Land Rover Off Road Modifications: Roof Rack

We kicked off last week looking at the raised air intake or snorkel. As we continue our look at Land Rover off road modifications, this we'll take a look at the trusty roof rack.

A good roof rack should be designed so that it spreads the load along the vehicles guttering and has mounting points along the side. Try to avoid roof racks that bolt together like Meccano sets, as they have been known to shake apart once you do any amount of off road driving.

Steel Roof Racks

Steel roof racks are heavier than their aluminium counterparts, but they are strong. Most steel racks are galvanised or powder coated.

If you are going to be using your rack to carry items whilst off road, its wise to get a rack with some additional bracing down to the body of the Land Rover. Its not so important for Discoverys which have steel roofs, but for aluminium roofed Defenders, its almost a necessity.

A good manufacturer for steel racks is Brownchurch, based in London. They have been producing racks for Land Rovers for over 30 years and supplied the racks for the Camel Trophy Defenders.

Aluminium Roof Racks

The very best roof racks are usually made of aluminium or aluminium alloy, which is relatively light compared to its strength. There are some good models available like Patriot, Frontrunner and Hannibal.

Some of the aluminium racks are designed to take roof tents, which you may be considering if you are travelling through remote countries - or perhaps just for some fun weekends away in the UK.

Any equipment mounted on a roof rack must be properly secured with ratchet straps. Don't be to tempted to put heavy equipment up there as it will make your vehicle top heavy and upset the centre of gravity - which is particulary dangerous on severe side slopes.

Remember, Land Rover recommends no more than 80Kg of luggage should be carried on a Land Rover roof.