Manual: Can't believe what I am reading?!?!?!?!?

D

Dbone

New member
My wife and I are looking at buying a Thule cargo box that we can use on both our 4th gen 4runner and a new Volvo we are buying.

The Volvo roof rack is good to 220 lbs.

I checked the manual for the 4runner and almost dropped my drawers when I read that it is good for a maximum of 120 lbs !?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

WTF This can't be right...

I'm sure the roof rack on a Yugo can carry more than this...

Half of these cargo boxes weigh 60 lbs on their own...

Is this for real? Have any of you guys gone beyond this?

Cheers
 
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Maybe it is the factory cross bars that is the problem or something. Surely it is not the base rack itself...
 
I know I've exceeded that with our Thule. We have the Ascent 1700 and I've had it packed completely full before and driven 500+ miles with no issues. I bet with the weight of the box I had 200 pounds up there.

I think they state it that way in the manual as a CYA.
 
sheik said:
I know I've exceeded that with our Thule. We have the Ascent 1700 and I've had it packed completely full before and driven 500+ miles with no issues. I bet with the weight of the box I had 200 pounds up there.

I think they state it that way in the manual as a CYA.
Click to expand...

Yeah, common sense dictates that it is a conservative number me thinks...

Cheers
 
thanks for the heads up. I might have to look into it more. I have to buy one too before my trip to Colorado in march.
 
It is the same for the 3rd gen. too. Racks on both of my cars seem pretty sturdy. Here is a picture of my 3rd gen. The canoe has a canvas roof carrier stuffed inside the canoe, plus one pack back or two behind the roof carrier.
 

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The 120 lbs is even iffy if you wheel hard, trust me there....

I was carrying a hi-lift and 10 gallons of gas in my old Surco basket and after running in the desert the entire factory rack was loose. Not the crossbars, but rather where the rack rails that run the length of the vehicle meet with the plastic covers that cover the mounting points. I have since replaced it with a much stronger factory replacement.
 
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BlairB said:
The 120 lbs is even iffy if you wheel hard, trust me there....

I was carrying a hi-lift and 10 gallons of gas in my old Surco basket and after running in the desert the entire factory rack was loose. Not the crossbars, but rather where the rack rails that run the length of the vehicle meet with the plastic covers that cover the mounting points. I have since replaced it with a much strong factory replacement.
Click to expand...

What did you replace it with? You replace it with another Toyota part? Is that what you are saying?

Cheers
 
Rack capacities are based on the vehicles center of gravity and the vehicle manufacturer's degree of conservative engineering in addition to the actual structural strength of the vehicle.

Assuming we're comparing a Volvo sedan/wagon to the 4Runner, you can see where the Volvo would have a much lower initial COG than the 4R. The COG, and rollover risk, will go up as weight is added to the top of the vehicle. Volvo is already known for designing rather stout frames so as long as the rollover risk is within their degree of tolerance, they say have at it.

The US, in particular, is a very litigious country. Many people are looking to "win the lottery" with an "it's not my fault" lawsuit, so you'll see some rather conservative decisions made by OEMs. For example, identical CR-Vs are spec'd for 1500 pounds towing in the US, but 3500 in the UK...go figure.
A manufacturer has to take this legal risk into account when laying out specs for the consumer to follow, such as roof rack capacity.

By the same litigious concern, Yakima/Thule are never going to tell you to exceed the manufacturer's weight spec, regarless of how much weight their crossbars can support. FWIW, I've put my own 180# bodyweight midspan on *one* of the 4th Gen's cross bars (not on the vehicle rack at the time) and observed no noticeable deflection with a static load.

-Brent
 
riverwolf said:
Rack capacities are based on the vehicles center of gravity and the vehicle manufacturer's degree of conservative engineering in addition to the actual structural strength of the vehicle.

Assuming we're comparing a Volvo sedan/wagon to the 4Runner, you can see where the Volvo would have a much lower initial COG than the 4R. The COG, and rollover risk, will go up as weight is added to the top of the vehicle. Volvo is already known for designing rather stout frames so as long as the rollover risk is within their degree of tolerance, they say have at it.

The US, in particular, is a very litigious country. Many people are looking to "win the lottery" with an "it's not my fault" lawsuit, so you'll see some rather conservative decisions made by OEMs. For example, identical CR-Vs are spec'd for 1500 pounds towing in the US, but 3500 in the UK...go figure.
A manufacturer has to take this legal risk into account when laying out specs for the consumer to follow, such as roof rack capacity.

By the same litigious concern, Yakima/Thule are never going to tell you to exceed the manufacturer's weight spec, regarless of how much weight their crossbars can support. FWIW, I've put my own 180# bodyweight midspan on *one* of the 4th Gen's cross bars (not on the vehicle rack at the time) and observed no noticeable deflection with a static load.

-Brent
Click to expand...

What you are saying makes a ton of sense...I'm sure that is all it is...

In summary, keep the performance driving to a minimum and a 200 lbs load will probably be fine :hatsoff:

Cheers
 
Dbone said:
My wife and I are looking at buying a Thule cargo box that we can use on both our 4th gen 4runner and a new Volvo we are buying.

The Volvo roof rack is good to 220 lbs.

I checked the manual for the 4runner and almost dropped my drawers when I read that it is good for a maximum of 120 lbs !?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

WTF This can't be right...

I'm sure the roof rack on a Yugo can carry more than this...

Half of these cargo boxes weigh 60 lbs on their own...

Is this for real? Have any of you guys gone beyond this?

Cheers
Click to expand...

what box are you getting? and what do you plan on putting up there...skis?

i had a yakima skybox pro 18 and put it up top with the factory rails with 4 snowboards and a pair of skis and had no problem with it well over the 120 pounds it says..

are you buying the box just to transport skis?
 
Brian32 said:
what box are you getting? and what do you plan on putting up there...skis?

i had a yakima skybox pro 18 and put it up top with the factory rails with 4 snowboards and a pair of skis and had no problem with it well over the 120 pounds it says..

are you buying the box just to transport skis?
Click to expand...

The issue that I have is that I have a 205 lb dog (and growing) that pretty much takes up the entire cargo area as you can just imagine. I could be hauling anything from skiis to camping gear to luggage to whatever. The point is, if you are hauling anything but skis it doesn't take long to exceed the 60 lbs that would be technically be allowed after considering the weight of the box itself.

I haven't totally narrowed it down to an exact Thule box but it will be one of their larger higher end units. I am of the breed that pays once and keeps something forever. Cheaping out on these kind of boxes doesn't help ya. Some of the cheaper ones are pretty darn flimpsy....

Cheers
 

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