Rhino Rack Load Rating Calculator

What is my car and rack system rated to carry?

Before using the Rhino Rack Load Rating Calculator, there are a number of things to consider when working out your vehicle’s load rating. We want to help you understand the capacity of your roof racks and vehicle roof!

Firstly, it’s important to know that different vehicles have different roof ratings. You need to know the load rating of your vehicle before you do anything. You can find this information in your vehicle’s owner’s manual.

Secondly, there are a few different load ratings you need to understand. There are:

• On-road — The load rating of a vehicle when traveling on a sealed road.

• Static ratings — The load rating of a stationary vehicle, and is necessary if you’re using a rooftop tent for example.

• Off-road ratings — The load rating for vehicles traveling on un-sealed roads or “off-road”.

The off-road load rating refers to a vehicle traveling on an unsealed road that does not contain a surface protection layer. Sometimes, manufacturers will list the load ratings in the vehicle’s Owner’s Manual, however, you can calculate the off-road load rating yourself using the formula provided in your product fitting instruction.

 

Product Load Rating

This is referring to the maximum permissible load that can be supported by the roof rack product. Generally this is a higher load rating than the actual load you can carry on the product, on your vehicle.

 

What do I need to be aware of?

Many factors need to be taken into account with these load rating figures: Example: A roof platform may have a product load rating of 150kg and the mounting structure and/or legs have a load rating of 80kg – therefore the overall load rating of the product is the lowest number 80kg.  The conditions of the dirt road you are travelling has an impact that will also reduce the load rating. Always consider the load rating as the lowest of the values.

Lastly, it is important to remember, if you buy an accessory or holder and attach it to your rack or tray, you must also include the self weight of these in your cargo allowance. For example, you need to add the individual rating of an awning, fishing rod holders and luggage boxes etc, on top of the vehicle rating. All self weights of accessories need to be considered, including self weights of driving lights, shovels and jerry can holders, just to mention a few.

 

Overloading your vehicle

It is very unsafe to overload your vehicle. The “she’ll be right” approach is not appropriate in this context, and failure to follow the load ratings in each circumstance could result in damage to your vehicle, potential loss of your load, voiding warranty or insurance or cause traffic accidents. It is illegal to overload your vehicle.

 

Rhino Rack Load Rating Calculator

To get started calculating your vehicle’s load limit, you’ll need to make a note of your vehicle’s load rating from your vehicle’s owner’s manual as well as the Rhino-Rack Roof Rack system installed on your vehicle. Once you have this information you can begin by entering your vehicle details in the Load Rating Calculator.