i have seen bongo's with 15 feet canoes attached which are about 80 lbs in weight.We are getting a 3 man canoe in a few weeks so it would be helpfull.Im going to construct my own bars from 2 inch stainless box section to reduce the corrosion problems as some bars have cheap and nasty coatings.

Hi,these people supply Bongo AFT racks,they should be able to give you load ratings.


http://www.roofracks.co.uk/thule/roofba ... _bongo.php

[Bongo Bonkers]

They look good and a well known make,could just be tempted.If the boss give me the go ahead,hang on, i am the boss.

[Rhod]

Maximum roof load on the AFT is 60kg. I happily carry either a pair of open canoes or a pair of sea kayaks (total weight of either combination around 50-55kg), on a Karitek rack mounted to the standard AFT rack mountings. Having inadvertantly knocked the rack on a ferry, hard enough to bend the mountings (of the rack, not the AFT!) I can vouch for the strength of the AFT mounts

[Bongo Bonkers]

We also need to take the weight of the roof rack in to the total,as this can easily be forgotten.

[Rhod]

We also need to take the weight of the roof rack in to the total,as this can easily be forgotten.

I haven't actually weighed the rack assembly, but I reckoned that it would be about 10kg. Overall, I may be overloading the roof slightly above the 60kg limit, but have had no problems with security of the loads - either before or after my little mishap. Whatever rack you end up with, it's unlikely to be heavier than the Karitek one! I've been using the system for about 4 years now. With the unloaded rack on the roof I do need to give the roof a slight helping hand to elevate the last couple of inches, but this is common even with no rack fitted.

Rhod

[Bongo Bonkers]

Rhod,I popped over to veiw the canoe yesterday near Norwich and comes in at 35 kg.It can also be tied to the bullbars and tow hitch for the added safety.Just need to source some bars when my mucker get back to work.

[Rhod]

Bow & stern tie-downs are always a good idea! Especially since the AFT rack mounting points are quite close together. I find that it's worth using 2 tiedowns to the bullbars (as an upside-down V) to help stop the boat twisting sideways in a cross wind. A single tiedown at the rear is usually enough.
Happy paddling!

Rhod