Very Quick
"The kit comes with a little flat wrench, but frankly you will need to have a decent ratchet set, and one including some deep or long sockets to use when tightening the nuts for the two longer bolts used for attaching the rack to your car)."
"Seriously, if you're looking for some inexpensive (I don't think cheap is right) racks, that will get the job done, and you don't mind putting them together, these are for you."
"If the carriage bolts are tuning while tightening the nuts, keep putting pressure on the rounded end of the bolt and it will eventually work its way into the right position, drop into the square hole in the tubing and stop turning so you can tighten up the nut."
"So just make sure those bolts are dropped all the way down (you can see when they are) and you shouldn't have to worry about them slipping."
"The holes in the plastic cover (whatever you want to call it) don't line up with the holes in the bars, so you'll have to pretty much force the bolts into place."
"Bottom line: You won't find anything less expensive for the nice quality of these racks, and anything slightly nicer is WAY more expensive, BUT like others have said, expect to modify/change hardware for your situation (only on the long bolts) and be patient with mounting them if you don't have the luxury of space between your roof rack crossbar and roof."
"Will wrap the bars at point of attachment on that car as they are not removable roof racks that are cheap to replace."
TMS J-Bar Rack HD Kayak Carrier Canoe Boat Surf Ski Roof Top Mounted on Car SUV Crossbar (Click to Compare Deals)
Quick
"The instructions, as other reviews have noted, are non-existent (I went through all the comments to see if anyone had ever written down instructions, and since no one had, I will try to remedy this later in the review) If you just want some instructions then scroll down a bit... The kit comes with a little flat wrench, but frankly you will need to have a decent ratchet set, and one including some deep or long sockets to use when tightening the nuts for the two longer bolts used for attaching the rack to your car). Also, you might need to have some kind of lubricant on hand to help some of these pieces to fit together more easily, a metal file, and you might have to (as I did) get some extra bolts that have a screw slot on the head instead of the round headed bolts that come with the unit."
"Use front and rear tie downs along with your straps, and your kayak is going nowhere (and you should use the tie downs, which unfortunately don't come with the racks)... You've got the rubber block that goes at the bottom, the tubes to form a J which go into the block, the carriage bolts to hold them together and the steel plate at the bottom... Seriously, if you're looking for some inexpensive (I don't think cheap is right) racks, that will get the job done, and you don't mind putting them together, these are for you."
"As luck would have it, the second set didn't go together as easily as the first set so I can see where some would say they were easy to put together and others would have a more difficult time with them... When installing the washers and nuts, make sure to put some pressure on the rounded end of the carriage bolts to help them drop into the square holes in the tubing that keep them from turning. If the carriage bolts are tuning while tightening the nuts, keep putting pressure on the rounded end of the bolt and it will eventually work its way into the right position, drop into the square hole in the tubing and stop turning so you can tighten up the nut."
"If you think you can use those straps they came with, you don't know enough about kayaking and should not be transporting a boat... The main bolts that tighten onto your cross bars have a square peg under the head... So just make sure those bolts are dropped all the way down (you can see when they are) and you shouldn't have to worry about them slipping."
"The holes in the plastic cover (whatever you want to call it) don't line up with the holes in the bars, so you'll have to pretty much force the bolts into place... The description of the product says "Will fit most factory or aftermarket round, square, oval and flat crossbars"... Yes, each bracket has two large knobs, but there is an additional nut keeping everything tightened down."
"They must have addressed the issues with holes not lining up and difficulty getting bars through rubber sleeve because they were super easy to assemble and everything lined up nicely when waiting to fully tighten all bolts at once (this is key)... I also cut strips of that rubbery, non slip mesh used to line cupboards, and put that between the bottom metal bracket and roof rack cross bar to help prevent scratching/chipping while creating a bit of a "grip" when tightening the J-racks to roof rack... Bottom line: You won't find anything less expensive for the nice quality of these racks, and anything slightly nicer is WAY more expensive, BUT like others have said, expect to modify/change hardware for your situation (only on the long bolts) and be patient with mounting them if you don't have the luxury of space between your roof rack crossbar and roof."
"I worry that if someone was really struggling with assembly, they wouldn't have the mental or physical prowess to be on the water, or behind the wheel... I was able to tighten it down on 1" tube but that was about as small as it would get... Will wrap the bars at point of attachment on that car as they are not removable roof racks that are cheap to replace."
Less Quick
"The instructions, as other reviews have noted, are non-existent (I went through all the comments to see if anyone had ever written down instructions, and since no one had, I will try to remedy this later in the review) If you just want some instructions then scroll down a bit... The kit comes with a little flat wrench, but frankly you will need to have a decent ratchet set, and one including some deep or long sockets to use when tightening the nuts for the two longer bolts used for attaching the rack to your car). Also, you might need to have some kind of lubricant on hand to help some of these pieces to fit together more easily, a metal file, and you might have to (as I did) get some extra bolts that have a screw slot on the head instead of the round headed bolts that come with the unit. Now, it may be that my unit just did not fit together as well as others might have, but if yours was like mine you will need to make some of the same adjustments I had to make... In my case, several of the bolts would not seat properly as they were supposed to, so that when it came tome to tighten down the nut on the bottom, the bolt's head would not "grab" into the square hole of plate #4 and the bolt would simply turn without tightening... This is why you might have to go to a hardware store and get equivalent sized bolts that do have a screw head so that you can keep the bolt still with a screw driver on one end while you ratchet the nut tight with the other... Once the bolts are all inserted and the nuts tightened down (If your experience is like mine, you'll really enjoy this part) you are practically done with that part of the assembly that only has to be done once."
"* I needed some racks to haul my kayaks, so I went to a local big box store, and found a set of J-Racks for about $80 (a few cents less), plus tax... I don't see anything wrong with them, except that they're a bit shorter than I would like... Use front and rear tie downs along with your straps, and your kayak is going nowhere (and you should use the tie downs, which unfortunately don't come with the racks)... You've got the rubber block that goes at the bottom, the tubes to form a J which go into the block, the carriage bolts to hold them together and the steel plate at the bottom... The blocks are stiff, but you can pry them open while put the tubes in; it's really not that hard... ) And by the way, if you have trouble with this diagram, you will lose your mind if you buy something from IKEA... Seriously, if you're looking for some inexpensive (I don't think cheap is right) racks, that will get the job done, and you don't mind putting them together, these are for you."
"There were scratches and nicks that will eventually rust so I would recommend taking them off and storing them inside when not in use... As luck would have it, the second set didn't go together as easily as the first set so I can see where some would say they were easy to put together and others would have a more difficult time with them... I spent another 2 minutes taking pictures so the time spent actually putting the product together was just under 16 minutes for a complete set. Here are a few assembly tips: When you are sliding the first metal tube into the rubber molded part it helps to put something like a screwdriver handle into the middle of the molded rubber to help open it up for the ends of the metal tube to go in... Now put the rounded end of the second half of metal tubing on your stomach and pull the plastic/rubber piece back over the assembled metal tube until the bolt holes line up with the holes in the molded rubber part... When installing the washers and nuts, make sure to put some pressure on the rounded end of the carriage bolts to help them drop into the square holes in the tubing that keep them from turning. If the carriage bolts are tuning while tightening the nuts, keep putting pressure on the rounded end of the bolt and it will eventually work its way into the right position, drop into the square hole in the tubing and stop turning so you can tighten up the nut."
"* I hemmed and hawed over getting these roof racks after reading the bad reviews on them... It took my boyfriend and I about 45 minutes to put together three sets of them... If you think you can use those straps they came with, you don't know enough about kayaking and should not be transporting a boat. Stick with a rental company that will drop you off and pick you up, and save us all from your dangerous cargo flying down the highway... The main bolts that tighten onto your cross bars have a square peg under the head... If the bolt isn't dropped down all the way, you can still tighten them, but at anytime the bolt might find its way and drop down making the rack loose... So just make sure those bolts are dropped all the way down (you can see when they are) and you shouldn't have to worry about them slipping."
"* Just got my TMS Kayak rack in a bit ago, and I've been spending the last 30 minutes installing it... Assembly is pretty straightforward, but you'll have to fiddle with it to get the parts to fall into place. The holes in the plastic cover (whatever you want to call it) don't line up with the holes in the bars, so you'll have to pretty much force the bolts into place... But then, if you had a nice ride, you probably would go get something from Thule or Yakima... The description of the product says "Will fit most factory or aftermarket round, square, oval and flat crossbars"... Yes, each bracket has two large knobs, but there is an additional nut keeping everything tightened down. So if you're thinking "Oh, I'll take off the mounts while I'm out on the water...."
"They must have addressed the issues with holes not lining up and difficulty getting bars through rubber sleeve because they were super easy to assemble and everything lined up nicely when waiting to fully tighten all bolts at once (this is key)... There's not enough clearance below my roof rack to use the plastic knobs, so the locking washer works with existing, non-locking nuts. This allows me to finger spin them on up to the locking washer versus a locking nut that would require using a wrench the whole time. I also cut strips of that rubbery, non slip mesh used to line cupboards, and put that between the bottom metal bracket and roof rack cross bar to help prevent scratching/chipping while creating a bit of a "grip" when tightening the J-racks to roof rack. Despite what others have said, the straps that come with the J-racks are perfectly fine for their purpose, but be sure to also use bow/stern safety lines... Bottom line: You won't find anything less expensive for the nice quality of these racks, and anything slightly nicer is WAY more expensive, BUT like others have said, expect to modify/change hardware for your situation (only on the long bolts) and be patient with mounting them if you don't have the luxury of space between your roof rack crossbar and roof. With some tweaks, they work great for the casual kayaker who doesn't want to spend more on a carrier than the kayaks themselves."
"Bought 2 (4 uprights) had em together in about 15 minutes with hand tools... It has an exploded diagram and its well more than you need to figure it out. I worry that if someone was really struggling with assembly, they wouldn't have the mental or physical prowess to be on the water, or behind the wheel... I was able to tighten it down on 1" tube but that was about as small as it would get... Of course, with replacing the carriage bolts it would fit any depth bar up to about 4" wide. Straps it came with were quite sturdy and had a nice little flap to keep the metal cam buckle from scratching things too horribly... Will wrap the bars at point of attachment on that car as they are not removable roof racks that are cheap to replace."
