What is the maximum weight Capacity of Hard Roof Top on Jeep Wrangler?
People who mainly use Jeep Wrangler are mostly adventure enthusiast who enjoys camping, kayaking, or going for lengthy trips. They are most likely to carry loads of luggage for use along the trip. When your rooftop is overloaded, it can cause some cracks or even leak.
Before loading the rooftop of your Jeep, it’s essential to know the limitations of the vehicle. The user manual that comes with your Jeep Wrangler after purchasing the manufacturer specifies the maximum weight your vehicle’s rooftop can handle.
Before you can add any accessories or luggage, it’s essential to know the maximum weight capacity your Jeep can handle. Read on to have a better understanding of the Weight Capacity of the Hard Roof Top on Jeep Wrangler.
What is the Ideal Weight of a Jeep Wrangler Hard Roof Top?
Before devolving on the maximum weight, a Jeep Wrangler can handle, let’s look at what is a Jeep Wrangler complex rooftop made up with.
The material used to design the Jeep Wrangler hardtop is Sheet Molding Compound (SMC). The SMC consists of a few materials. These are fiberglass, resin, polymer thickeners, and release agents.
The Sheet Molding Compound has fiberglass as its compressed base. It’s generally in Jeeps as a rugged rooftop because of its high strength yet very light in weight. But that doesn’t mean that the hardtop should be overloaded with weighty luggage.
Jeeps user manual states the roof is not made as part of the jeeps and thus should not carry any additional weights other than nature’s weather like rain and snow. But you will see people carrying all sorts of additional luggage like camping gear, kayaks, luggage like water, and spare tires.
But if having luggage on your Jeeps’ complex rooftop is not advisable, how do other people make it to have that heavy luggage on top of their Jeeps? How do they do it? Can a Jeep Wrangler complex rooftop support weight without getting leaks or developing cracks?
Most of the Jeep Wrangler with luggage has racks on the rooftop. Do they increase the capacity of carrying more weight? Let us find out.
Do Roof Top Rack Enable Jeep Wrangler Carry More Weight?
You know carrying any luggage on your Jeeps root top is going against the manufacturer’s instructions. Most of the Wranglers owners have aftermarket roof racks, where they put anything they intend to carry.
Do roof racks enable the hard rooftop to manage more weight? Roof racks have come a long way in manufacturing sturdy racks with less weight instruction. The racks weigh 80 pounds and have a maximum of carrying 600 pounds.
But if the rack has a capacity of holding 600 pounds, then how does the hard rooftop hold it.
Weight of a Jeep Wrangler Hard Roof Top
Jeeps hard rooftop made using strong, durable, and light in weight made of sheet molding compound material. The hard rooftop weighs 140 lbs. rooftop is designed skillfully to remove and install all by yourself.
Jeeps Wrangler’s intricate rooftops are designed creatively to accommodate the strengths and weaknesses of the manufacturers. It enables the hard rooftop to accommodate more weight despite the manufacturer’s manual that you should not carry anything on your rooftop. The hard rooftop can manage to meet the user’s demand without compromising on safety.
Why You May Need Roof Rack for your Jeep wrangler?
Space is a privilege in jeeps, especially when you are going on a family trip. So, it would be best if you carried a lot along, and the best place to have them is on the Jeeps rooftop. But you can’t just put all the luggage directly on the hard rooftop.
You will need a rooftop rack to carry everything you may need. Racks are designed to hold on more weight without putting it directly on the rooftop.
How do roof racks work?
Modern racks like the Frontrunner use a unique system known as JL extreme mounting system. The system works by utilizing all the mounting points of your Jeep wrangler to mount the rack instead of mounting it on the rooftop.
This modern system works perfectly and reduces the risk of overloading your rooftop and preventing the water leaks that come from the cracks that develop when your rooftop is overloaded. In addition, this type of mounting system is perfect as it enables you to get off the freedom panels even when the rack is mounted or even lower your windscreen.
The roof rack works by evenly distributing the weight across all roll brassing the sturdy brackets. As a result, it places zero weight on the complex rooftop, so you don’t need to worry about the rooftop fiberglass cracking.
What is the Static Weight?
The weight an object carries with any outer force or energy is known as static weight, like when your Jeep is not moving. However, when it’s stationary, it has a higher load capacity than when it’s moving, meaning your Jeeps hard top roof should be capable of carrying more load when parked. That is why a top roof rack can accommodate two adults and a baby and a camping tent on top.
Driving your Jeeps to rack rooftop load capacity decreases because of other external forces like friction, vibration, and wind pressure.
Importance of Distributing Weight Evenly on the Roof Top
When you are putting your luggage on top of your Jeeps roof rack, ensure you distribute the weight evenly. It applies to any load you intend to put on the roof rack, whether it’s a kayak, water tank, or even hunting gear.
When your load is unevenly distributed, it affects the dynamics of driving a balanced Jeep. For example, your Jeep will start leaning on the heavier side while driving on an uneven road, resulting in an accident. Instead of focusing on four concentrated focus points on having a rack that has well-distributed weight uniformly.
Big Loads
Each rack depending on the manufacturer has its load capacity, which you need to check before settling for a particular rack. When you carry more oversized loads on your rack, it is hard to handle your Jeep while driving and may end up rolling.
It also reduces your Jeeps fuel economy. Therefore, you should not keep heavy and bulky loads on the highest point of your Keep; instead, they should be attached.
To avoid rolling over, ensure your load weight is ideal, well-distributed, and secured. It will make your driving more enjoyable and easier to handle the Jeep.
Can a Jeep Wrangler Hard Roof Top Support You?
The Jeep Wrangler hardtop is made of glass fiber with capabilities to hold up to 140lbs (70 kg). When the Jeep is not moving, it can hold more weight than two adults and a child if you are looking to sit on the roof of your Jeep Wrangler to enjoy the scenery. You can comfortably do that without worrying if the glass fiber will crack.
What is the Difference between Hard Top and Soft Top?
Jeep is popularly known for its capability to customize, especially with the Jeep Wrangler model. When customizing your Wrangler, a rooftop is one of the central parts you need to decide on in the process of designing your own Wrangler.
There are pros and cons of both hardtops as well as soft tops. Let’s look at them so you can make a resounding solution that will meet your needs.
Hard Roof Top
Hardtops are the most widely used rooftop by wrangler owners as they provide more options to choose from. let’s look at some of the benefits of hard rooftops for your wrangler.
Benefits of Using Hard Roof Top
Secure: Hardtops are secure, and because they are hard and cannot be removed easily, ensuring the entire valuable are safe and secure.
Durable: Hardtops are a more durable option than any other rooftop. They can withstand harsh weather and damage because they are solid. They last longer and do not need much maintenance.
Well Insulated: Hardtop is well insulated so driving with a hardtop is a breeze. There is no noise while driving. It also keeps the cold out during winter and can withhold the ice when it builds on top. It also comes in handy during summer because the summer sun cannot penetrate through.
Able to add Roof Rack: hardtop offers a safe space to add a roof rack for extra storage. Some outdoor equipment like hunting gear cannot fit at the back to be kept on the top.
Disadvantages: Hardtops are more costly than any soft tops, also they are expensive when replacing after damage. It is also very hard to remove as hardtops are heavy and require an extra person to help you in the process. The hardtops cannot be folded and require bigger storage space to keep them safe.
Soft Roof Top
While most Jeep Wrangler owners prefer hardtops, there are plenty to choose from, and soft tops are among the choices. Here are the benefits of choosing a soft top as your Jeeps cover.
Benefits of Soft Roof Top
Convenience: Jeep Wrangler connected you with nature. They are advertised to feel the wind or the sea breeze against your skin. In addition, the soft tops are easy to remove, unlike the hard tops that may require an extra hand to help you remove them.
You can stop on your over landing, remove the soft top to enjoy fresh air, or put back your soft top fast when nature decides you shower the earth with rain.
Easy to Store: The soft top is easy to store as you can fold and store it under at rear seats. It takes a small space to store, whether it is your garage or store. There are plenty of places you can store your soft rooftop cover.
Plenty of Choices: A soft top for Jeep Wrangler comes in several options to choose from bikini tops, half, and full tops. In addition, you get the chance to pair your half-door Jeep, full-door, or no-door Jeep.
The tops also come in many colors and materials. Hardtops are all made of the same materials and come with the same design. They may come in assorted colors, but that is all you get to see.
Affordable: If it is all about budget, then a soft rooftop could be an excellent choice, the cost from $200 but the better the material, the higher the price. Unfortunately, hardtops are at a higher price point due to the nature of the materials that make them.
Vulnerable: Soft tops are easy to remove, and when you have valuable items in your car, they can be easily stolen by a thief. However, a Persistent thief will take less time to get in through the soft top, grab whatever they want, and leave without getting caught.
Can be Damaged Easily: Jeeps offer the best experience for off-roading and can withstand harsh weather conditions and terrains. However, the soft rooftop is not as durable and will need to be changed more often than any hardtop.
Offer Poor Insulation: A soft-top does not have high solid insulation, and extreme terrain like winter can give you a forgettable troubling driving experience. The snow weight can weigh down the soft top if it happens to gather enough.
The freezing air also gets into the cabin and can be chilly even when you have the heater on. Since the insulation is low, you’re driving will also be louder, which can work well while over roading, but it is not very pleasant daily.
Hard Roof Tops: Hardtops are the opposite of soft tops, and they also come with both advantages and disadvantages to look at and determine whether they fit you best.
Disadvantage: While soft rooftops may seem to be a winner due to their flexibility, they have also had their cons, which every driver needs to know before settling for them.
Conclusion
Jeep Wrangler hard tops are made with a Sheet Molding that is durable, light, and is capable of holding the maximum weight capacity of 140 lbs. You can maximize the weight capacity by adding a roof rack on your hardtop. The hard roof has more maximum weight capacity when it’s parked than when driving.
