Re: [Paddlewise] Roof Racks

From: Dave Kruger <dkruger_at_pacifier.com>
Date: Fri, 27 Nov 1998 09:00:56 -0800
Bob Denton wrote:
> 
> I think we have a good experience base here on the list. Has anyone EVER
> experienced strap failure? 

Not in seven years of heavy use of Yakima TLC saddles (and the straps which come with them).  Do not
habitually tie the front or rear of my yaks to the bumper, either, except on very long hauls. (Yeah,
I know this is not as safe as I "could" be.)

However, one day, one of the push-on nuts which holds the nether end of the TLC strap to the cradle
came loose, and the pin (and strap) came off in my hand as I was putting the cradles away.  Shook me
up, and I replaced the pin with a bolt and a nut with real threads.

I think the weak point on the straps is the cam/roller which holds the free end.  The stitching is
probably bombproof (climbers use stitched runners, eschewing knots), but the cam/roller mechanism
wears, and if the pin slips out, then the strap is completely loose.

Hoary story:  as a 17-year-old, I watched my buddies' two surfboards flip off the roof at 50 mph on
old Hwy 101 down near La Jolla, CA.  Cars behind us were jinking like fighters in flak, and the
boards were flip-flying just like a popsicle stick does!  Casualties:  two dings in one board, and
one skeg on the other.  No damage to vehicles or people.  They went surfing anyway!

-- 
Dave Kruger
Astoria, OR
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Received on Fri Nov 27 1998 - 09:04:04 PST

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