I want to put a rooftop tent on my W123 240d for our summer road trip/vacation. I understand that MB says the max load is 200lbs. What is the most you guys have put up there? I've seen the pics of the wagons with rooftop tents but not the sedans. Also, apparently, the ladder to the tent is load bearing as well. Between my wife and I, I'm looking at roughly 500 lbs with the both of us and the weight of the tent. I just don't see the roof rails holding that kind of weight. What do you think?

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1981 240D auto
1977 240D manual 300 Turbo swap
1983 300SD
1983 300TD Parts car

a 50's or 60's car,not a Benz for sure. Germans started this crappy unibody junk

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1999 w140, quit voting to old, and to old to fight, a god damned veteran

I think you'd be fine.

I don't think the uni body of a mercedes is crappy at all. The idea of a weight limit on the roof I suspect is more about making the car top heavy and more likely to overturn.

But seriously how bulky is it? I imagine it will cost you fuel mileage and reduce your comfortable cruising speed.

Has anybody tried these?

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

I'm not quite sure what you are referring to. What does a 50' or 60' non unibody car have to do with roof top cargo weight?

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1981 240D auto
1977 240D manual 300 Turbo swap
1983 300SD
1983 300TD Parts car

I'm planning a Hwy 1, 101 and 395 trip. 45-60MPH not too worried about the loss of MPG. I figure at that speed, it would be negligible. Static load versus dynamic load is a huge difference. I just don't want the roof to cave in or the rails to break in the middle of the night because I ate an extra cheese burger the night before.

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1981 240D auto
1977 240D manual 300 Turbo swap
1983 300SD
1983 300TD Parts car

I wouldn't worry. But seriously how are you getting up to 500#? Seems like it would be tough to get much above 400.

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

A very long time ago I put 4 sheets of dry wall on the roof of my 200d with the supplied cardboard roof racks from the drywall supplier. The roof caved in but popped out without any problems or visual damage.

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92 e300d2.5t
01 e320
05 cdi
85 chev c10

What is a cardboard roof rack? Really?

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

Isint most of the roof rack weight distributed to the roof drip rails which are thick just like how work vans are. I would be more concerned with the roof racks ability to support the intended weight. You might have to beef the racks up with something.

Cardboard roof racks are cleaverly folded triangles around 3" the full width of the roof. They could hold a fairly heavy load and prevented scratches. One placed at the front and another at the back under the load. Placement was critical to avoid contact with the curved roof. I haven't seen those in a very long time come to think of it.

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92 e300d2.5t
01 e320
05 cdi
85 chev c10

Never seen one.

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

The tent itself is 116# then the roof rack to hold it. Plus sleeping gear, miscellaneous items. I weigh 165 and then the Mrs. probably 450 to 500 lbs.

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1981 240D auto
1977 240D manual 300 Turbo swap
1983 300SD
1983 300TD Parts car

I didn't think to see what the capacity was of the roof rack. I will check.

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1981 240D auto
1977 240D manual 300 Turbo swap
1983 300SD
1983 300TD Parts car

I used to have an audi 90 and I used rails for a ski rack and plywood to make a 4x8 rack for lumber and drywall. The feet bore on the roof instead of the gutter and left an imprint, but I figure i'd driven with at least 2-300 lb of drywall and lumber on the roof.

If you have the kind of rack that bears on the gutter and clamps to it, I don't the the gutter is the weak point. I think all 8 feet or so of gutter on the roof of a 240D, properly loaded would support the entire car. I think the rack is the weak point and you could test that.

Edit:
Not W123's, but similar and contemporary:

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CC: NSA

All things are burning, know this and be released.

82 Benz 240 D, Kuan Yin
12 Ford Escape 4wd

You're four times

It's hard to

more likely to

concentrate on

have an accident

two things

when you're on

at the same time.

a cell phone.

www.kiva.org It's not like there's anything wrong with feeling good, is there?

in the old days,a man could sit on the hood of a car,they had springs too. now adays most cars have a metal prop to hold hood open

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1999 w140, quit voting to old, and to old to fight, a god damned veteran