traveller roof rack

[jennypenny]

Please please does anyone know where I can get a strong roof rack for my traveller? It has to be strong enough to carry a hang glider (6m long 35kg) Any clever peeps out there?

[Gareth]

I wouldn't put that on the roof of a traveller - I'd have thought that 35kg was rather a lot for an aluminium roof!

The racks you can buy from the Birmingham Minor Centre are shaped to fit the curve of a saloon roof - they don't do one for Travellers. Also, 6m is rather a length, as the Minor's only a little car... You could fit red flags / warning bunting &c. but it wouldn't look terribly safe. Have you considered a trailer, or [gasp] borrowing a larger car?

[Alec]

Hello Jenny,
I second Gareth, the roof guttering on a Traveller is only nailed to the wooden frame. I do not think that a roof rack would stay in position long with that weight and wind resistance.

Alec

[rayofleamington]

If you really wanted to do it as a regular thing you'd need to get one of the wooden roof beams strengthened (or more than one) and then bolt through the roof
You'd also need a custom made / modified roofrack and you'd be struggling with the front guttering too as a 6 m long set of gubbins on the roof is going to need to be held down extremely well to cope with headwinds and crosswinds.
I'd guess a special hanglider trailer would be about the only way - although a 6 metre trailer is not really what you'd want behind a Minor!

[Pyoor_Kate]

Well, a 6m trailer is not going to be great behind any car. When I was over in Ireland I saw *loads* of cars with special trailers for gliders (I didn't realise hang-gliders were so big, actually ) - and the cars towing them weren't bigger'n minors, so I guess it's feasible.

[Stig]

I once carried a flat-packed pine wardrobe on roof bars and can tell you that the weak point is the aluminium gutters -they bend! It stayed on though, but I now have slightly wiggly gutters and scratched paintwork where the bar touched the roof. Still, the paint's not in great condition anyway...

[jennypenny]

Thanks guys, guess I'll just to get a boyfriend with a car with stronger gutters!

[Alec]

Hello Jenny,

see if you can find an Antiques Dealer, they usually have serious roof racks , not Lovejoy though, his Morris was a convertible, no use whatsoever.

Alec

[rayofleamington]

Thanks guys, guess I'll just to get a boyfriend with a car with stronger gutters

be on the lookout for one with something like a Volvo 940 estate (newer version of the 240?).
The 940 turbo is a real star of a car as it goes like a rocket and has lots of room for gear etc..
If you're lucky the owner will be pretty gullible