Hi. I'm having trouble....where do I find the appropriate cross bars??? I need to carry 2 kayaks, so I though flat on cross cars would work well. Additionally, I have a short garage. How much does this rack add to the height above the roof (without...
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Rugged Ridge makes cross bar adapters for Yakima Bars (purchased separately). I bought the 60" round yakima bars since they evenly matched up with the width of my Jeep. You can attach anything from a basket, kayak mount (for 1 or 2 kayaks), to bike mounts with these bars. They are extremely sturdy and I believe are made of steel. From the base of the hard top to the top of the roof rack (yakima bars attached), you're looking at approximately 6 & 1/2 inches of additional height. I must say for the money this is the best roof rack you will find. Other racks require drilling and cause a lot of wind noise. This one has zero wind noise and there is no drilling required. Rugged Ridge is good about providing feedback and answering questions. I buy a lot of their parts! For the price, you won't be disappointed. Very happy with my purchase!
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You need to measure the width between your roof rack rails where attachment of this carrier can be mounted. Then add up your kayaks width to make sure you have sufficient room. The seawing is pretty wide. I got one on my rack (mounted in the middle) then needed two side mount carriers to get the other two kayaks up on top. Total weight of all kayaks was a concern. Make sure you check with the manufacturer to make sure you don't exceed the roof rack capacity. Like the SeaWing though, Real simple to install and use. A bit of movement (flex in the wing) while driving takes some getting use to. Malone was real nice to deal with.
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I'm sorry Jennifer, i have only bought the roof rack. I don't have the crossbars.
529236
I would take the bolts to Home Depot or Lowell's and match them up with longer bolts. The rack is really great and easy to use. Make sure you put the straps on first before you mount the kayaks
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A single kayak should be OK. I tried two and the bars flex too much and pushed the ends out so much they would not stay tight in the roof grooves. Anything more then that and I'd spend more for a better quality rack. It's cheap but gets the job done with limitations
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It's not easy if you have a high vehicle. First, I use ratcheting straps, not those that came with the set. I suggest a ladder on a firm surface. I typically hook one end to the outside of the j-rack, toss it over the kayak, loop under the crossbar, back over the kayak and hook again to the front of the j-rack. Then I tighten with the ratchet. It's pretty secure.
1298289
Hi Kim, I have a Subaru legacy. It did NOT originally have a roof rack/ crossbars, so I had Subaru install Subaru made crossbars. Once i had Crossbars I only needed this saddle/ kayak rack. They are adjustable to the fit the Crossbars you have, and once on you can pop the kayak right on top! Best of luck and happy kayaking!-Amy
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I use my crossbars on my 2011 Forester to carry 2 kayaks. They work fine, but have a fair amount of flex in them.
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Our kayaks sit between 28 1/2" to about 33" from the ceiling (or the mounting 2x4, depending on the method you use). Since ours are mounted across the ceiling joists we had to use a 2x4 (per the instruction) so add another 1 1/2" to this. If you see our review we noted that we had to use different straps than the one's that come with the mount. This may cause ours to be a little lower. It looks like the new version may have different straps which may work better. The original straps on our 10 foot kayaks would not work; they just slipped of the end. Hope this helps.
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I have a question... sorry for ignorance... I want to use these with a cargo bag (rather than a hard shelled case)... does the bag sit on the van roof and just strap down on all four sides... or does it sit on these cross bars (If it sat on the cross bars... it won't lay on a nice flat surface). Picture on bag box I bought shows laying on roof strapped to bars. But is roof strong enough to hold the bag?
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If you are planning to mount the carriers to your rack's crossbars, you will have an issue with too much weight. They are similar to the crossbars on my 2002 Ford Taurus Wagon. The stock hardware will mount to a crossbar that is no more then 1-7/8" wide by about 1-1/4" deep. I priced aftermarket crossbars from Thule and Yakima and found them to be over $300. I ended up making my own that locked into the rack channels on each side of the roof. I used 1" black steel water pipe and used U-Bolts for the hardware. Unless you are willing to buy some crossbars or can fabricate them yourself, these are not the racks for you. If you are planning to mount the carriers to your rack's crossbars, you will have an issue with too much weight. They are similar to the crossbars on my 2002 Ford Taurus Wagon. The stock hardware will mount to a crossbar that is no more then 1-7/8" wide by about 1-1/4" deep. I priced aftermarket crossbars from Thule and Yakima and found them to be over $300. I ended up making my own that locked into the rack channels on each side of the roof. I used 1" black steel water pipe and used U-Bolts for the hardware. Unless you are willing to buy some crossbars or can fabricate them... » Read More If you are planning to mount the carriers to your rack's crossbars, you will have an issue with too much weight. They are similar to the crossbars on my 2002 Ford Taurus Wagon. The stock hardware will mount to a crossbar that is no more then 1-7/8" wide by about 1-1/4" deep. I priced aftermarket crossbars from Thule and Yakima and found them to be over $300. I ended up making my own that locked into the rack channels on each side of the roof. I used 1" black steel water pipe and used U-Bolts for the hardware. Unless you are willing to buy some crossbars or can fabricate them yourself, these are not the racks for you. « Show Less
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I have two sets of them on a Honda Odyssey van and they work great. You need two racks per kayak. One for the front of the boat and one for the rear of the boat. My wife, who is 5'1", can get her own kayak off the rack, and put it up on the top of the car. It drops down to a manageable height so you just have to lift your boat about waist high. Then the gas struts help it go back up on top. The boat sits just outside of the edge of your roof line. From behind it looks like the boat is hanging over the edge of the car.
367974
I have both a Thule bike and kayak rack mounted to my factory cross bars...the kayak rack is not an issue at all...there is a slight lean for the bike but if someone were not to be looking for the lean it wouldn't be noticeable. Also, having seen other crossbars with racks...I think the overall look is better with the factory bars (gear mounted) not to mention they are more aerodynamic...I am completely satisfied and I am an unapologetic perfectionist...hope this helps.
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It will really be based on what kind of boat you have, what I did with mine to solve that problem is I did not use the straps that it came with, I instead attached my boat to the hooks so it would raise up higher. Most kayaks have a strap already attached to the boat on both ends, so you will be able to go closer to the ceiling. I have mine going sidways so it is attached to two seperate cross beams in my garage.
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Hi Joe - you would definitely need to have aftermarket crossbars installed to accommodate the widths of both of these kayaks on the carrier. You may also need to upsize the bars from what is recommended. Also, please be sure to be attentive to the weight limits of the vehicle, as each of those kayaks are quite heavy.
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It takes 2 racks per kayak to properly load and secure the kayak on the roof of your vehicle. You mount one rack on each of the 2 cross bars on the top of your SUV. These racks are not designed to mount on the roof of a car.
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Some rooftop accessories need to be secured to crossbars - you'll want to check with the manufacturer if they're required. I have a soft-side rooftop carrier that I attach to both the main rails and the crossbars. It would probably work without the crossbars, but I would use an additional tie-down strap or two to compensate.