Roof Rack or Roof Bars for RTT?

[rhysman1]

Hi, i have just purchased a RTT and wondering how to secure to my Disco 200tdi? I don't want to spend a great deal of money on a rack as i will be changing the vehicle in about 6 months time for a 110!

Can you guys give me some advice, would roof bars be suitable? or do i need to spread the weight on a roof rack? if that is the case does anybody know of a good roof rack for a disco that is not going to cost the earth? the RTT weighs approx 50kg, cheers

[mmgemini]

Welcome to the forum :D

You don't say which RTT you have but most will fit on bars. Certainly the Eezi-Awn one does.
What did the supplier suggest ?

[rhysman1]

Thanks, I bought a PRIME TECH RTT from a german company very cheeply on ebay, to be honest i haven't asked them but i am on to it!

[bvudzichena]

Hello and welcome to the forums!

I've used roofbars and a roofrack. Both do the job.

You're probably going to want to add the odd gerry can, driving light, worklight, storage box or antenna at some point in the future, so I'd rather go with a roofrack, but hey, that's just me.

[rhysman1]

Thanks for the welcome guys:p, Well i have gone for a set of roof bars, managed to get a set of lockable one's of eblag fairly cheeply, should tide me over till i pick up a 110 and get a brownchurch rack !!:D

[kevinrbeech]

Roof bars will be fine unless you're doing serious off-roading that will throw it all over the place. My first RTT was 65kg and I fitted it with roof bars then took it to the Sahara, it stayed on all the time, even on the dunes.
Mine were lockable too, they have larger "feet" so spreading the weight a little better.

[Cannonball Bob]

Any decent roof tent will have what amounts to a roof rack built in to the underside.
I've tried both, now use roof bars.

[rhysman1]

Thanks guys, great advice which is reassuring:D

[Cannonball Bob]

Roof bars will be fine unless you're doing serious off-roading that will throw it all over the place.
Not sure that's entirely true. A roof rack is only as strong as it's supports and the way it attaches to the car, same as a roof tent.

[bvudzichena]

Not sure that's entirely true. A roof rack is only as strong as it's supports and the way it attaches to the car, same as a roof tent.

I agree with Bob on this one.

The one RTT that I had lived on a pair of roofbars that I made up one afternoon. They weren't "over engineered" but still managed to keep the RTT secure over some really bad conditions.

Now where's that video of mine of the 110 going down Van Zyls Pass in Nambia?

[kevinrbeech]

I agree with Bob on this one.

The one RTT that I had lived on a pair of roofbars that I made up one afternoon. They weren't "over engineered" but still managed to keep the RTT secure over some really bad conditions.

Now where's that video of mine of the 110 going down Van Zyls Pass in Nambia?

I'm not sure what you are trying to say guys. After reading the post through again I think that you're saying the bars can be as good as a rack.

If that is the case then I would be inclined to agree if we are talking about some of the cheaper racks. I assumed that the question was about a short term temporary solution prior to the guy buying a full length expedition rack made by one of the top quality South African manufacturers from extruded aluminimum, then securly bolted, or indeed welded, before being bolted to the roof of the LR using at least four fixing points along each gutter. Something similar to what I have on mine.

[streaky]

I have a Front Runner Wind Cheetah Roof rack on my Discovery Series I. Jason 90 and Cols110 both have the exact same roofrack and brackets on their Defenders.
The height of the roof above the gutter line on both vehicles appears to be the same and the brackets used by Front Runner racks are adjustable to slide in and out according to the width of the car.

Hence you could get a roofrack that fits both your current car and the new Defender when you get it.

The Genuine Land Rover Expedition rack works in the same way and fits series, Defender, Discovery and Classic Rangies. I don't rate the build quality that much though...they tend to rust and the screws seize up. They are very light weight though which is a bonus.

I wouldn't want roofbars holding my RTT on the car...I feel that the weight is not distributed very well compared to a proper roofrack. Having been dune bashing with my tent on...I don't reccomend it. It's like driving a double decker bus through the dunes and the risk of roll over is way too much for my liking.

[kevinrbeech]

Hi Streaky,
I agree about "Dune Bashing" and roof tents, however, with reference to my post, which is about "travelling with a RTT", a little different, I think, to seeing how quickly you can charge up and down the biggest dunes that you can find. When travelling we have no option but to carefully carve a path through the dunes.
Of course you do have the advantage of living just "down the road" from the dunes, it takes me four days to get to them, ha ha. I guess you can leave the RTT at home, go play, then go back and get it, lol.
I have to say I also agree with "spreading the load" comment that you made, my 65kg RTT (Echo 4x4) was mounted on three roof bars, with an 102 cm rack on the front of the car. I now have an Autohome RTT that weighs 35kg which is far more comfortable in the rough stuff.
K

[rhysman1]

Well Gents, just to keep you all posted I have just bought a full length galvanised roof rack to fit a 110, going to fit some lights to the front and get some jerry can holders and start looking for a 110:D! any one want to swap a 110 for a 200tdi disco:rolleyes: ?????

Thanks for all the great advice!

[Cannonball Bob]

I wouldn't want roofbars holding my RTT on the car...I feel that the weight is not distributed very well compared to a proper roofrack.
So how is a roof rack attached to the car at, say, six points (three each side) any different to three roof bars that also attach to the car at six points?
Using a roof rack to support something which already has what is essentially a roof rack built in to its underside (ie a roof tent) is just adding weight for no good reason surely?