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Old 05-06-2013, 12:05 PM   #1
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Question ladder rack

Does anyone store anything on the roof of a trailer ? Mine is 9'9 tall and has a ladder rack and also has a rubber roof. If it's not for storage then why the rack on top ? if you would put something on top would it rub on rubber roof and harm it ? Thanks for any answers in advance.
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Old 05-06-2013, 06:55 PM   #2
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Roof access, for cleaning and checking roof condition is about all I use the ladder for . You will see people with all sorts of stuff pilled high on the roof of any RV, is it a good idea ? JMHO . NO.
Rubber roof and structure damage are the reasons, a modern RV roof may hold a person up ( static load ) for cleaning, but would it hold if he was bouncing around??
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Old 05-06-2013, 07:09 PM   #3
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Example; My Winnebago MH specifies a static weight limit for the roof, it is reduced by 90% when underway. Your RV has its own roof load rating.
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Old 05-06-2013, 07:19 PM   #4
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Neighbor. Cargo container on roof. One season. Indented and leaks.
So, NO
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Old 05-06-2013, 08:24 PM   #5
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It's a bad idea. Just a way for the manufactures to sell you something that they can put on there cheap and then try to make you believe that there TT is worth more because of something you can't really get use out of.
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Old 05-06-2013, 08:31 PM   #6
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Mine had one when I bought it. So far all my fishing rods and tackle are up there for the 'just in case' possibility of finding a lake with fish in it that I feel like catching.
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Old 05-08-2013, 07:28 AM   #7
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You need the ladder so you can get on the roof for maintenance and repair. But you don't want to haul anything on the roof that would ride on the rubber membrane. If you need to haul something up there, such as a Kayak or luggage carrier, then add cross members to the roof rack and put the weight of the load on those cross members, not on the rubber roof membrane.

Use the roof rack, not the roof of the RV, to carry the weight of the load. The cross members must be strong enough that they won't bend and allow the weight of the load to touch the roof. The roof rack is attached to the frame of the RV, and the frame can hold the weight. But not the middle of the roof.

Sorta like the roof rack on a Honda Odyssey minivan (and some SUVs), it has cross members that keep the load on the roof rack and not on the painted roof of the van. I had 2005 and 2009 Odysseys with roof rack. The cross members were standard on the 2005, but optional on the 2009.

But caveat: When you add anything to the roof of your RV, you will be adding aerodynamic drag, which will reduce your MPG at highway speeds. With the removable cross members of my Odyssey's roof rack stored in the barn, my highway MPG was about 2 to 3 MPG better than when the cross members were installed. And that was without anything on the roof rack. Add a bulky luggage carrier up there and MPG goes in the tank. So I suspect the same effect can be expected on an RV.
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Old 05-10-2013, 02:09 PM   #8
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Thanks everyone for the info.
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