Broken cross bar on 1998 Rodeo

[crumrw]

I had the Yakima hullraiser (j-shaped) rack attached to my factory roof rack crossbars to carry my kayak. On my way home from the lake the kayak started shaking violently so I pulled over and the rack was still tight on my factory rack. As I continued down the road the shaking started again and the my kayak was gone. I went back down the road the the yakima rack was still strapped to the kayak. As it turns out, the front crossbar on my rodeo had snapped due to all the wind force from going down the road. Now I'm unable to carry my kayak. How can I replace this or what are my options. I will be selling the yakima rack because this is clearly what caused it to snap. I have driven many times with the kayak strapped directly to the roof rack with no problems but the first trip with the yakima rack, my factory rack fails. Any advice?

Rick

[Racky Rackoon]

What happened to your kayak is a very unfortunate thing indeed, but I wouldn't be so quick to blame your Hullraisers. Mounting J-style cradles (more than one pair even) to factory crossbars like yours is as common a practice as mowing the lawn, but in both cases, things can go wrong. Car rack companies like Yakima and Thule are very conservative and do extensive testing before recommending that a certain carrier can be mounted on a specific vehicle. The Rodeo, with it's weight limit of 165 lbs made the cut, so I think that perhaps the crossbar itself was cracked or fatigued in some way or that it wasn't tight on the siderails, and as a result, failed.

Your crossbars need to withstand a lot more torque when a boat is attached using a J-cradle so there are a few important things to know.

First of all, the minimum spread required to safely carry a kayak using the Hullraiser is 30 inches. Any chance they were closer than that?

Secondly, with any load that extends over the windshield, as kayaks tend to do, Yakima insists that the load be secured to the front and rear of the vehicle. Were you using bow and stern tie downs?

Well, perhaps you were doing everything right, and what is done is done. Now what? I would recommend either the Yakima Lowrider towers with a pair of 48" crossbars or the similar system from Thule, the 450 Crossroads footpack with 50" loadbars. Both system use feet that attach to your siderails and support their respective crossbars, which are made of good old steel and as far as I know, have never, ever snapped in half. You can just remove your one remaining factory crossbar and be done with it.

If you're more into going to your Isuzu dealer and having a new factory crossbar installed, and you're not sold on the J-cradle thing, try a kayak carrier that supports the boat on its hull rather than its side. The Yakima Mako Saddles/Hully Rollers set up or the Thule Glide and Set saddles keep the boat lower to the bars and reduce the torque that is directed to them, but should still be secured with bow/stern tie downs.

Rack on.
Yours,
Racky Rackoon

[crumrw]

I don't mean to be down on the j-cradles. It's just a short term side affect of the frustrating situation.

Thank you for the advice. Are there any towers that will accept a standard square stock steel bar? I am considering welding a rack basket together myself. Also, do I have to remove the side rails from the roof of my car to get the cross bars out on the Rodeo? By the looks of it, that seems like what I have to do.

Rick

[irack]

Check this inginuity out.
http://www.motherearthnews.com/Do-It-Yourself/1983-11-01/Mothers-Rooftop-Utility-Rack.aspx

Unfortunately, your vehicle requires rain gutters to run these beauties.

[Racky Rackoon]

The Thule 450 Crossroads towers attach directly to your factory side rails and support a pair of good old 1.3 x .96" steel crossbars. Once those bad boys are on there, you can go ahead and remount your Hullaports and never worry about them flying off your roof again, assuming of course, you've attached them properly.

Don't Worry, Be Racky.
Yours,
Racky Rackoon