weight limit for rear moon roof

[vvkvinay]

I have a 2011 ford explorer with a rear moon roof and factory installed side bars. As the cargo space is very less when there are 7 people, i am planning to use a cargo bag.
My concern is
1> Is it advisable to use a big cargo bag which will rest on the moon roof as well? or get a small one which sits between the moon roof and the antenna?
2> If its fine to use a bigger bag, is there a weight restriction for moon roof?
I tried to be as clear as possible in my question. Please let me know if you need more explanation

 

[K1200rsport]

Why don't you buy cross bars, then you don't have to worry they are around $130 bucks or so.
And welcome to the forum.

 

[Jackal01]

Why don't you buy cross bars, then you don't have to worry they are around $130 bucks or so.
And welcome to the forum.

+1. $130 a lot cheaper than replacing the moonroof. And they prevent scratching.

 

[Spengracin]

Welcome to the forum, yes buying cross bars are much cheaper, and more secure to attach the roof load too!

 

[BooYahDad]

Yes, cross bars would be better, but the original question was regarding a cargo bag. Those rest directly on the roof and can be secured to a cross bar, but it would not sit on top of a cross bar. Only a hard case would.

I use a cargo bag on my wife's car, so I'd be curious too? Even with no dual roof on hers, it's a 100-lb limitation. I have to assume it's even less with glass?

 

[Lhymes]

There is no weight limit on that window. You don't store stuff on it. If you go over a bump and have something in your bag that may happen to distribute a little extra weight on a small area of the window, you'd likely crack it. Cargo bags can be stored on crossbars - you just need go adjust then close together.

 

[Jackal01]

Yes, cross bars would be better, but the original question was regarding a cargo bag. Those rest directly on the roof and can be secured to a cross bar, but it would not sit on top of a cross bar. Only a hard case would.

I use a cargo bag on my wife's car, so I'd be curious too? Even with no dual roof on hers, it's a 100-lb limitation. I have to assume it's even less with glass?

why not slide the cross rails closer together?

 

[MikeFreas]

I went the cargo bag route also. Considered getting a hard case but they aren't cheep and take up allot of space when not in use. Using a cargo bag with some stuff in it shouldn't be a problem in my mind. A small suitcase and some gifts shouldnt be any problem.

 

[BooYahDad]

why not slide the cross rails closer together?

Well, I have a pretty large cargo bag, so it'd either sag in the middle or over either end of the cross rails. But based on my first experience with the bag, having a cross rail in front of the bag to secure it from "lifting" was pretty important.....you don't really want wind getting under those bags. Hard case? No problem, but my experience is that the soft bags have to be pretty locked down to not flap or lift.

 

[BooYahDad]

I went the cargo bag route also. Considered getting a hard case but they aren't cheep and take up allot of space when not in use. Using a cargo bag with some stuff in it shouldn't be a problem in my mind. A small suitcase and some gifts shouldnt be any problem.

I agree - I wanted a hard case, but would have to store it the 99% of the time I wasn't using it. My cargo bag folds to the size of a sleeping bag. When we go camping, I can fit a tent, 4 sleeping bags, pillows, clothes, camp furniture, etc. in it - it's great!

 

[MikeFreas]

I'll let everyone know how mine does on the 260 mile trip Fri morning. I have the dual moon roofs also. My only concern is wind noise. I strapped a folded crate for my dog ontop of the cross bars Thanksgiving weekend and had horrible buzzing from the straps holding it until I stopped for breakfast. I found if you tie a tube sock to each one it will keep it from resonating in the wind.

 

[Lhymes]

I really don't think it's a great idea. If you don't want to lay the soft bag directly on the crossbars pulled close together, I'd make a plywood platform for it. Would be cheap, can easily make it attractive, and simple to store.

 

[MikeFreas]

I really don't think it's a great idea. If you don't want to lay the soft bag directly on the crossbars pulled close together, I'd make a plywood platform for it. Would be cheap, can easily make it attractive, and simple to store.

That would be bad also because there is no way the wind isn't going to get underneath it. If it turns out its bad then I'll look at hard cases.

 

[Lhymes]

That would be bad also because there is no way the wind isn't going to get underneath it. If it turns out its bad then I'll look at hard cases.

Yeah, the wind will go under the plywood, but what's the big deal? I can think of a number of easy to build rigs. You'd just want the plywood cut to size (add an extra 16"-2' in width and length over the size of the cargo bag, some rubber feet affixed on to prevent nasty vibration noise, either holes for running cords to attach it to the crossbars or u bolts large enough to mount it to the cross bars, and some holes drilled with a 1"-1.5" hole saw for running bungees through to affix the bag to the rig. If you wanted to get fancy, some rubber tubing to put over the u-bolts to prevent any metal-on-metal rubbing. Really, it's something that would cost in the area of $20-25, would be easy to store, and would prevent any potential damage to the moonroof. Call me crazy, but I would never risk shattering my moonroof, even if I was 99% confident it would be fine to put a bag on.

 

[MikeFreas]

Yeah, the wind will go under the plywood, but what's the big deal? I can think of a number of easy to build rigs. You'd just want the plywood cut to size (add an extra 16"-2' in width and length over the size of the cargo bag, some rubber feet affixed on to prevent nasty vibration noise, either holes for running cords to attach it to the crossbars or u bolts large enough to mount it to the cross bars, and some holes drilled with a 1"-1.5" hole saw for running bungees through to affix the bag to the rig. If you wanted to get fancy, some rubber tubing to put over the u-bolts to prevent any metal-on-metal rubbing. Really, it's something that would cost in the area of $20-25, would be easy to store, and would prevent any potential damage to the moonroof. Call me crazy, but I would never risk shattering my moonroof, even if I was 99% confident it would be fine to put a bag on.

After thinking about this more I decided to error on the side of caution and went to Sears for a hard case. I'm sure the bag would have been fine but I'm going to use this for camping and to carry model airplanes on our annual trip to Georga. It cost me 329 bucks but it looks good and is built well. Now I have to find a place to store it.

 

[robr2]

Before you use the hard case from sears, go on craigslist and search for yakima or thule.

I bought a used rocketbox for $125 on there, used it for 3 years and re-sold it on craigslist for about $100. Those brands are more aerodynamic and will resell better if you are so inclined.