Weight limits on roof racks

[tommy jingles]

Originally Posted by chrisi

4 cords of oak would weigh over 20,000 lbs, plus where did you put it all? :

think he's talking about those little bundles you get at the supermarket? The car alone doesn't take up the volume of 1 cord let alone 4

[bbrock]

Smeric, w/ your 58" bars and Skybox 16s, do you keep the bike trays on each side? As I posted, I have 58" bars, and 2 very old Boa short bike tray fork mounts. I think they are from '93 or '94, but they still work. Yes, the paint is chipping, etc., but I think they would still do the job until I someday (years) maybe get a hitch mount bike carrier. Anyhow, I was just curious what you did w/ your bike attachments/trays. Where do you put your front wheels, or are your bike carriers upright carriers? I have one wheel fork, so I will have to see if I can fit the Skybox 16s, the 2 Boa short tray bike carriers and a wheel fork up there.

Nhmtns, what size crossbars are those you are using? In that pic, where did you keep the front wheels for your bikes?

I eventually want to get a kayak. I am new to that sport, and the few times I went on lakes/calm water I think it was in a recreational kayak. Is it possible to fit this type of kayak, either single or tandem type, on the 58" crossbars with a Skybox 16s up there?

[2+2GT]

Originally Posted by dbw001

2) Is it the rails or the cross-pieces that are the limiting factor in terms of weight?

Neither. It's the factor of the weight on the roof making the car more likely to roll over in a sudden turn.

[chrisi]

Originally Posted by tommy jingles

think he's talking about those little bundles you get at the supermarket? The car alone doesn't take up the volume of 1 cord let alone 4

That was my guess, a lot of terms get misused.

[Jay H]

Originally Posted by chrisi

That was my guess, a lot of terms get misused.

Or maybe he meant bungee cords?

Jay

[Subaroo]

I have the Thule rack on our 07 OB and they are great. I am sure I have loaded a lot more than the weight limit suggests. One camp trip we put our canoe on the top and I had it filled with other gear, wood, stove, etc. The canoe was actually bending a bit. I did take some of the wood out... it was really loaded. I think you can easily load 300+ pounds up there no problem. I would suggest a slower road speed, but it can haul it...

[Jay H]

If this means anything to you, the new Crosstrek XV is rated to 150lbs on the roof rack though not sure if that is limited by the actual OEM crossbars or the roof rails...

Jay

[Butler Smythe]

Have have has 2002 and 2003 outbacks and carried much more than that with no issues - though not long distances. Yakima round bars are my choice and have used Thule as well? Round is stronger and I use malone j racks for kayaks. Absorbs wind loads and drive through garage mishaps (wife) that a Thule rack would have not allowed the kayak and rack to absorb. Bet I've had 200-300 wiith no issues.

[scott subehuman]

Hi,
Short answer:
The stock roof racks are robust enough. The problem is that where they attach to the roof, there is no actual structural allowance to support that point load, no reinforcing bar to transfer that load to the side pillars. Your load just stresses the roof metal.
Also say you have 90# on your roof static load. Hit the brakes and that load comes onto the front rests. Hit a good speed bump or such and your load momentarily increases substantially over the 100# limit.

I used my ob roof rack to carry two 14'+ kayaks for a season.

Noticed the paint bubbling up around the front pads, so pulled the racks. Major rust under there.
The rack assy worked great, but unbeknownst to me the weight at the foot pads had slightly stressed the roof metal, and when you stress steel- it rusts fast.
So I stripped out the head liner and set to scraping and wire brushing out the rust to try to get everything back in order. There was even some pinholes rusted through the metal.(I don't know how these "rust preventer" compounds are allowed to advertise that they stop rust. They don't)

[Scooba Steve]

i weigh 160lbs, and i stand on top of my OB drilling holes into the stock roof rails with another 50 plus lbs weight of my spare tire, gas/tool basket, and a military C-Bag stuffed full of emergency supplies.

sure its not that good for the roof frame but it handles it just fine