2016 - 2017 crossbars weight restrictions

[peterk9]

I believe the weight restriction is for stability. As long as you don't speed around corners, etc I doubt it would be a problem even on the highway.

Peter

 

[Lincolnunit]

I believe the weight restriction is for stability. As long as you don't speed around corners, etc I doubt it would be a problem even on the highway.

Peter

Guess I’m about to be the test dummy for everyone. J bar is on the passenger side of cross bars will load two kayaks on them. If you don’t hear from me tomorrow I likely perished in an accident

 

[wrj0]

I recently bought a 2017 Explorer Limited with moon roof. Purchased the Ford crossbars from Amazon and installed using 8 of the cross bar nuts (4 came with the vehicle; 4 more from eBay). The cross bars do not at all interfere with the moon roof. I've also installed a Yakima SweetRoll kayak mount on the crossbars; it clamps firmly onto the crossbars and allows me to carry my Wilderness Systems Tsunami kayak (~50 pounds) just fine. With the kayak strapped onto the cross bars, the bars do flex a bit, but bow and stern lines attached to the kayak and to the vehicle has allowed me to carry the kayak without any issues. It's reassuring to be able to see the kayak through the moon roof while traveling.

 

[ADL_MKE]

I recently bought a 2017 Explorer Limited with moon roof. Purchased the Ford crossbars from Amazon and installed using 8 of the cross bar nuts (4 came with the vehicle; 4 more from eBay). The cross bars do not at all interfere with the moon roof. I've also installed a Yakima SweetRoll kayak mount on the crossbars; it clamps firmly onto the crossbars and allows me to carry my Wilderness Systems Tsunami kayak (~50 pounds) just fine. With the kayak strapped onto the cross bars, the bars do flex a bit, but bow and stern lines attached to the kayak and to the vehicle has allowed me to carry the kayak without any issues. It's reassuring to be able to see the kayak through the moon roof while traveling.

curious if anyone has experienced any issue with the Ford OEM cross bars with respect to the weight restriction?. i have a '17 Sport w MoonRoof. i have a Yakima skybox 16 (roughly 40 pounds) that i use with regularity on trips to up north WI (4 hours) packed with 4 duffel bags (guessing another 60 lbs at least) and have never experienced an issue. i am curious because i am about to drive 15 hours to Gulf Shores and am starting to think more on the weight restrictions in place. not thrilled to spend $400 for yakima cross bars.... just curious your guys' thoughts on the weight restrictions?

 

[peterk9]

Welcome to the Forum.
As I mentioned in post #41, I believe the restrictions are more for vehicle stability than the ability of the crossbars to carry the weight. Also have read interesting articles lately that mentioned that the weight would actually increase just by highway driving. Wind load I guess.

Peter

 

[ADL_MKE]

Welcome to the Forum.
As I mentioned in post #41, I believe the restrictions are more for vehicle stability than the ability of the crossbars to carry the weight. Also have read interesting articles lately that mentioned that the weight would actually increase just by highway driving. Wind load I guess.

Peter

OK thanks, my understanding as well. just curious if anyone has run into any issues. i think that ill continue with the OEM crossbars on our trip and see how it goes..

 

[RckyMtnTJ]

Guess I’m about to be the test dummy for everyone. J bar is on the passenger side of cross bars will load two kayaks on them. If you don’t hear from me tomorrow I likely perished in an accident

Did he never report back? Lol

 

[bauers]

For those using the stock Ford crossbars what are your thoughts on the weight limits? I have a moonroof and the 40lb limit isn't very much. I have 2 30lb paddle boards that I want to put up there and want to know if the limits are just ford covering their a$$ or if they won't hold the weight.

I'm looking at the Thule aeroblades if the stock won't work, but $400 more and a less clean look is tough. Anyone have pictures of the Thules installed?

Soooo, I didn't notice what year your explore is but, the weight limit on the 1999 etc stock roof rack cross bars is 150 lbs. On many occasions, as a renovator, I I loaded up to 15 4 x 8 sheets of drywall without issue. Not saying that I wasn't a bit concerned lol. And flattened out the crossbars but, used it as a work truck for 15 years. Never failed me once, and I live in the snow belt in Canada. I also had a sunroof.... Just my two cents...

 

[peterk9]

Soooo, I didn't notice what year your explore is but, the weight limit on the 1999 etc stock roof rack cross bars is 150 lbs. On many occasions, as a renovator, I I loaded up to 15 4 x 8 sheets of drywall without issue. Not saying that I wasn't a bit concerned lol. And flattened out the crossbars but, used it as a work truck for 15 years. Never failed me once, and I live in the snow belt in Canada. I also had a sunroof.... Just my two cents...

According to his profile in the margin, he has a 2016 Sport.

Peter

 

[guykickinit]

Precisely why I added a 3rd roof bar from a same year parts car.

 

[peterk9]

Precisely why I added a 3rd roof bar from a same year parts car.

The weight restriction is there for stability purposes to prevent the vehicle from becoming top-heavy. It has nothing to do with the strength of the roof as it is designed to hold up the weight of the vehicle in case of a rollover.

Peter

 

[guykickinit]

In my case it had everything to do with load capacity. I'm one of those slow drivers, so I don't care about a rollover. And since I lifted my rig it's already top heavy. Plus I think it looks cool and makes it easily identifiable in a parking lot.

 

[ORI]

I've read a few posts about roof loading with a sunroof because the weight limits are very concerning – they're surprisingly low. I want to build a roof rack that attaches directly to the roof (like in Lexus, Toyota, etc.) without the Ford roof rails.

The sides are made of 6mm aluminum bent at the top, connected with profiles (8 pieces - 30x60mm, L=1280mm most likely, they will be over the original ones), mounted with 5mm stainless steel angle brackets. Between the angle brackets, there's hard rubber with stainless steel bushings and plenty of sealant in the middle. The weight is about 25kg minus the Ford plastics. The roof is wider at the front than at the back, so I don't want to mess with different profile lengths because there won't be any sliding space.
The Ford roof rails are poor quality and, on top of that, they're bolted to the roof with M6 screws. All the brands I've looked at have M8 screws, and that worries me too. Apparently Ford put 6 bolts per side and others put 4
What do you think?

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2018 Ford explorer roof rack · May 31 – Jul 20 📸

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[peterk9]

I don't recall reading posts about the quality of the side bars aside from an issue a while ago about them lifting. That seems to have been resolved.
As I've stated previously, I don't believe the weight restrictions have anything to do with the roof's strength as I believe it is supposed to support the vehicle in case of a rollover. I think it has more to do with vehicle stability in that too much weight could make it top-heavy and more prone to roll.
Please keep us updated on your project.

Peter

 

[ORI]

For better cornering stiffness, I'll be adding a rear set (photos in the album). I'll keep you posted on my progress.
Paul