We have a Ford E350 with a fiberglass high top and aluminess roof rack. We’ve been trying to find out the weight capacity as we’re going to have to carry our second spare on the roof (92 lbs). We would like to put more gear up there but don’t want to overload the top. Anyone know?
That looks like a Fiberine hightop. You might contact them for info.
I think it would also depend on how your rack is mounted and therefore how the weight distributed. Is there a backer plate or wood strip on the inside of the top into which the feet are bolted?
If the top has been reinforced (by Fiberine) via wood laid into the Fiberglass your top should be good for 300#. Possible that Fiberine keeps records but if your roof rack was a SMB factory install I think it would be safe to assume it was spec'd with reinforcement for the extra weight.
That being said I would not wish pulling off a 35" wheel/tire combo from the top of a high top on my worst enemy. Do you have anything on your hitch? There is a photo on this site of a dual spare setup. Check out the "ultimate MX hauler". Something like that could be primo.
Plus an extra 100 lbs ten feet off the ground would add some additional pucker factor on a side sloping trail. I would really want that second spare, ideally, off the front grill (for balance but being extra careful if the engine is 6.0) or at the back . Lose the Hi Lift, if needed, and add a decent hitch receiver on the front frame might be a consideration.
re additional storage: What do you have under the van in the area directly aft of the rear differential and ahead of the frame cross member/ basement box, if you have one?
__________________
Ray
Beastie 3: 2002 7.3 EB Cargo: Agile TTB, CCV High Top, Custom Walk Through, Lots of stuff added. www.BlingMyRig.com
I wasn’t keen on the idea of putting the spare on the roof and your comments have convinced me that it’s a bad idea. It was poor planning on our part - hoping to leave on a 2 month trip in the next few days but not thinking about this beforehand. A friend is going to fabricate a rack to attach to the front Aluminess bumper using the brackets that held the high lift jack and the upper bumper bar.
I will share some photos when completed- hopefully tomorrow or Thursday.
^^^ Agreed. I would not personally be comfortable at all with a spare on top of a roof rack on top of a fixed high top on top of a 4x4 van, no matter what the top might be able to hold. Just too high of a COG for me.
Also, have you tried getting that on or off? Not gonna be fun.
If you want to know about what your top will hold climb up there and walk around. Most humans are anywhere from #150 to 250. See how it flexes, feels, sounds, etc. Preferably with a helper inside the van.
I wasn’t keen on the idea of putting the spare on the roof and your comments have convinced me that it’s a bad idea. It was poor planning on our part - hoping to leave on a 2 month trip in the next few days but not thinking about this beforehand. A friend is going to fabricate a rack to attach to the front Aluminess bumper using the brackets that held the high lift jack and the upper bumper bar.
I will share some photos when completed- hopefully tomorrow or Thursday.
I was typing while you were. I think this is a much better plan. Show us what you come up with.
Being 'prepared' is very sensible, especially traveling in unpopulated areas. It's amazing what you do/can learn from both You-tube videos on repairs & recovery and personal stories from people like those on this Forum. Two documented incidents from this forum have been my favorites; simply reenforces the 'possibilities' when you're armed with determination & ingenuity. And if all else fails, you still have 2 feet!
I know it's not the same as carrying a second spare, but after watching several video's on the use of this type of 'kit' I at least feel better equipped to react to an issue.
Using junk metal, my friend fabricated a front spare tire holder. I’ve attached some photos. So far it’s holding fine but we’ve been driving on the interstate. The test will be when we get on the backroads. It’s attached at the bottom to the brackets that held the high jack lift and using chain link fence brackets, it was attached to the top bar of the aluminess fender. A plate was welded on the back of the frame, drilled a hole and a large bolt slipped through that and a gear plate on the outside of the wheel to hold the wheel to the frame. Added some ratchet straps to better secure it. We got this done in 2 days so we could hit the road. We’re headed to northern Washington from upstate NY to drive the Pacific Crest Overland Route.
AWOL
Linear Mode
