Weight Loading Considerations 110 CSW

You won't regret a Howling moon, i love mine, makes the whole camping thing so comfy.
By the way, if you have any questions about how i set my gear up, just ask.
I will be posting a few reports soon of my adventure to Morocco.

not to throw a spanner in the works, but LR state 75kg max load on the roof. apart from SA models which can take 150kg...

...not that anyone takes any notice of this!

Is that all! I had my roof rack made specially and had extra mounts put in.
I have seen some good ones that even have supports that come down to the windscreen mount on the front and down to the lower tub on the rear, wonder if this ups the load rating?

if you have supports onto the chassis then yes it will. also if you have a roll cage and a rack on that then 75kg goes out the window, but LR only designed the gutters to a limit of 75kg... but alot of people use a RTT and some extra stuff up there without too much problem. i think it would be unwise to load much more though. i only have my RTT at 35kg on roof bars and then the front half of an ARB roof rack with my waffles and recovery gear on. maybe some fire wood depends on time of year. but thats prob exceeding the limit.

G

Spoke to TrekOverland today and they say that 75kg is generlly recommended across the board on all vehicles regardless of size. However, the 'army' load vehicles to the gills and in TO's number of years of experience, have not had a single weight load problem to date with the type of tent (90kg) and roof rack (45kg) - not far off double the total I'm asking for on a 110 CSW. Time will tell. Was think though that I need to look into suspension and shocks etc. Meantime, sad news is that roof tent now not due from SA until summertime - ages away - as did not make the container in time for end May delivery. Maybe this is not such a bad thing as gives me more time to look into.

I have run with well over 75Kg on roof (rack alone probably weighs that) over more years than I care to mention. No probs , mind you I have always spread the load the length of the gutters, with bars up from the windscreen mounts. Including travelling on hundreds of miles of corrugations , which are a lot of what causes problems . HTSH

Thanks. What about suspension and shocks - how do I go about addressing as a '1st timer'? Do nothing and see what happens to vehicle (wait to see if collapses) or do something now to pre-empt - but how - do I just tell a garage/specialist what I am want to achieve and they do it? -prior to fitting rack and tent?

Griffdowg said:

not to throw a spanner in the works, but LR state 75kg max load on the roof. apart from SA models which can take 150kg...

...not that anyone takes any notice of this!

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Oh i bet the insurance company will when you roll it because you have too much weight up top

Did you read Chris Scotts book sahara, he had some good ideas in there on suspension (swapping springs about etc)

Anyone would think at a landrover falls over in a slight breeze.
In uk accident investigation would take into account vehicle loading, in most other countries the degree of sophistication is not there.
You will mostly suffer most from punishing yourself for getting the vehicle into the situation, eg too fast for conditions, driving whilst tired etc . Its worth having off road driving tuition,to learn tricks of the trade eg dont drive slopes at an angle etc.
Re spring set ups, wait untill you have the vehicle loading then you can get the spring heights and rates you need . As for shocks its abit of luck choosing the right ones , and personal choice. I use koni , have tried others, some were very dissapointing , damping , and strength of contrsuction. Dual shocks esp on rear can be usefull. Just some thoughts HTSH

OK - am starting to feel alot more calm now. Have 1st off-roading session on 2nd May (2 weeks away) - can't wait!!!! Also - have just volunteered to support a work based 3 Peaks charity walk event in North Yorks in Sept - (am going to be the rescue vehicle - stop laughing!!!!!!! - so what if the participants end up rescuing us instead!!!) so there's a challenge to be ready for - am looking into additional hill climbing training as a result - a whole new world is opening up. One thing struck me though - and sorry to keep going on about it - is with the 90KG tent and 45kg roof rack planned - not something I can take off and on the vehicle easily -- once on it stays on permanently!!! Therefore - do you reckon I'll be OK to off-road and hill-climb with this equipment on - as again the bible (LR manual) says specifically that you should not off-road with roof loaded - am I just a mad and worried padantic - I know I know these vehicles don't blow over that easily - just being cautious and trying to pre-empt cos we will have the kids with us for the long term trip (probably mainly on-road rather than off). Appreciate the providers who will be giving us off-road and hill climbing training will be able to give more info and advice also but just want to be be sure about what the vehicle can do with the final load weight.

you need to be a lot more careful when carrying weight on a roofrack especially when on sideslopes but as long as you take it slow and steady and watch for any potholes or dips that could cause the vehicle to lurch suddenly you should be fine.

The ideal is all weight low down , the more you get away from this the more the stability is affected. However having most weight low down with some up top is not that bad, the bigger the ratio of low down to up top the better. The worst is therefore heavily loaded roof rack with no load in the vehicle .
depending on vehicle mileage usage having roof rack and tent on full time incurs quite a fuel consumption penalty.
There has been discussions on various forums re methods of being able to lift tent/rack off when not required for periods of time.
From viewing various overland trip reports you should be able to take solace from the load abuse that takes place in most situations . The 110 will generally cope perfectly adequately with upto four adults and support supplies particularly if people are sensible about it. HTSH

Much obliged thanks and levels of calmness back to normal. Will let you know how we get on.

I just thought I would add on this post that many folk get confused when it comes to Roof Loads especially when it comes to tents. The beauty of most roof tents is the load is not 100 percent on the roof. The key is in the half which unfolds over the bonnet/rear/side.

This will be laddered and thats where a lot of the weight is going taking it from the roof effectively.

ER1C said:

I just thought I would add on this post that many folk get confused when it comes to Roof Loads especially when it comes to tents. The beauty of most roof tents is the load is not 100 percent on the roof. The key is in the half which unfolds over the bonnet/rear/side.

This will be laddered and thats where a lot of the weight is going taking it from the roof effectively.

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Do you drive around with it up then?

sorry, the weight still applies.

Also Cassie has finished her trip across the northern hemisphere, sent the landy back to the UK from Aus and sold it :doh:

G

Griffdowg said:

Do you drive around with it up then?

sorry, the weight still applies.

Also Cassie has finished her trip across the northern hemisphere, sent the landy back to the UK from Aus and sold it :doh:

G

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ound:ound:

G - Landy not sold afterall. We're off to Oz Jan 2012 for a flying visit. Then planning our next overland trip out there - back to work and saving hard again meantime. Which way round this time? Decisions, decisions Hope your plans are going well.