Rola Titan Tray

During a recent trip to the Victorian High Country we were lucky enough to test out the second instalment of the popular Titan Tray by Rola. Seeing the tray on the roof for the first time, I was impressed by its matte black colouring, straight lines, and slim, flat appearance. That flatness went on to ensure we weren’t harassed by wind noise on the drive to our offroad destination.

LOADING UP THE TRAY

The next morning, we took our swags and Maxtrax out of the boot to load them up on the roof prior to a big day’s driving. Standing on the 4WD’s sidesteps, I got a good look at the mitred corners; ‘mitred’ refers to the main rails being shaped at 45-degree angles at their ends, such that they slot together. Mitring in this way helps to boost strength and rigidity, as does the inclusion of additional ribbing. 

With these tweaks the Titan Tray can now carry 300kg, and the light weight of the tray itself also ensures a minimal dent in the amount you can physically carry. That 300kg number is largely hypothetical; you’d have to lug a heap of heavy gear and exceed your vehicle’s limitations to come near it. Not having to worry about weight in this way is one more thing off your mind.

We found the positioning of the tray a little high. This is somewhat inevitable given the tray mounts onto the existing roof rack or cross bars, which in its defence enables the addition of various accessories. Still, in the future Rola are looking into creating permanent mounts that will bring the tray closer to roof level.

FLEXIBLE TO SUIT

We had the 1.8 x 1.2m tray on the LandCruiser, but there are three more sizes to choose from: 1.2 x 1.2m (very ute suitable), 1.5 x 1.2m and 2 x 1.4m. There’s sure to be a size to suit your roof; though much more important is the flexibility of the tray once you own it. The Titan Tray thrives on this front. Each plank of the tray, as well as each side rail (on both the tops and sides), is equipped with an accessory channel. 

Into these channels we slotted bolts, at the wider, open entry points, and slid them along to where we needed them to hold the swags, before hand-tightening. We then used these simple bolts and additional Titan ratchet straps with hooks on the strap-ends to secure down our swags, and the whole process was complete in no time. 

We also had recovery track holders along with us. These mounted at an angle on the side of the tray, slightly protruding from its rectangular base, thereby saving you space on the flat surface up top for other goods. The recovery track holders are said to be able to carry four tracks at once; we had four Maxtrax Xtremes along with us, and these slightly thicker than standard models overhung the support on the bottom of the holder by a few centimetres, which may have been why the straps had loosened ever so slightly by the end of our long corrugated journey. 

There are a range of other add-ons for the tray, all by Rola. These include: awning brackets, an axe and shovel holder, gas bottle holders, high lift jacks, jerry can holders, light bar brackets, spare wheel holders, pipe clamps, and various bags. You can also add on rails to convert your tray into a basket. This aftermarket customisability is one of the most impressive things about the tray, and it’s very satisfying from a user’s point of view that they are all available from the same manufacturer, because that way you know they are compatible.

FINAL THOUGHTS

All in all we recommend the Titan Tray by Rola. It’s a strong, sturdy option that’ll carry pretty much any knick knack you might want to bring along with you, thanks to its generous load capacity and specialised accessories.