| Author |
Message |
    
Pascal Van Strydonck (Vertige)
| | Posted on Saturday, October 19, 2002 - 01:43 am: | 
|
I just bought my first D1. It is a 97 SE and i love it to death, so far....
Anyway, here is my dillema. I want to use it to transport stuff from my Home depot to my new house. Stuff being, plywood, 2x4 etc... Also i would like to carry my mountain bike around plus my wife bike to.
So far, i see 3 option.
opt.1 Just use the existing factory rack with reinforcement bar from Thule with bike adapter. Around 250$
opt.2 Install a full Thule rack with bike adapter. Around 350$
opt.3 Install a Adventure rack with bike adapter. Atound 1000$
Any thought.....?
Pascal |
Ho Chung (Ho)
| | Posted on Saturday, October 19, 2002 - 01:58 am: |
|
i'd go with option 3.  |
Ho Chung (Ho)
| | Posted on Saturday, October 19, 2002 - 02:07 am: |
|
ok, well, if you are only gonna use the rack for home depot stuff, the thule thing might work better.
but option 3 sure makes it cool. |
Carter Simcoe (Carter)
| | Posted on Saturday, October 19, 2002 - 02:31 am: |
|
There are lots of other rack options out there: Willderness, Surco, and Brownchurch are a few. |
Mike B.
| | Posted on Saturday, October 19, 2002 - 07:27 am: |
|
Before you rush out to buy a roof rack for your bikes, I'd try a dry run. Take a bike and see if you can lift it that high.
Another option for a bike rack is the one made by Land Rover. It is a very nice bike rack that mounts to your receiver hitch. It works great! It swings away so you can open your rear door with the bikes still mounted. Did I mention that it works great? It's the nicest bike rack I've ever seen. I have one, so I'm probably a little biased.
As far as roof racks go: A Disco is pretty tall. Putting stuff up on a roof rack is a royal PIA if you don't have to. Also, put much weight up there and it gets pretty tippy.
I have an Adventure Roof rack. I prefer to fold down rear seats and put the stuff inside. For those times when it won't fit inside, I'd recommend renting a small trailer, renting the Home Depot truck for $19.99, or better yet, I'd have Home Depot deliver it to my house for free!
Thanks,
Mike B. |
charles pastrano (Charles)
| | Posted on Saturday, October 19, 2002 - 11:54 am: |
|
I understand that you only gave 3 options but Mikes fourth option is pretty good. Putting a bike on the roof rack is a PIA. I use the rear mounted bike rack like Mike. It is much easier. I also use my ARB rack to move big items like pipe, wood, etc from Home Depot. Works great because it is flat with mesh floor. If your first concern is biking, buy the rear mounted bike rack or spare tire mounted bike rack. Renting the Home Depot truck is not a bad option. Just depends on how much wood and how often you are talking about. Roof racks are always useful. I always say when buying a tool never go cheap. You will spend more money in the long run buying a cheap tool then a good quality tool. Same applies to roof racks.
Just my .02
Charles |
Chris Browne
| | Posted on Saturday, October 19, 2002 - 12:02 pm: |
|
Do the simple Thule high feet and bars for the roof. A receiver rack (Yakima/Thule/LRNW/Allen)for the bikes.
I've carried entire childrens playground sets, 4x8,2x8s workshop storage kits, tables etc on thethule roof bars.
Do spring for the triangular thingys that mount on the cross bars-they stop side to side motion and give you a place to thread straps |
Andrew Clarke (Aclarke)
| | Posted on Saturday, October 19, 2002 - 07:33 pm: |
|
I've always put my bikes on the roof of my vehicles. I'm pretty tall (6'3+) but there was no way I was going to put my bikes on the roof of the Land Rover! I also don't like the idea of having to either always put on and take off a receiver-mounted bike rack or always have to swing it out of the way before opening the door, so I got one that fits on my spare tire. It takes up no space when not in use (the bars swing parallel with the wheel), doesn't get in the way at all, was cheap ($75) and works well. It's made by Hollywood Racks. Yakima & Thule make better spare tire racks but I was in a real hurry when I got mine and couldn't find the other ones. Plus, I've heard they don't mount on a Discovery although you could easily make (or have made) a mounting bracket for them. That's probably what I'll do in the long run. My vote definitely goes for a spare tire mounted bike rack.
As for Home Depot, well, there are lots of other good ideas there from other people ;-) |
redneck
| | Posted on Saturday, October 19, 2002 - 09:09 pm: |
|
Solution 5, sell the bike and SPEND MORE TIME ENJOYING AND DRIVING THE ROVER!!!!!!!!
LOL |
Al Oliveira (Offroaddisco)
| | Posted on Saturday, October 19, 2002 - 10:13 pm: |
|
You need the bike as part of your tool kit to get the Disco fixed. |
Leslie N. Bright (Leslie)
| | Posted on Sunday, October 20, 2002 - 12:04 am: |
|
I've got a Yakima rear-receiver bike carrier, and I like it a lot. The swing-away would have been nice, but was a lot more than the non-swing-away... plus, I don't leave it on there all of the time, I just put it in when I'm going to carry the bikes, so, it wasn't a big deal that it didn't swing away.
A trailer might be more practical than a roofrack for carrying lumber, etc., and would probably be cheaper than a good roofrack.
IMHO, FWIW....
-L |
Carter Simcoe (Carter)
| | Posted on Sunday, October 20, 2002 - 01:00 am: |
|
I use a hitch mount bike rack as well, I can't say as I like the possibility of someone rear-ending my bike but I really wouldn't like to heave that thing up top especially with my two inch lift and 32 inch tires. |
michael burt (Mikeyb)
| | Posted on Sunday, October 20, 2002 - 01:49 am: |
|
buy lighter bikes |
Andrew Clarke (Aclarke)
| | Posted on Sunday, October 20, 2002 - 02:08 am: |
|
mikeyb: eh?
It's not the weight of the bike, it's how the #*&($ do you get the bike up on top of the truck? It was enough of a hassle with my Jeep XJ w/- 2" lift but to agree with Carter, it's a long way up on top of that Land Rover! Then you've got to somehow balance it they're while you're securing it in.
At least if somebody rear-ends your bike their insurance will (hopefully) buy you a spanky new one. If you're a dumbass and drive your roof-mounted bike into a gas station overhang, you're the one who's out of pocket. |
michael burt (Mikeyb)
| | Posted on Sunday, October 20, 2002 - 02:18 am: |
|
i used to work at a bike shop as a mechanic and i saw a few people who drove their bikes off the roof of their cars/trucks...snicker. to me it is like a lot of other things...you gotta pay attention...i am 6' tall and i have been honking bikes, canoes, kayaks, et al on the roof of sport utes for a long time. the disco is very much the tallest of the ones so far, but it is doable. and yeah, some of them are a pain in the ass, but i like on top best. i have the lrna adventure rack with a mix of thule and yak stuff attached with yakama "snap arounds." they are not a perfect fit, but a little bit of spare tire to fill the space works great. i usually stand on the rear bumper or on the rear tire and just lift away when it comes to bikes. takes a bit of skill and practice, but so does riding a bike. and once you learn how...you never forget. i would write a tech article, but i am not that good of a tech writer...;) |
Carter Simcoe (Carter)
| | Posted on Sunday, October 20, 2002 - 01:13 pm: |
|
My bike has got an aluminum frame, it isn't gonna get much lighter and it would still be a pain in the ass to haul it up there (especially after a long day of riding) |
Jerry Crawford (Jcrawford)
| | Posted on Sunday, October 20, 2002 - 02:04 pm: |
|
IMHO - if I'm going to big box to buy a bunch of stuph and I don't think it will fit inside the truck (like ten foot 2X10's and sheets of plywood)I hook up my little utility snowmobile trailer and go for it. It's a lot cheaper than a roof rack [I bought it fifteen years ago for $100 at an auction] and a hell of a lot easier to load/unload. |
michael burt (Mikeyb)
| | Posted on Sunday, October 20, 2002 - 03:43 pm: |
|
come on guys, everybody on here spends beaucoup dollars and time making heroic mods to their trucks and somehow putting a bike on the roof stumps us. get ho to add room for mpeg's or avi's and i will show how easy it can be. or maybe i can market an "up top" video to sell on this site next to the off road stuff... |
Blue (Bluegill)
| | Posted on Sunday, October 20, 2002 - 04:07 pm: |
|
don't store anything other than dust on the stock crossbars... |
jay caragay (Jcaragay)
| | Posted on Monday, October 21, 2002 - 01:30 am: |
|
Pascal-
While the adventure rack is a great accesory to have , it's terraced design might make it difficult to properly secure plywood sheets when you go to Home Depot. I think the stock crossbars with pads and straps should do you just fine. Even 8ft 2x4s can be creatively stored inside the Disco - if you don't have too many 2x4s.
Even worse, the height of the Discovery roof makes it a prime candidate for giving your physical ailments caused by heavy and awkward lifting of plywood and other materials. Not to mention what a PITA it is to mount bicycles to the roof.
To settle that, I use a Rhode Gear Spare Tire Bike Mount. Goes right on the spare tire and you can use it when you're trailering something. Great, easy to install and remove and works like a charm. |
Greg P. (Gparrish)
| | Posted on Monday, October 21, 2002 - 09:11 am: |
|
I will second that the adventure rack is a great accessory. I put eight 3"x5"x8' gardent timbers and one 4"x6"x8' post on mine Sunday, and drove a few miles. I figured the weight of all that treated wood was at least 450 to 500 lbs. The rack held it without problem. I guess i can see that it would be hard to strap plywood to it, but I think it would hold it just fine as long as you properly strap it down. |
Rob Davison (Pokerob)
| | Posted on Monday, October 21, 2002 - 10:00 am: |
|
i dissagreee with jay.
i've hauled 40 tubafores + 20 sheets of 3/8 drywall on top of mine. seems to fit nicely in the basket with the remainder sticking out off the back
rd |
Andrew Clarke (Aclarke)
| | Posted on Monday, October 21, 2002 - 06:19 pm: |
|
Yeah mikeyb. Please post an mpeg of you loading your bike on the roof so I can figure out how to do it ;-)
It's not that I can't figure out HOW to do it, it's just that it's a lot easier to load them on the spare tire. Otherwise I always prefer roof mounted - did it on my Jeep Cherokee, Honda Civic, Nissan Sentra, Subaru Outback. |
michael burt (Mikeyb)
| | Posted on Monday, October 21, 2002 - 08:13 pm: |
|
hey andrew...;)
yeah, i hear you...;) it is easier, i just like hazing everbody about this topic. since christmas is comming up, i guess i should be less of an ass...! i know you want to get me something nice!
but anyway, it is easier. i just prefer roof mounts. i trust me watching how tall i am more than someone else watching how far back i go. i drove an audi A4 for a year last year and i can't tell you how many times i almost threw my bike OVER the car because the silly little thing's roof was so low. damn cars you can see over.
mike |
ryanspeed
| | Posted on Tuesday, October 22, 2002 - 10:53 am: |
|
I bought a slider step from rovertym when I got my sliders so that it would be easier to load the bikes on top. I have since discovered that because I am 6'6", and have no problems getting my bikes on top, that it is more trouble to get that step out every time. For those of you who are not qute as tall as me this would be a good option. Plus, if you don't already have sliders this is another way you can justify the purchase. Yakima also makes a spare-tire carrier that mounts through the center of the spare, like the SG Hi-Lift mount, that is really stable. Plus, it swings out with the door, and doesn't decrease departure angle by sticking out from the hitch reciever. |
Rans (Rans)
| | Posted on Tuesday, October 22, 2002 - 01:01 pm: |
|
Greg, could you post a photo of your truck with that load and describe it as a legit use? Were you just testing the rack for strength by driving around for a few miles? Are you gonna wack me with one of those beams for asking all this? |
michael burt (Mikeyb)
| | Posted on Tuesday, October 22, 2002 - 01:18 pm: |
|
i built this climbing wall in the backyard this spring...all the stuff (several trips, not all in one go) went on top and all was loaded by my six foot tall self. i would not get on the highway, but a 4X8 sheet of plywood is very easy to load (5/8 inch at that) and it straps down very easily.
 |
Andrew Clarke (Aclarke)
| | Posted on Tuesday, October 22, 2002 - 01:33 pm: |
|
Hey ryanspeed. So do you know that the Yakima rack fits the Discovery I? I was told by several people that they didn't think it fit because the spare on LR is offset, too big or some nonsense like that. I haven't tried it yet. |
Paul de Man (Deman)
| | Posted on Tuesday, October 22, 2002 - 02:11 pm: |
|
For construction materials I found that Thule crossbars on the LR rails with the LR extention rails work great. If it's only long boards or pipes, I load them from the back door through the front sunroof (carefully and not on the highway).
I'll also add my vote for the LR swing-away bike rack. It's expensive but worth the money. It's the best rack I've owned, and although opening the door is easier when the rack is not there, it is still very handy to use. It is convertable for 4 or 2 bikes so it does not stick out too far when you are only carrying 2.
In my DII, I can fit my hybrid or my road bicycle vertically with wheels attached with only the single rear seat folded down. This is the easiest way to carry a bike. |
Andrew Clarke (Aclarke)
| | Posted on Tuesday, October 22, 2002 - 06:27 pm: |
|
Holy climbing wall, Batman! |
michael burt (Mikeyb)
| | Posted on Tuesday, October 22, 2002 - 06:34 pm: |
|
if it got cold enough in texas in winter, i would ice that baby up for some real alpine adventures...! |
Blue (Bluegill)
| | Posted on Tuesday, October 22, 2002 - 06:35 pm: |
|
here's a climbing wall
 |
Kyle
| | Posted on Tuesday, October 22, 2002 - 06:39 pm: |
|
Lemme see you get that on the roof rack (that you dont have) Blue.....
Kyle |
michael burt (Mikeyb)
| | Posted on Tuesday, October 22, 2002 - 06:40 pm: |
|
i would rather have that in my backyard!...but stuff like that is a 90 minute drive. the wall in the back yard is easier to get to everyday and the toilets are cleaner. |
michael burt (Mikeyb)
| | Posted on Tuesday, October 22, 2002 - 06:47 pm: |
|
this is the one i really want in the backyard, though...i would never leave home.
 |
Blue (Bluegill)
| | Posted on Tuesday, October 22, 2002 - 07:17 pm: |
|
very nice! but that wouldn't last long in my backyard, and I already have a pool |
Peter J Blatt (Peteb)
| | Posted on Tuesday, October 22, 2002 - 08:55 pm: |
|
I too decided to put my mountian bike rack up top
2 big problems
How cool do you look pulling a ladder from inside to get the bike?
do you reailze that even with my 16.5" frame the seat was 10'6" from the ground? a branch might like your bike better that you! |
michael burt (Mikeyb)
| | Posted on Tuesday, October 22, 2002 - 09:35 pm: |
|
i have mounts for 4 bikes on top. two are at the very back so if i have to, i can mount the bikes so they draft behind the truck when i am on forest trails with limited clearance.
hey blue...
so you don't just set your pool on it's side during the winter...?
;)
mike |
Rob Davison (Pokerob)
| | Posted on Tuesday, October 22, 2002 - 10:42 pm: |
|
this is what happens when you go rackless...
rd |
michael burt (Mikeyb)
| | Posted on Tuesday, October 22, 2002 - 11:06 pm: |
|
wow, rob!
i bet you made friends on the way home...!
;)
mike |
Rob Davison (Pokerob)
| | Posted on Wednesday, October 23, 2002 - 10:12 am: |
|
yeah, i was pretty worried... hehe
32pc of 2x4x16 ft wolmanized and on sale for $50 i couldn't pass it up ;)
rd |
michael burt (Mikeyb)
| | Posted on Wednesday, October 23, 2002 - 12:20 pm: |
|
no kidding...NICE! i would say that was worth a twisting back-road drive home...
good job!
mike |
Carter Simcoe (Carter)
| | Posted on Wednesday, October 23, 2002 - 12:24 pm: |
|
jesus Rob. |
Jeff
| | Posted on Friday, October 25, 2002 - 09:34 pm: |
|
Man, I use to think Land Rovers were for snobby housewifes to drive to the market...you boys changed that stereotype real fast. You guyz are, like crazy...no seriously, rock climbing walls in trees, a ton of wood hangin out the back window (cancer couldn't kill Lance Armstrong but I bet 127 two-by's to the head might slow him down). I gotta party with you guyz! |
Closed: New threads not accepted on this page