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Lightwater

Member Since: 21 Aug 2014
Location: Sydney Northern Beaches
Posts: 4723

2013 Freelander 2 2.0T SE Auto Fuji White

ARB awning & delux room with a floor

I have added an awning to the roof racks, another 12 kg! But with 4 cross bars the roof rails can take up to 100 kg. It was getting a bit tedious setting up a tarpaulin if there was wind of any minimal degree! Ropes everywhere to stabilize the awning. Still to be completed, but the custom brackets I think should be better than the run of the mill typical angle brackets.

Yet to be christened, preparing for next trip which from my research needs military grade weapons for mosquitoes! Thus have also bought an 'ARB deluxe room with a floor'!

Also trying to work out if I can raise the awning while in use with a custom bracket as they get pretty hot underneath. So a bit more headroom would be nice, but still want to get in the garage!

Click image to enlarge

My neightbour's real 4WD in background!

Click image to enlarge

Bracket still to be fine tuned! For reference the cast bracket both front & rear extend into the aluminium extrusion 68mm.

Click image to enlarge

Procrastination, mankind's greatest labour saving device!

Acoustic insulation ARB TPMS 3xARB air compressors After cooler Air tank On-board OCD pressure air/water cleaning Additional 50L fuel Carpet in doors ABE 2x1kg Waeco 28L modified fridge Battery 4x26ah Solar 120w Victron MPPT 100/20 DC-DC 18amps 175amp jumper plug Awning 6x255/60R18

26th Mar 2018 2:33 am

Largered

Member Since: 10 Jul 2016
Location: UK
Posts: 1978

That is neat, and a fine bit of engineering on those brackets.

I would like to see the photos of it out, with its sides/door. I am sure we will.

.

26th Mar 2018 8:42 am

Lightwater

Member Since: 21 Aug 2014
Location: Sydney Northern Beaches
Posts: 4723

Bolting on the brackets for the awning I noticed there there is only one screw up through the middle roof support bracket holding onto the extrusion. Not exactly generous with fastenings!

Click image to enlarge

Bit of a challenge getting Nyloc nuts on the bolts! Also tapped the roof rail extrusion to keep everything as firm as possible.

Click image to enlarge

27th Mar 2018 9:26 am

Largered

Member Since: 10 Jul 2016
Location: UK
Posts: 1978

Few forum members would understand what you are saying. Its only us engineers who know that life is not always a simple assembly project.

.

27th Mar 2018 9:49 am

Help i'm lost

Member Since: 21 Jan 2018
Location: Chesterfield
Posts: 64

2007 Freelander 2 TD4 GS Manual Baltic Blue

I'm also interested in this thread and would like to see the ARB unit, currently looking at the Oztent RV1 set up.

27th Mar 2018 10:17 am

RogB

Member Since: 16 Dec 2014
Location: Mansfield
Posts: 3868

2013 Freelander 2 SD4 HSE Lux Auto Santorini Black

Largered wrote:
Few forum members would understand what you are saying. Its only us engineers who know that life is not always a simple assembly project.

.

nope, I get it as well............. but then im a telecoms engineer

27th Mar 2018 10:33 am

Largered

Member Since: 10 Jul 2016
Location: UK
Posts: 1978

Help i'm lost wrote:
I'm also interested in this thread and would like to see the ARB unit, currently looking at the Oztent RV1 set up.

I have a Oztent RV1 ............... but the Tagalong variant [no longer available]

The Tagalong is a tent that sits opposite the main tent, joined by an awning connector. The RV-1 Tagalong is higher than the basic RV-1 tent.

Click image to enlarge

The 'Main RV-1' is on the left, with the 'Tagalong' on the right, of the above photo. (quite a lot higher)

27th Mar 2018 10:40 am

Help i'm lost

Member Since: 21 Jan 2018
Location: Chesterfield
Posts: 64

Interesting, and the bit on the right is similar to the RV1 is that correct ?.

27th Mar 2018 7:52 pm

Lightwater

Member Since: 21 Aug 2014
Location: Sydney Northern Beaches
Posts: 4723

I have removed the roof rail altogether. The screw holding the centre support to the extrusion was loose. It would be a good idea to at least check your roof racks & tighten up this screw. Also the pair of screws in the cross brace were a bit loose so check all 4 of them as well.

New bolt & a washer in place to replace the original self tapping screw.

Click image to enlarge

I used a bottle brush to hold the nut in place, still had to be gentle but it worked ok.

Click image to enlarge

I dropped in the nut through the hole above so it would land in the right direction, this was easy. I gently screwed in a bolt to hold the nut in place, then pushed in the bottle brush to hold the nut in place. Then unscrewed that bolt to then put it in through the bracket.

Click image to enlarge

New bolt and nut in place.

Click image to enlarge

New bolt and nut in place.

Click image to enlarge

New bolt and nut in place. M6 (6mm) Allen 20mm Stainless with the end ground back a bit so it wouldn't push too mush into the extrusion.

Click image to enlarge

I ground off one of the edges of the nut to fit in the extrusion better (dip the Nyloc nut in water every few seconds while grinding so the nylon does not melt). This also helped stop the nut turning while tightening the bolt. Still had to hold the bracket & extrusion apart, so they were in tension, to hold the nut in place to stop it turning but it worked quite well. The Nyloc nuts are harder to tighten in this situation, but they never undo by themselves!

Click image to enlarge

Last & "first" a 50mm extension on a small ratchet is about the right length to fasten the 2 bolts at each end of the cross brace.

Click image to enlarge

Now the right side of the car while I am at it, but I need a break first!

Also I will add a bit of packing to the end of the cast brackets as they are a bit loose sitting in the extrusion. The front left creaked a lot on rough roads & it got pretty tiresome over time!

The 6 bolts into the car roof were all tight. Just the bolts in the roof rack joints need checking.

I put a new bolt in the other side. A piece of cake the second time round! The original screw was on the roof next to the plastic cover! Bit of a worry!

Click image to enlarge

The internal edges filed off a bit so the casting can be pushed in with some packing. Used some high abrasion engine bay electrical tape.

Click image to enlarge

Also put a bit of teflon tape on all the original screws to be reused to help keep them from loosening. & for sealing for the ones into the roof.

So if you have roof rails pull off the side covers of the middle bracket & make sure the screw is tight or hasn't fallen out! Better still put a bolt in there instead! It wasn't really that difficult.

Link to Roof rack rail repair heavy load upgrade. https://www.freel2.com/forum/topic35376.html Procrastination, mankind's greatest labour saving device!

Acoustic insulation ARB TPMS 3xARB air compressors After cooler Air tank On-board OCD pressure air/water cleaning Additional 50L fuel Carpet in doors ABE 2x1kg Waeco 28L modified fridge Battery 4x26ah Solar 120w Victron MPPT 100/20 DC-DC 18amps 175amp jumper plug Awning 6x255/60R18

Last edited by Lightwater on 5th May 2020 2:17 pm. Edited 1 time in total

28th Mar 2018 3:10 am

DEG5Y

Member Since: 22 Jul 2016
Location: Widnes
Posts: 145

2009 Freelander 2 TD4 XS Auto Santorini Black

Two questions;
1) With regards to fiddling with your nuts, if you work in engineering then why didn't you use rivnuts as per the LR fitments of the crossbar?

2) "But with 4 cross bars the roof rails can take up to 100 kg." where does this info come from? Surely the 60kg max weight limit is for the strength of the roof where the roof bars are mounted.

28th Mar 2018 10:00 am

T4

Member Since: 05 Mar 2018
Location: Essex, Gower & anywhere inbetween
Posts: 141

2007 Freelander 2 TD4 SE Manual Tambora Flame

Very nicely done.

Is the screw connection due to it being a non LR product? I particularly like the way you dealt with that.

I am thinking a slightly less permanent fixing of the canopy to the roof rail might be more convenient; accepting it doesn't want to be so convenient that it can be nicked.

28th Mar 2018 10:44 am

Lightwater

Member Since: 21 Aug 2014
Location: Sydney Northern Beaches
Posts: 4723

The Land Rover cross bars only have a maximum load of 64 kgs. But they never mention 2 sets. Thule mention up to 100 kg on some of their models (probably gross weight, I haven't looked at the specs) which are mounted on the Land Rover roof rails. So if you have 2 pairs of Land Rover cross bars there is only 50 kg per set. Or say about 42.5 kg per pair net weight.

I have many nuts & find it easy to swap them out for maintenance!

Click image to enlarge

28th Mar 2018 10:53 am

Lightwater

Member Since: 21 Aug 2014
Location: Sydney Northern Beaches
Posts: 4723

T4 wrote:
Very nicely done.

Is the screw connection due to it being a non LR product? I particularly like the way you dealt with that.

I am thinking a slightly less permanent fixing of the canopy to the roof rail might be more convenient; accepting it doesn't want to be so convenient that it can be nicked.

I'm sure it is the same on the Land Rover rails looking at the design, if someone with original rails could pull the cover off & have a stickybeak, it is just not worth the time (cost) other than to use a self tapping screw & there are enough other bolts holding the roof rack together for bitumen road use!

The issue is rough roads &/or heavy loads & you really want to make sure everything is fastened. Bolting things together is better than welding. Down under you quite often see serious 4WDs with fully welded roof racks/platforms with mesh and many of the welds are cracked.

I will leave the brackets on the rails (1880 mm clearance) but will bolt on the awning when going away. We have new garage doors so now I have a bit more clearance (1925 mm plus a bit more if needed) so can leave the awning on if needed! The fuel tank holder has to be removed to get into the garage.

A lot of 4WDs down under leave their entire kit on the roof permanently, shovel, high lift jack, spare wheel, tool box, sand tracks, two 20 litre fuel containers (hopefully empty)..... & they probably only see the bush once or twice a year! Oh, & the bull bar has lights & aerials left right & centre!

Sand tracks..... next bracket! Procrastination, mankind's greatest labour saving device!

Acoustic insulation ARB TPMS 3xARB air compressors After cooler Air tank On-board OCD pressure air/water cleaning Additional 50L fuel Carpet in doors ABE 2x1kg Waeco 28L modified fridge Battery 4x26ah Solar 120w Victron MPPT 100/20 DC-DC 18amps 175amp jumper plug Awning 6x255/60R18

28th Mar 2018 11:05 am

DEG5Y

Member Since: 22 Jul 2016
Location: Widnes
Posts: 145

Lightwater wrote:
The Land Rover cross bars only have a maximum load of 64 kgs. But they never mention 2 sets. Thule mention up to 100 kg on some of their models (probably gross weight, I haven't looked & the specs) which are mounted on the Land Rover roof rails.

So your using the Thule max limit. I see where your coming from now.

I was interested as I too have two sets of cross bars (fitted after seeing yours) which I think is a much neater solution than the Thule bars I used to have.

28th Mar 2018 11:37 am

Lightwater

Member Since: 21 Aug 2014
Location: Sydney Northern Beaches
Posts: 4723

T4 wrote:
I am thinking a slightly less permanent fixing of the canopy to the roof rail might be more convenient; accepting it doesn't want to be so convenient that it can be nicked.

If you cut a flat section aluminium bar say 10mm thick (& mount inside the rail), & tap & screw that in place in a couple of spots with some smaller discrete screws, so that it is ready tapped for a larger bolt inside & outside, then that initial bracket would be ready to attach the awning bracket. All you would see outside are a could of screws & a hole for when you mount the awning.

Maybe I redesign my bracket this way using the same holes, to replace this first prototype!

The awning is 12 kg so it has to be easy to attach the awning without too much of a juggling act & avoid damaging the car in the process! Procrastination, mankind's greatest labour saving device!

Acoustic insulation ARB TPMS 3xARB air compressors After cooler Air tank On-board OCD pressure air/water cleaning Additional 50L fuel Carpet in doors ABE 2x1kg Waeco 28L modified fridge Battery 4x26ah Solar 120w Victron MPPT 100/20 DC-DC 18amps 175amp jumper plug Awning 6x255/60R18

Last edited by Lightwater on 28th Mar 2018 8:31 pm. Edited 1 time in total

28th Mar 2018 11:37 am

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