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Roof rack max weight

Chevman88

Chevman88

I don't know what I'm doing
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I would like to put a roof rack on my blazer, but wanted to see what the max weight is for the fiberglass top. I want to put my spare tire and high lift jack up there and maybe a few other items.

Also, anyone happen to have roof measurements handy?
 
Just remember, it’s not all about the static weight. When you hit a bump/hole in the road everything on the rack suddenly wants to go up and then come smashing back down. So that suitcase that weighs 50 lbs can now look like 100 lbs momentarily.
 
The single walled topper on my 72 K5 was so flimsy it would wave up and down just driving on a bumpy road,I didn't dare put much weight on it--if I got up on the roof it would bow in a lot,and I only weighed about 150 lbs back then..I was tempted to bolt some 2x4's to the inside to beef it up,but I never did..

The full convertible '75 K5 I had was not that much stronger,but felt sturdier than the 72's roof..perhaps the fact the 72 had its fiberglass all sanded smooth weakened it some ?..plus it had a sun roof,which I bet weakened it substantially ..

The later K5's with the half roof are a lot stronger..but I'd guess anything over 150 lbs is pushing your luck ...
 
dont forget all that weight up high changes your center of gravity. Your gonna have more body roll the more you put up there.
 
It sounds like in going to need to invest in a swing down/out tire carrier. 37" tire on the roof is sounding more and more like a bad idea...Lol
 
This thread is relevant to something I've had in mind, adding a roof rack for storing things when camping. Not an everyday load or for long highway drives, rather fairly short distances with simple loads. I'm thinking tent, ground cloth, folding chairs, just some bulky items that don't mind being exposed to the weather during the drive.

I want something I can do myself, not requiring a steel frame/exoskeleton type thing.

I was looking at a simple tubular roof rack and thinking of bolting it to the fiberglass with polyurethane spacers between the rack and the roof. Maybe also attaching to the steel cab roof.

Almost all I see are meant to be snapped into pre-existing roof rail systems. I figure I could find the simplest design where the rack frame would allow some hardware to be added and it would lay pretty flat without being high off the roofline.

Thoughts?
 
Looking at making something with an
L track system and studs that work with it
And Bolt a rack to it that will make it removable
 
I just wouldnt want to wrestle a 37 up on the roof, getting it down would suck.... i used to throw my 33 up there and didnt like it one bit.

If your building a rack just bolt it through the topper and make the feet so it spreads the load as much as possible. Use a good sealer under the foot and in the bolt hole. In the inside use a mirrored mount to spead the clamping force.
 
Kain said:
Looking at making something with an
L track system and studs that work with it
And Bolt a rack to it that will make it removable
Click to expand...

Damn, I don't know why I didn't think of that!! Best idea I've seen for my purposes so far, thank you!
 
I watched a guy use a manual conduit tube bender for making one but cant find his vid
 
Thanks to @campfire for the pic you can see all the junk I have on mine while wheeling. It's only made of EMT (yes, I used 2 sizes of manual conduit bender), plus an expanded metal floor. All else being equal, the lighter the rack the better, as it adds to the total load on the roof. It mounts to 4 threaded inserts I put near the strong overlapping seams at the edges of the topper (originally for lifting the hard top off, but later re purposed for roof rack). So there's a chain saw, Hi-lift, axle jack, table, 2 chairs, grill, gallon of gas and tiny privacy tent and pull-out rear awning up there. In camp I walk on it regularly for loading and unloading. I did like 3000 miles this summer with this configuration, been running it for years.

imgp0027-copy-jpg.274830


I would NOT want the spare tire up there. I'd worry about the stress on everything from the 150lb wheel/tire, plus you pretty much need a hoist or something to get it up. Sure you can use a hoist or something at home, but if you get a flat on the trail you might have to rearrange all your cargo to get the spare inside the vehicle instead of on top. I also think you could kill somebody throwing a spare down from the roof. Trying to get the thing on the tire carrier is about all I can do! If your spare is a 28" on alloy it might be doable.
 
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