Roof Cage

[firey_89 Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close firey_89]

G'day all

I'm in the market for a roof cage and saw an alloy one on Tigerz11's webpage that weights only 20Kg. What do you guys think of the alloy vs steel roof cage argument is alloy that bad, and also does anyone have one of Tigerz11 roof rack what is the quality like.

Cheers

[samo Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close samo]

alloy cages are good, i have had a rhinorack on my 120 for 5 years now, they are strong and a bit lighter then the steel cages. cheers samo

[firey_89 Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close firey_89]

Is alloy as prone to cracking as people say ill mostly be using it to carry my swag and chairs so it wont be too much weight.

[ondaboat Coopers Pale Ale Find all posts View Profile Close ondaboat]

Have an ARB alloy rack on my 120, got home from work the other week n found a heap of Ikea flat pack stuff (about 130Kg worth)
Asked wife how she got it home(Adelaide to Port Lincoln) Reply "on roof rack" I then explaned about the load rating.
Ally's the go. Strong n light to lift off as well.

Adam

[Guest Close Guest]

Ally is good. Light yet still very strong. Obviously, don't go driving into undercover carparks where the car won't fit and you won't damage it. Steel would be easier to repair in such a case but if you don't break it in the first place, you won't have any trouble with ally.

With ally being generally lighter, you can fit more on the roof. This is important if you want to carry a roof top tent, spare tyre+rim, jerry cans of fuel, hi-lift jack, etc.

[mjrandom Out of control poster! Find all posts View Profile Close mjrandom]

My alloy rack is about 15 years old. I have drilled holes in it to mount various bits and pieces and some of these are now 'spare'. Never had a problem with it. Not even when it was parked intimately under a building. Don't think cracking is an issue.

[williade Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close williade]

Extruded Aluminium as used on roof racks is (almost by definition) is quite mailable so cracking shouldn't be an issue. Cast Aluminium as in the case of Alloy wheels is quite brittle.

[firey_89 Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close firey_89]

Thanks for all the advice guys sounds like alloy is the way to go.

[letsgoplaces Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close letsgoplaces]

Thanks for all the advice guys sounds like alloy is the way to go.

You're right, and why would you want to take up half the load rating with a steel cage? And then you need to get the wife to help you take it off

[firey_89 Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close firey_89]

With the ARB type cages do you still need 2 people to put them on. How hardis it?

[KAKADAZ Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close KAKADAZ]

Have an ARB alloy rack on my 120, got home from work the other week n found a heap of Ikea flat pack stuff (about 130Kg worth)
Asked wife how she got it home(Adelaide to Port Lincoln) Reply "on roof rack" I then explaned about the load rating.
Ally's the go. Strong n light to lift off as well.

Adam

I had a good chuckle at that.....

[Guest Close Guest]

With the ARB type cages do you still need 2 people to put them on. How hardis it?

Due to the bulk, it is better to have 2 people to put it on. The weight is manageable but to get it on a lifted vehicle by yourself, and trying to get it balanced and level, is not easy, particularly if you are not 7' tall. I also read that the ARB ones are harder to fix the bolts on.

Have you seen the Rhino Pioneer Platform Rack?

[firey_89 Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close firey_89]

G'day amts

No i dont have any roof racks so was just going to use the gutter mount cant really justify the price tag for the rhino ones

[ondaboat Coopers Pale Ale Find all posts View Profile Close ondaboat]

Have an ARB alloy easy to get off 10 mins, 12 hex head screws which i undo with cordless drill then tie up in the roof of my shed.
To put back on takes about 30 mins, a bit of a stuff around but can do this all by myself.

Regards Adam

Edit: on the 120 there are 2 side rails which i leave attached all the time. Dont know how they attach to 90 series

[Brett1979 Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close Brett1979]

Has anyone bought a roof rack from Aussie Auto Parts & Accessories and have any experience, advice? They're based in Melbourne and stock Chinese or Asian equivalent roof racks. They're shipped out in flat packs and you put it together yourself at home at a $110 delivery charge to Toowoomba. I read of two Pajero forum members who lived close visited them and were happy with the build quality.
I'm interested in:

3/4 Length HD Steel Roof Rack Cage for Toyota Landcruiser 60, 80, Prado 90s:
1600mm long x 1250mm wide - 40kg.

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/3-4-Lengt...item43ad2e0dfc

It's half the price of reputable name brands such as Rhino and Powerful 4x4, and the Black Window alloy racks which are nice & functional but just so expensive and can't justify the huge price for occassional use. The rack is 40kg in weight and I'm only limited to another 60kg load limit on the roof anyway. It's not like I'd be driving with heaps of weight on it. I'm just thinking purely of cost and it's half the price of the same sized rack from a name brand. Plus if I bought a Rhino alloy tray I'd have to pay for another HD bar which is over $100. Also I've thought of how often I'd actually be using the rack..... Not all that often. So I'm leaning towards the Chinese one being good value considering how often I'd use the thing. It'd get the lighter bulky items out of the boot and up on the roof to create more boot space. I'll never buy a rooftop tent I don't think so that's why I'm going to get a cage.

I also have two HD Rhino roof bars in clear anodised which I'll sell on Evilbay at some stage to off-set the cost even more. I've owned them for 18 months and they've only been used a dozen times for carrying a 23kg kayak. They're basically still in new condition.