How Strong is the Roof?

[vantexan]

Hi guys, what's your experience with roof racks? Considering the engine size, does carrying anything on the roof put a severe strain on the engine/trans? Looking at rooftop tents, some of which can weigh 130+lbs.

[Neu]

you'll be fine. I've carried 2 dogs, me, another guy, and a girl with barely any noticeable strain. YOu'll be fine.

[ESI-RStarion]

i've filled the entire hatch with bricks, from the back of the seat to the hatch and all the way from left to right, stacked up to the windows. And also covered the roof with 6x12 beams from passenger side to driver side lol. It struggled but that tranny worked til the day I rolled it, the tranny is still sitting in my garage as a spare. Though it was a fresh rebuild on that tranny with less than a few thousand miles on it.

[jed]

about 450 # per side (right over the gutter mount) with thule racks is about the limit i have found. of course this is loading both sides equally. you still can put some junk in the trunk without bottoming out. its a tercel, not a race car, and not that polished expedition that is passing you. 500 # on a standard (thule) gutter mount damages the mount; as for the car the weakest link seems to be the brakes, but like stated before, its a tercel, not a race car. though i would not recomend goats on top of the car, when they dance they dimble the roof.

[takza]

Not sure where you'd find a 130lb tent. I thought of mounting a chunk of plywood up there and finding a regular tent that would fit it....just collapse it to move...plus would need a ladder. Cook out of the back hatch.

For decent mpg you'd need to keep the stuff on top low...I didn't lose mpg with a DIY roof rack...tent..chair...etc on top...covered with a tarp. Roof is pretty strong near the sides...the middle will dent if heavy stuff is on it?

Problem with a tent is that in some areas WIND is an issue and will tear a tent apart in no time.

[jetswim]

great thread as I just got a roof rack my brother in law found in his basement. Judging by the box it's from the 80's so it fit the Terc perfectly.

[vantexan]

Here's what I'm looking at:

http://www.autohomeus.com

Very expensive but expedition grade material. Would be lighter than towing a trailer plus no towing, registration issues, not to mention it's still cheaper than the trailer. I've looked at conventional tents, only a few hold up with extended use. Then there's the problem of setting them up including finding a place for them. With one of these I can pull into a Mexican Pemex truck stop at night, pop it open and be in bed in less than a minute. Breaking camp the next morning just as easy. Rooftop tents are popular in Europe, but especially so in South Africa and Australia. There are some other brands, some with neat sidetent attachments. But I like the Autohome's fiberglass shell. Just trying to decide if it's better to tow something that's considerably heavier but more spacious, or keep it all in one vehicle. One thing I could do if towing is use the Tercel's roof for a couple of solar panels to charge a couple of batteries inside. If this sounds like alot, well this is my retirement rig. Could go the very expensive Sportsmobile route, or buy a big RV, but bet they won't have nearly as much fun at many times the cost!

[4wdchico]

I looked into the roof tent thing in depth a while back. The Overcamp folks suggest using at least three cross bars if the vehicle is going to be used off the pavement. So I decided to use four and spread the load out really well.

What model Autohome tent are you thinking about? I like the Overcamp as it only uses up one half of the roof and leaves room for bike mounts on the racks also. Cheapest of the line as well.

Also, beefing up the rear swaybar by clamping another onto the existing one might be a good idea if running a roof tent.

[Mattel]

I always thought these SAAB campers were pretty cool. just take the hatch off and back it up. No more tent..



but being wagon rather than hatch like. Our cars would be better with this set up (as modelled by ms aztek): I'm sure you could get one made for the Tercel:



maybe sleep inside the car and get a roof box to put your gear in? would be cosier than on top i'm sure

[vantexan]

I looked into the roof tent thing in depth a while back. The Overcamp folks suggest using at least three cross bars if the vehicle is going to be used off the pavement. So I decided to use four and spread the load out really well.

What model Autohome tent are you thinking about? I like the Overcamp as it only uses up one half of the roof and leaves room for bike mounts on the racks also. Cheapest of the line as well.

Also, beefing up the rear swaybar by clamping another onto the existing one might be a good idea if running a roof tent.

I like the Coiumbus model for the headroom. I'll dig up a couple of url's of other rooftop tents I'm interested in also.

[vantexan]

I always thought these SAAB campers were pretty cool. just take the hatch off and back it up. No more tent..



but being wagon rather than hatch like. Our cars would be better with this set up (as modelled by ms aztek): I'm sure you could get one made for the Tercel:



maybe sleep inside the car and get a roof box to put your gear in? would be cosier than on top i'm sure

Thought I'd seen every truck camper out there. That Saab camper is wild! I've looked at those hatch tents but the problem is what they're made of. Fine for occasional use but UV rays would eat them up in a matter of weeks with extended use. The materials used in quality rooftop tents will outlast me.

[vantexan]

Here's a South African rooftop tent that is very popular with off roaders on the Expedition Portal forum:

http://www.eezi-awn.co.za/

I especially like their awning with side panels. Could work well with the camper I'm considering.

Here's a pop-top conversion for Honda Elements:

http://www.ursaminorvehicles.com

Access is thru the moonroof.

[vantexan]

Here's the trailer I'm buying:

http://www.weiscrafttrailers.com/roughneck.html

Bottom line is if the SR5's transmission can handle occasional towing without falling apart I'll get the trailer. If that's too risky, I'll get the rooftop tent. Based on what I'm reading here, towing this trailer not a problem.

[takza]

I'd use a quality gear oil with maybe a moly additive and change it out every 15K at least.

Another mod for the T4WD that works well is to remove the rear seat and replace it with a section of plywood or waferboard on hinges and legs in front. Great place to carry heavy stuff like tools and jacks, etc...also saves 50 lbs or so in weight. Best to keep the heavy stuff down low.

[SirNik83]

I drove from Northern California to Texas with 3 people and camping gear. then back from Texas to Northern California with 4 people in my car, camping gear for all 4 people on the roof, around 150lbs. and the contents of my friends dorm room in the rear cargo area, stacked to the roof. around 400lbs. plus the weight of 4 people.

The car drove fine. we looked like the Beverly Hillbillies, and the Shocks were GONE, and i had to replace the rear tires in Winslow Az. but we made it.