Bhansen97_at_aol.com wrote: > > Woody asks - > > << Does anyone know someone or someplace on the web that might > have studied cartop load failures? I would be real curious as to why most > cartopped loads fly off. >> > > Interesting question. When it became necessary for me to change vehicles > (never mind why) I also needed a new Yakima rack. I often carry two 17 - 18 > foot "heavy British heavies" atop the minivan, a load totalling perhaps > 120-135 lbs, and the good folks at Yakima wrote emphatically that their racks > would not safely hold boats that long or loads that heavy. I swallowed hard a > few times, drilled out the roof of my van and bolted tracks in place which > will hold both boats without question. Yakima rates the racks on one of my rigs at 165 lbs max. I am certain I have hauled 200 lbs up there a couple times, with no significant degradation of anything. Yakima also refuses to endorse a common practice for pickups with a roof-line-consistent canopy (canopy roof line same distance from the ground as the cab's): one crossbar on the cab and the other on the canopy. Their concern is the shifting which occurs as the truck body flexes -- purportedly leading to failure of the rack system (straps? cradles? towers? they don't say). I've run a set of crossbars that way for 7 seasons, with all kinds of loads up there and never noticed any problems, either with the rack (TLC cradles, most of the time) or with the boats. My suspicion: Yakima's product liability attorney is overly cautious (or, "full of it"). -- Dave Kruger Astoria, OR *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************Received on Wed Apr 21 1999 - 16:49:28 PDT
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