With camping/fishing season almost here I have a few questions regarding loading the Wilderness rack on my 4runner. (I posted this here instead of the camping section hoping more folks here carry weight on top of their wheeling rigs and will have more input).

First a short list of some of what's been done to the 4runner just in case some of the modifications might have bearing on my questions.

ZUK mod with 14" 125lb coils, with 1.5" BJ's up front.
Of course it's been geared in 4.56's to match up better with the 285/75/16's, dropped lockers front and rear also (hoping the gearing and lockers make it easier to climb little things slower with less sudden body roll).
No anti-sway bar up front.
Oh and a pile of engine mods that really don't matter for this......

Ok I retro fitted a 48"x60" Wilderness rack to the top for carrying some of the things I don't want to (or can't) fit into the cargo area.
The rack will be carrying a 5 gallon fuel can (about 40lbs full), a 5 gallon water can (also about 40lbs) my spare tire (60lbs for the tire and I think about 8 lbs for the wheel), my high lift jack (possibly 20lbs?) a shovel and an axe. The rack has hard point mounts for all of the above except the tire and I'll be buying a mount for that. So we've got what for weight up there so far? Figure 180lbs of gear and tack on about 100lbs for the rack? That doesn't count any tools that I carry (about 60lbs) that I've considered building a box for and mounting up there.

So 280 to start without tools.

Now I also plan on packing my ice chest up there if I can (140qt monster) and can't even guess at the loaded weight of that beast. (yes I'm building a ladder to attach to the rack and rear bumper to access it).....


My primary concern is not some crazy wheeling accident, if you ever wheel with me you'll know I'm really careful, but more worried about the drive up to the camping grounds and the other ding bat drivers out there. I've tried some higher speed "maneuvers" and it doesn't roll much at all.


Now to the questions.

1) Any advice on securing the load on top? (ice chest, bags, etc)
2) What have others done to ensure that you're as "non-top-heavy" as possible when packing a lot of gear?
3) Any recommendations on building other storage lower on the vehicle?
4) Does it matter if the spare or ice chest are farther forward near the cab or closer to the rear of the rig?

Since I'm moving the spare up to the rack I do have the option of building storage for the area where the factory spare used to be and don't mind cutting the old hardware out and installing some sort of compartment. The compartment will HAVE to be waterproof though. I did have plans to put a fuel cell under there but have been unable to find one that will fit since Downey went under.


Sorry for all the questions but it's that time of year and with my new lady wanting to go fishing and camping every weekend if we can swing it I REALLY want to have a locked down system for hauling this stuff that is safe. One roll-over and she'll probably want to stop going.

Oh and buying a pull behind camper is out since most of the places we go are way off the beaten path. Also of note is that my cargo area is almost full when I put the 150+lb camping box back there.

Thanks folks and happy camping!!

 

hey so i was searching for ideas to mount up a rack on my 87. how about some pics of your setup? Im probably gunna go with some cheaper off brand rack with an extension and I think it will be close to 40x60 like yours

 

ratchet straps.
I'd be more concerned about the fiberglass roof bowing and cracking.. have you considered any inner bracing?

 

i dont think the top can handle that much weight

 

I would ditch the roof rack and get one of those M415 military trailers, there designed to go anywhere...Use that to haul your gear...I saw one years ago in a nearby town and boy are they beefy HD!!!!

 

No problems.
Here is how it mounts. There are two long tracks that mount to the roof and the rack actually mounts to that. I did have to drill about a dozen holes and set in some riv-nuts.


On the rig right after install.



Most recently.


Hope that helps.


I still haven't loaded it up completely yet but will probably do so for the move to North Dakota.

 

Do you need maximum departure angle for where you fish and camp? Fire roads or actual wheeling trails?

The reason I ask is for the spare tire. I have 33" tires on my '87 4Runner and it fits underneath by flipping over the tire brackets (that also get you another 2" higher). I use this position for the spare when I go camping all loaded down. The trails for camping are mild. When I go *wheeling* I secure the spare inside the back to get the extra departure angle. Slight hassle but the weight is low.

It is a big deal to have that much weight above the roof because it elevates your Cg by a lot. We do rollover testing and only use 50kg (110 lbs.) on a roof rack. Lets just say there is a negative affect.

All that said, I too have been looking for a roof rack - a small Thule type that secures above the sheet metal only as I have a soft top. The purpose would be to store the light, bulky stuff: sleeping bags, clothes, pillows, etc. I would then be able to keep the heavy stuff low and in the cab. The other option is that rack that goes inside the trailer hitch. Again, this depends on the trails necessary to get to the fishing spot.

I would seriously think about keeping light stuff on top or using the rack off the trailer hitch if you can. I agree probably not an issue for you, but if you have to make an emergency lane change it could get exciting.

 

Nothing too crazy anymore with regards to departure angles, my actual wheeling days are pretty much over but we do try to get into more of the less traveled areas.

I'm currently in the middle of cutting out my rear cargo area to install a drop in storage compartment that will hold my tools and recovery gear so using the existing spare tire carrier won't work since I'll be cutting it, and the cross brace, out.

I believe you, I just try really really hard not to get into any serious off camber situations.

I also have a rack that goes into the rear receiver hitch and it holds things like fire wood, the chain saw and some other incidentals.

Thank you for the response and the advice. Next time I load it all down I'll try to snap a picture and post it up. I haul a lot of gear.