roof rack weight

Has anybody exceeded the max. roof weight on the car/truck? I have 2 kayaks that weight around 120lbs, the roof rate is 100lbs

I
I mounted blocks under my rack against the roof to help support the weight.

Is that what you really want to know?
Has anybody done it? Most certainly.



Does that make it ok? No.



If your overloaded rack breaks and your boats skidding down the highway cause an accident will your insurance company say “you’re not covered”. Probably.

MJ, the stated weight limits for racks
are conservative. I’ve exceeded loads on six different cars without consequence. It’s too bad that stated load limits are edited by lawyers, because rack buyers are made unnecessarily anxious until they discover that much more can be carried.

Bad advice
While some weight limits are overly cautious, telling someone without hesitation to overload their rack is BAD advice.



I have been around a fair number of roof racks rated at 100lbs. Some of those I can crush with my bare hands.



My advice, if you plan on exceeding the weight limit of a rack, the rack will probably not fail do to the weight of the load, but do to the forces wind applies to the load and the torque transmitted to the rack. Securing your load so that it does not move an inch is the only way to carry these loads.



Two hull straps, two bow straps, and two stern straps for each boat. Your rack won’t fail until it does. When failure happens, you’ll wish your load was secure.

I did not say "without hesitation."
But I have yet to own a vehicle where both the car manufacturer and the rack maker were not lowballing the carrying capacity.



I’d like to know what racks you can “crush” with your bare hands.

When I include
The weight of the Thule bars, feet and saddles, I exceed the limit every time I put two ordinary composite boats up there. But we’re not taking separate vehicles every time we want to go paddling.

wind or weight?
The wind against canoes is severe. Especially on an interstate, please go all our for a rugged rack. My round roof taurus neede to have holes and then screws up under the door frame for solid span. Please go all out so your boat does not smash a windshield. Very relaxing on a 1000 mile trip with solid rack.

Roof Weight Limit?
Are you talking about the weight limit on your vehicle’s roof, factory roof rack, or aftermarket rack? I have carried a lot of boats on many diffferent vehicle/rack combinations and never had an issue, but I don’t know the specifics about your setup.



I agree that most manufacturer specs are very conservative, but ultimately you have to decide if your setup is safe. Let us know exactly how you’re set up and we can try to help.