Very Quick
"It is with those straps that I was able to make it home safely before promptly removing these cradles at which point I noticed that because the mounts are pretty close to bare metal they scratched into the crossbar's finish, further tarnishing their appeal."
"I didn't want to ruin the metal on my cross bars with these steel plates, so I cut up an old yoga mat into four strips that were the width of the bracket and wrapped all the way around the top and bottom of the bars."
"They assembled rather easy and pieces fit pretty good but had to use a mallet a few times though to get some bolts started that did not line up quite right."
"You MAY need a rubber mallet since there a tight fit on some of the parts but they fit well at the end -- takes a little wiggle and patience -- for the price (compared to Thule/Yakima) I was more than willing to put forth the effort."
"The name-brand single rack probably fixes all of the above, but, you can buy these, add fifteen bucks worth of paint and upgraded hardware, and still have enough scratch left over for a couple sets of dry bags or a new paddle."
"* I bought these kayaks for use on my Subaru wagon even though there were conflicting reviews about these being a value or more pain than they're worth, I decided to try my luck and give them a shot."
"Overall, for the price you are getting a solid product - plus if it ends up not working out you are not out a lot of money - as one review said, it would be nice if the company invested a few more shekels and charge a couple dollars more on better quality screws, nuts, and bolts - but local hardware store run will take care of that."
Lifetime Warranty TMS® 2 Pairs J-Bar Rack HD Kayak Carrier Canoe Boat Surf Ski Roof Top Mount Car SUV Crossbar (Click to Compare Deals)
Quick
"This decision likely led to a reduction in shipping costs by the manufacturer, but leaves you (the user) in charge of tightening four nuts (The locking ones with the circle on one end) and bolts on to EACH of the four J cradles... The result is you will have uneven middle bolts, meaning the distance between the end of the bolts and the roof of your car will differ with some being closer to the roof while others are a bit farther... It is with those straps that I was able to make it home safely before promptly removing these cradles at which point I noticed that because the mounts are pretty close to bare metal they scratched into the crossbar's finish, further tarnishing their appeal."
"I didn't want to ruin the metal on my cross bars with these steel plates, so I cut up an old yoga mat into four strips that were the width of the bracket and wrapped all the way around the top and bottom of the bars... It is a tight fit between the roof of the car and the bolts to tighten these on, so I also had to put a piece of yoga mat on the roof so that I didn't scratch up my paint... If you're struggling to figure out how to strap them on, I ran the strap down the left side (as you face it) of the rack on the back side of the kayak and down the right side on the front of the kayak, crossing it right between the bolts on the bottom of the rack itself."
"I got home and straightened it out some more but it's still bent forward and paint is cracked so it will now rust too... The hand tightening knobs don't tighten enough by hand that you have to use a nut and box wrench to secure them safely so these are more like semi permanent mount... They assembled rather easy and pieces fit pretty good but had to use a mallet a few times though to get some bolts started that did not line up quite right."
"You MAY need a rubber mallet since there a tight fit on some of the parts but they fit well at the end -- takes a little wiggle and patience -- for the price (compared to Thule/Yakima) I was more than willing to put forth the effort... However, the hardware is solid steel and if you tighten the nuts until the bracket is slightly flexed, it's not going anywhere (but don't go crazy and strip the threads)... I added a backup security rope (as you always should - trust but verify), tying both kayaks down to the bars with a trucker's hitch, and there was no movement or audible vibration from the boats or straps even at 80 mph."
"This proved to be a bit of a boon, though, as I hit the hardware store and picked up galvanized nuts, bolts, and washers, of approximately the same diameter (metric is included with the racks - those of us in the US will need to muddle through using SAE equivalents, or spend the extra bucks on metric)... Well, by now, you may have figured out that for the cost of two racks here, you can buy approximately 2/3 of a name-brand single rack. The name-brand single rack probably fixes all of the above, but, you can buy these, add fifteen bucks worth of paint and upgraded hardware, and still have enough scratch left over for a couple sets of dry bags or a new paddle."
"* I bought these kayaks for use on my Subaru wagon even though there were conflicting reviews about these being a value or more pain than they're worth, I decided to try my luck and give them a shot. I had really high hopes that the negative comments were people who expected too much, what can you expect for 1/3 the price of the name brand kayak racks, right?... They're an excellent value if you just want an economical way to haul your kayaks, but once these have lived out their life I will not be buying again."
"Strongly recommend wrapping a wash cloth or auto cloth around your crossbar when attaching the rack - protects the rack and if you need to have a tighter fit you can use this method - it works... Stabilizes the two and adds some additional safety to your tie down, We travel with 4 kayaks on two vehicles when we go camping - our habit is to go for a couple miles, pull over and check all straps, ropes and in this case the racks for any loose areas, Generally that covers things. Overall, for the price you are getting a solid product - plus if it ends up not working out you are not out a lot of money - as one review said, it would be nice if the company invested a few more shekels and charge a couple dollars more on better quality screws, nuts, and bolts - but local hardware store run will take care of that."
Less Quick
"* Reviews of this product are so polarizing because of the amount of variables each end user adds to the equation, but these are my experiences on a 2017 Ford Escape with two 44Lb 10' Kayaks... This decision likely led to a reduction in shipping costs by the manufacturer, but leaves you (the user) in charge of tightening four nuts (The locking ones with the circle on one end) and bolts on to EACH of the four J cradles... That being said, I placed one of the J-Cradles on the crossbar and attached the under mounting plate before struggling to afix a washer and a nut to the end of the long mounting bolt (when I was standing on the tire, this was pretty easy, but when I (5'10") was standing in the door this was much harder). You have to get both sides on first (and the hand screw knob) and then your can begin to tighten them down... The result is you will have uneven middle bolts, meaning the distance between the end of the bolts and the roof of your car will differ with some being closer to the roof while others are a bit farther... It is with those straps that I was able to make it home safely before promptly removing these cradles at which point I noticed that because the mounts are pretty close to bare metal they scratched into the crossbar's finish, further tarnishing their appeal... Yakima JayLow Folding J-Cradle Rooftop Kayak Rack with Tie-Downs The golden rule of "You get what you pay for" applies here as well."
"But, I am going to give them four starts for three reasons; assembly is miserable, and they are not easy on easy off... The third reason is that they really should come with some kind of padding so that the metal brackets do not tear up your cross bars... I didn't want to ruin the metal on my cross bars with these steel plates, so I cut up an old yoga mat into four strips that were the width of the bracket and wrapped all the way around the top and bottom of the bars... It is a tight fit between the roof of the car and the bolts to tighten these on, so I also had to put a piece of yoga mat on the roof so that I didn't scratch up my paint... I didn't use the provided hand-crank nuts, as I thought I would get them much tighter with regular bolts... If you're struggling to figure out how to strap them on, I ran the strap down the left side (as you face it) of the rack on the back side of the kayak and down the right side on the front of the kayak, crossing it right between the bolts on the bottom of the rack itself... Concern about durability: The foam padding on the rack itself does not seem like it will hold up over the long term."
"* Anyone who wrote a review saying these are sturdy have not been on the Interstate in high cross winds... Only issue was the cam straps would slip a little and loosen up which I'd have to re tighten at rest stops. The drive home was much windier and I could hear and feel the difference then suddenly the driver side kayak shifted in the front about two feet to my left... I got home and straightened it out some more but it's still bent forward and paint is cracked so it will now rust too... The bolts were too long for my 1999 Toyota Seinna van that it was hard not to scrape up the paint putting them on... The hand tightening knobs don't tighten enough by hand that you have to use a nut and box wrench to secure them safely so these are more like semi permanent mount... They assembled rather easy and pieces fit pretty good but had to use a mallet a few times though to get some bolts started that did not line up quite right."
"After a 700-mile trip at speeds up to 80-mph (and crosswinds) with two 12-ft kayaks mounted solidly on a set that cost ~$50, all that anxiety is a distant memory... You MAY need a rubber mallet since there a tight fit on some of the parts but they fit well at the end -- takes a little wiggle and patience -- for the price (compared to Thule/Yakima) I was more than willing to put forth the effort. One piece of advice: make sure the square shank of the bolts aligns with the square collar of the holes in the tube steel BEFORE you push them through -- this will save you some time trying to align them blindly... When I first mounted them, it did not appear to have an ideal fit to my Gen-4 Subaru Outback factory bars. However, the hardware is solid steel and if you tighten the nuts until the bracket is slightly flexed, it's not going anywhere (but don't go crazy and strip the threads). If you still have a fit-up issue, you can get a common machinist to make a set of custom brackets for ~$10 (good idea to do anyways with any type of rack on factory bars)... I added a backup security rope (as you always should - trust but verify), tying both kayaks down to the bars with a trucker's hitch, and there was no movement or audible vibration from the boats or straps even at 80 mph."
"This proved to be a bit of a boon, though, as I hit the hardware store and picked up galvanized nuts, bolts, and washers, of approximately the same diameter (metric is included with the racks - those of us in the US will need to muddle through using SAE equivalents, or spend the extra bucks on metric). I replaced two opposing bolts on each rack with galvanized, more for peace of mind than any other reason... The star-nuts work OK, although you may find it difficult to crank them down far enough to get a good hold on your rack, depending on the rack design... Neither seem like they want to let go, and even though the ones on the rear spin a bit, it makes mounting the kayaks easier... I also use both a bow- and stern-line on each boat, because I'm careful like that... Well, by now, you may have figured out that for the cost of two racks here, you can buy approximately 2/3 of a name-brand single rack. The name-brand single rack probably fixes all of the above, but, you can buy these, add fifteen bucks worth of paint and upgraded hardware, and still have enough scratch left over for a couple sets of dry bags or a new paddle."
"* I bought these kayaks for use on my Subaru wagon even though there were conflicting reviews about these being a value or more pain than they're worth, I decided to try my luck and give them a shot. I had really high hopes that the negative comments were people who expected too much, what can you expect for 1/3 the price of the name brand kayak racks, right?... I know you must be telling yourself, you bought new hardware and probably got the wrong size, that's why it didn't fit... At most I could get 2 bolts partially into the rubber to bolt down but they wouldn't seat right. So I tried boiling the rubber pieces and bolting them together while hot and pliable, nope still didn't work... Long story short I used a Dremel to make the holes bigger, which this made it possible to get the racks together but in no way was this an easy process... They're an excellent value if you just want an economical way to haul your kayaks, but once these have lived out their life I will not be buying again."
"Assemble the brackets inside while watching tv - :-) takes about 15 minutes each tops b. Yes the screws and strap are poor quality - if you are looking to use them on a regular basis then upgrade these two parts and you are still under $100 invested in this product... A review recommended having a 13mm socket wrench - for some vehicles only an adjustable wrench will work due to the distant between bracket and vehicle roof... Strongly recommend wrapping a wash cloth or auto cloth around your crossbar when attaching the rack - protects the rack and if you need to have a tighter fit you can use this method - it works... Strongly recommend if you have a long drive of 15 minutes or more, you tie down the front and rear to the vehicle - extra insurance... Stabilizes the two and adds some additional safety to your tie down, We travel with 4 kayaks on two vehicles when we go camping - our habit is to go for a couple miles, pull over and check all straps, ropes and in this case the racks for any loose areas, Generally that covers things. Overall, for the price you are getting a solid product - plus if it ends up not working out you are not out a lot of money - as one review said, it would be nice if the company invested a few more shekels and charge a couple dollars more on better quality screws, nuts, and bolts - but local hardware store run will take care of that."
