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Land Rover Discovery 2 - The impossible balance between carrying gear and a top heavy ride

Updated: Mar 25

I have a 2003 TD5 Disco 2a, I bought it new, and the current vehicle 20 years down the track shares about 1/3 of the origional trucks components... the list of upgrades and swap outs is monolithic...


There are many hurdles with the D2, and despite this - its by far the most loved/ best truck Ive ever owned - As the set up has changed over the years, its become more of an off road weapon, less of a family tow, and as such Ive been able to work on keeping the centre of gravity low, and yet still tour and camp in comfort.

Ive installed an Ostrich wing awning on the passenger side, at 26 kgs - It gives me rain and heat shade in our mountains, and I can zip on walls to stop wwind and sideways rain if it gets really rough. Some of our high country here is steep, muddy, rocky windy and drops well below freezing quickly - even in summer months. You can get trapped there easy. Rivers rise. Its wild.

The Disco handles the country well, live axles, twin locked, 33: Muddies - all helps - but the major is keeping the truck light.

Ive installed a stealth winch bar, Runva 9500 fast winch, rear kaymar bar and 2' lift, rock sliders are next.

But what about the roof?

I tried Front runner slimline 2 - It was a great rack - but it weighted 40Kgs and sat very high. I went to an ARB basket (platinum) - Really solid but even heavier.


So I built a d2 Gutter clamp rack myself, The Plan was something super low and strong - The root top tent Rack is in version 4 manufacturing now, its come in at 34 kgs including the 3 cross bars , not great but not bad either. Its cross bars sit a mere 10mm off the roof skin and Ive added a side /wobble preventer that attaches the front cross bar to the factory grab handles on the roof.. This prevents metal fatigue from side shift when theres heaps of weitht ontop.

Ive got a Version 5 in the wind - Its main purpose being to carry the platform as a stand alone touring rack... with further removal of steel I can get this racks foot rails down another 4 kgs without sacrificing weight...



To be continued. If you have to run a rack - Im thinking this one is worth a look. The Full Aluminium Heavy duty Platform option ontop adds another 15 kgs = Putting this rack into /Heavy duty territory...

slotted with unistrut everywhere (even on the sides and back edges of the planks) you can bolt up a cessories anywhere with any old m 8 bolt -


pic below of the rack 'in testing' hahaha on a trip to south australia with the dudes from Tiff Trek in the UK... I just love the picture :)

The disco 3 is running a Tuff trek mk3 roof tent sitting on a tough touring discovery 3 roof top tent rack -


The disco 2 has a tough touring platform roof rack and ostrich wing awning.... accommodation was an oz tent bunker Nd a bottle of scotch.... and for the record


 
 
 

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