With years of experience overlanding across dozens of countries all over the world on 4WD journeys taking months to complete, I’ve learned a thing or two about which 4wd brands are mainly for show vs those genuinely offering superior durability. When it comes to roof racks, South African EEZI-AWN K9 systems are all we will now fit on any serious 4wd.
Want to know how tough any roof rack brand really is? Ignore the advertising… flip them over to see how they’re really made.
Gone are the plastic/nylon corner inserts and rivets/screws that hold other brand roof racks together. These platform racks have thick alloy corners and the most robust support structure you’ve ever seen, all welded together. No user assembly required and nothing to rattle loose over time. Developed and tested over two years in Africa to be the ultimate in genuine world expedition-grade roof racks… yet also attractive, ultra-slim, whisper quiet and more versatile. It’s a new standard.
The superior construction of the K9 platform is only half the equation. The platforms can be mounted on up to twice the number of all-metal legs, achieving much superior distribution of loads between platform and vehicle roof or gutters. The Land Cruiser 76 Series rack is a good example, with 12 legs. The system is equally superior on the little Suzuki Jimny, which gets eight all-metal legs. On vehicles using EEZI-AWN’s track mount systems such as our trusty old 5GoOverland Shogun (Pajero), EEZI-AWN’s rubber-backed tracks are extra thick and robust.
But the racks aren’t only for extreme 4wders. With twice the number of mounting tracks on top, a super slim 35mm profile and whisper quiet performance with an alloy wind deflector included as standard, these are also the most versatile platform racks around. And importantly, the tracks don’t take a fiddly, hard-to-source channel nut. They take the head of a standard bolt, widely available from any hardware store. Miles ahead on design practicality.
In a first world country like NZ, it’s easy for many 4WD brands to portray their products as extreme heavy duty, safe in the knowledge that with good tarmac roads to most places and limited distances, most Kiwis won’t really push the limits.
In stark contrast, EEZI-AWN products have for decades been fitted to 4WDs heading straight out across sub-Saharan Africa. This is the brand preferred on permanently off-road 4WD fleets operating in some of Earth’s harshest environments, where mainstream brands aren’t usually seen.
EEZI-AWN boss Jess Stuhler says the company has recovered severely damaged 4wds from rollover accidents in Africa, with the roof rack still intact on the roof.
Though not yet well-known in NZ, this company turns 40 years old this year. Since the 1980s they’ve designed and made some of the most proven roof tents on Earth. EEZI-AWN is the name in roof tents preferred by many of the world’s most serious global overland explorers and on commercial 4WD fleets in Africa. In NZ, much of what is available is offered rebranded Chinese replica roof tents, some claiming to be made or designed in NZ. Like EEZI-AWN’s K9 roof racks, the company’s roof tents are made of quality materials. The South African woven canvas products are far superior, meaning the equipment is simply the genuine and unpretentious article.
Before fitting the K9 system to my Mitsubishi Shogun (Pajero) I removed a popular-brand NZ roof rack. Many would perceive the roof rack I removed as already being among the leading brands in NZ. This would raise the question: how much better would the new rack really be? In short, very!
We have at times technically overloaded the truck out of necessity, but suffice to say the reality is that many/most overland 4WD builds end up needing to carry borderline roof loads. That very robustly built EEZI-AWN Stealth hard shell roof tent (twin insulated, real bed and military grade canvas) is mounted onto the K9 platform, but that’s not all. Off the right side we usually have the company’s Cube ensuite, and off the left side is the Manta 270 awning. Fitted beneath the platform rack is a large size aluminium and stainless-steel table (so handy having a full-size sturdy table that stores beneath the roof rack!)
On the mainstream brand lesser loads made themselves known by the noise and movement generated, as in my view it did not distribute loads nearly as well. Yet the heavier load mounted on the K9 system is rock solid and totally silent. The driver barely knows it’s there. A total of ten all-metal track legs achieve load distribution between the platform rack and the extra thick tracks on the vehicle roof. There is simply no other roof rack system on the NZ market I would try to mount this set-up on.
I’d bet there are more than a few readers of this magazine that could benefit from a more robust roof rack. Quite a few of the EEZI-AWN K9 kits can be found at www.xpeditionz.co.nz/eezi-awn-k9-roof-racks but many other makes/models are supported in NZ too, or can be imported especially.
