An update: I just can't get the Yakama bars not to rotate! I'm very frustrated. My feelings have been soothed by excellent customer service by Yakama, though. I called Yakama last May and they sent new bars and screws. They did everything to get help for me but eventually I got two new bars. I only replaced the back bar because it was the worst offender and when I looked at the front bar the plastic wasn't too chewed up. I feared this wasn't going to work and wanted the back-up. I had to put that second bar on the rack three weeks ago. It started rolling around this past weekend. When I called in May I guessed that it was the towers so this time they said that they would be sending new towers and bars and screws, the whole works, again. Do you know they do this at NO CHARGE! Nada, no S&H, not a penny and they are wonderful about it. I have dealt with two different men and they were both so helpful and took me at my word that I knew what I was talking about, mostly <G>. So, we are to phase 3 of Yakama bars and Hulley Rollers. BTW, Yakama does NOT recommend the self tapping screw for exactly the torque reason. You could loose the whole assembly this way. There is the potential that some factory racks may be so insecure that the twisting of the tower, with no give at all, could deform or rip the thing right off the top of the car. The towel on the saddle idea just means you loose some of the security of the saddles, so may be a question as well. In this case front and back ropes would be essential to add if they aren't already there. Thanks for the help, though. Joan Sidney_Stone_at_amsinc.com wrote: > I screwed a self tapping sheet metal screw through the tower and into the > bar to avoid the bar rotating. It helped a little. I now try to lift the > kayak up more before starting to push on the rollers, which seems to keep > them from rotating. Taking the kayak off the car I do not have any problem > with rotation. To further put this into perspective, I drive a jeep grand > cherokee and I am 5'8"" tall, so I'm stretching some to put the kayak up on > the car. Additionally, I've been paddling a Valley Aquila which is 18+ > feet long and weighs 60 lbs (but I just got a Skerry SL). > > The one potential problem with screwing the tower and rod together it that > any torque may force the tower off the car. I had this happen one time, > after which I modified my loading technique as described above. > > Having said all the above and now being into my second season with the > Yakama system, I would but the Thule in the future as square bars do not > rotate (at least easily). > > A friend at a kayak center suggested putting towels on the regular saddles > to help the kayak slide onto the rack. Haven't tried this, but it may make > some sense. > *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Greetings, I have had similar experience with customer service at Yakima. They are very courteous, knowledgeable and quick to respond. I also have a solution for the rolling bar syndrome, Barrecrafters out of Shelbourne, VT. High quality for about 30% less. Paddlin' as fast as I can, Bruce (Fl) *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Joan Spinner wrote: > > An update: > I just can't get the Yakama bars not to rotate! I'm very frustrated. Joan, I'm not clear on your total setup, but I have cured the bar rotation problems on my new Yakima racks by the following: Hully rollers rotating on the bar: I contact cemented some wet-or-dry 200 grit sandpaper to the inside of the clamps which attach the roller assemblies to the bar. Bar rotating inside the Q-towers: had Bruno torque down the allen-head screw which fixes the bar to the towers. Bar rotating inside the regular towers (I have both types of towers): had Bruno torque down the hex-head bolt which fixes tower to bar. I decided: "Screw the plastic coating on the bar!" I am using mine on a '96 Toy X-Cab PU with a canopy. The saddles are on the cab (Q Towers) and the rollers are on the canopy. Note: Yakima does not endorse this arrangement, because they are worried about the flexing which the PU bed does relative to the cab. I've driven this arrangement a thousand miles or so on this rig and 10,000 miles or more on a Mazda PU similarly equipped, and have NEVER had any flex problems -- just brain problems like forgetting to attach a strap or lock down a tower! Good luck! -- Dave Kruger Astoria, OR *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
I'll second that. I had the same rotating-bar problem with the Q-towers. The allen-head screw had come loose. Haven't had a problem since I put the gorilla wrench to it. -----Original Message----- From: Dave Kruger [mailto:dkruger_at_pacifier.com] Sent: Saturday, August 14, 1999 6:47 AM To: Joan Spinner Cc: PaddleWise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subject: Re: [Paddlewise] rolling Yakama bars Joan Spinner wrote: > > An update: > I just can't get the Yakama bars not to rotate! I'm very frustrated. Joan, I'm not clear on your total setup, but I have cured the bar rotation problems on my new Yakima racks by the following: Hully rollers rotating on the bar: I contact cemented some wet-or-dry 200 grit sandpaper to the inside of the clamps which attach the roller assemblies to the bar. Bar rotating inside the Q-towers: had Bruno torque down the allen-head screw which fixes the bar to the towers. Bar rotating inside the regular towers (I have both types of towers): had Bruno torque down the hex-head bolt which fixes tower to bar. I decided: "Screw the plastic coating on the bar!" I am using mine on a '96 Toy X-Cab PU with a canopy. The saddles are on the cab (Q Towers) and the rollers are on the canopy. Note: Yakima does not endorse this arrangement, because they are worried about the flexing which the PU bed does relative to the cab. I've driven this arrangement a thousand miles or so on this rig and 10,000 miles or more on a Mazda PU similarly equipped, and have NEVER had any flex problems -- just brain problems like forgetting to attach a strap or lock down a tower! Good luck! -- Dave Kruger Astoria, OR *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ *************************************************************************** *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Joan - Consider yourself lucky! I have been having the same problem but when I called Yakima, they basically said it was my fault for not tightening the bolt tight enough. I explained that I had taken it back to the store a couple of times and had (very strong) others try to fix it. They ended the conversation with "Too bad. Try and tighten it some more by first lubricating the bolt area". I explained that the plastic on the x-bars was ripped up and they said I would have to go through the store where I originally purchased it for a waranty replacement (if it would apply). Although I have always used Yakima in the past, I never will in the future. For those in the purchasing pipeline, chose your manufacturer carefully. Debbie Reeves Sandy Hook, NJ > ---------- > From: Joan Spinner[SMTP:JSpinner_at_agu.org] > > An update: > I just can't get the Yakama bars not to rotate! I'm very frustrated. > My > feelings have been soothed by excellent customer service by Yakama, > though. > I called Yakama last May and they sent new bars and screws. They did > everything > to get help for me but eventually I got two new bars. I only replaced the > back bar > because it was the worst offender and when I looked at the front bar the > plastic > wasn't too chewed up. I feared this wasn't going to work and wanted the > back-up. I > had to put that second bar on the rack three weeks ago. It started rolling > around > this past weekend. > When I called in May I guessed that it was the towers so this time > they said > that they would be sending new towers and bars and screws, the whole > works, again. > Do you know they do this at NO CHARGE! Nada, no S&H, not a penny and they > are > wonderful about it. I have dealt with two different men and they were both > so > helpful and took me at my word that I knew what I was talking about, > mostly <G>. > So, we are to phase 3 of Yakama bars and Hulley Rollers. > BTW, Yakama does NOT recommend the self tapping screw for exactly the > torque > reason. You could loose the whole assembly this way. There is the > potential that > some factory racks may be so insecure that the twisting of the tower, with > no give > at all, could deform or rip the thing right off the top of the car. > The towel on the saddle idea just means you loose some of the security > of the > saddles, so may be a question as well. In this case front and back ropes > would be > essential to add if they aren't already there. > > Thanks for the help, though. > > Joan > > Sidney_Stone_at_amsinc.com wrote: > > > I screwed a self tapping sheet metal screw through the tower and into > the > > bar to avoid the bar rotating. It helped a little. I now try to lift > the > > kayak up more before starting to push on the rollers, which seems to > keep > > them from rotating. Taking the kayak off the car I do not have any > problem > > with rotation. To further put this into perspective, I drive a jeep > grand > > cherokee and I am 5'8"" tall, so I'm stretching some to put the kayak up > on > > the car. Additionally, I've been paddling a Valley Aquila which is 18+ > > feet long and weighs 60 lbs (but I just got a Skerry SL). > > > > The one potential problem with screwing the tower and rod together it > that > > any torque may force the tower off the car. I had this happen one time, > > after which I modified my loading technique as described above. > > > > Having said all the above and now being into my second season with the > > Yakama system, I would but the Thule in the future as square bars do not > > rotate (at least easily). > > > > A friend at a kayak center suggested putting towels on the regular > saddles > > to help the kayak slide onto the rack. Haven't tried this, but it may > make > > some sense. > > > > ************************************************************************** > * > PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List > Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net > Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net > Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ > ************************************************************************** > * > *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
I've also had problems with my Yakima bars rolling. In general, I've been pretty disgusted with the "hully rollers". The rollers don't roll very well and they seem to position the kayak such that it has way to much leverage to torque the main support cross bar. I haven't contacted Yakima about this yet, I'm about ready to chuck the hully rollers and just have a couple of sets of these foam blocks that I can fit on over the basic bar set. cheaper and less hassle. The basic bars seem to work ok, and for systems that bridge two bars (like the storage boxes) the system is fine, but for something that gives that much lever arm (like the hully rollers), its going to spin the bar. I'm also thinking about build a kayak trailer so I can carry multiple kayaks and not hassle with the Yakima bars at all. This has been more of a problem on the suburban, where the same cam seems to lock the tower to the stock roof rack side rails as well as tower to cross bars, and I've taken the bars on and off several times depending on whether I want to carry kayaks or have a shorter overall height (and not worry about the bars being stolen). I'm probably also putting more torque on these, since with the overall vehicle height, I'm more inclined to start at the rear and push the kayak forward. I haven't seen the same problems on the saturn wagon bars. Here, I cranked down the tower to bar clamps once, and the clamp to the rooftop is a separate adjustment. I'm also more typically loading a kayak from the side, and not doing nearly as much front to back slide adjustment. -- Dave Uebele (daveu_at_sptddog.com) Spotted Dog Systems http://sptddog.com/daveu.html *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
In sort of a spirit of "me too" ism, I've also had problems with Yakima bars rolling. I have saddles in the front and rollers in the back. The bars are the "double cross" version mounted to the factory rack rails on a '97 Dodge Caravan. In the beginning, I assumed that the Hully Rollers were rotating around the bar. I replaced the factory nuts with ordinary hex nuts (more to slow down thieves than anything else) and tightened the hell out of them. It was then I learned that the bars were rotating in the towers. I would tighten the towers to the point of almost breaking the little red levers and, in a few months, the rubber would extrude out and things would loosen up. I DO NOT like having to tighten my whole roof rack with those fragile little red levers. My wife actually hurt herself seriously while unloading some boats alone once because the bars rotated and the rollers moved enough to allow a boat to drop. Yes, I've read of other people fixing the problem with sand paper and, no, I have not taken the bars apart to do that yet. I also haven't talked with Yakima. I suppose I'm feeling lazy but also feeling very disappointed that a system from a company such as Yakima should be so much of a hassle. The set-up on my van has the front saddles straddling the front bar towers and thus the whole set-up is a real hassle to put on and take off the roof. So... my set up lives on the roof 365 days a year. I really, really, really miss the old set-up I had when my old van had rain gutters. Easy on and off and they stayed tight. I've also been disappointed with the performance of the rollers. Just looking at them, they have so much promise but they really don't perform that well. There are times they choose not to roll (yes, I did unlock them). They would probably work better if our boats had a much more pronounced "vee" shape. In fairness, though, the rollers do (most of the time) make it easier for me to load boats alone on such a high vehicle. I too have been thinking of a trailer. It would certainly make to loading/unloading part of paddling a lot easier. The bottom line for me now is I have what i have and will live with it for the forseeable future. When it come time to look at a new rack set up, I will probably not go again with Yakima. Bill Leonhardt *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
G'day Bill, Debbie and others - I have no idea what Yakima racks are like, as here in Australia they are not readily available unless you import them yourself. My point here, as a business owner myself, is this: Are you sure that when you talked to "Yakima" that you were talking to a person with the authority to do something about your problem? Far too often business owners do not get good feedback on products due to the "idiot shield". This often happens when you get an employee who is great at looking like an angel to the boss, but is a demon to the customer! I find it hard to believe that the core business philosophy of Yakima and the rest would be to treat all of you this way. If someone gave me the comment "Too bad", it would indicate to me that they were definitely an insignificant cog in the company and that there was joy to be had from going higher up the ladder. As that employees boss - I would most certainly be sure that within the next few hours they either obtained major behaviour modification or else they could go collect food stamps. They have no place in customer service. Wayne Langmaid Central Coast Kayak Tours / Ocean Planet Pty. Ltd. http://www.kayaktours.com -----Original Message----- From: owner-paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net [mailto:owner-paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net]On Behalf Of Bill Leonhardt Sent: Tuesday, 24 August 1999 7:00 To: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subject: Re: [Paddlewise] rolling Yakama bars In sort of a spirit of "me too" ism, I've also had problems with Yakima bars rolling. I have saddles in the front and rollers in the back. The bars are the "double cross" version mounted to the factory rack rails on a '97 Dodge Caravan. In the beginning, I assumed that the Hully Rollers were rotating around the bar. I replaced the factory nuts with ordinary hex nuts (more to slow down thieves than anything else) and tightened the hell out of them. It was then I learned that the bars were rotating in the towers. I would tighten the towers to the point of almost breaking the little red levers and, in a few months, the rubber would extrude out and things would loosen up. I DO NOT like having to tighten my whole roof rack with those fragile little red levers. My wife actually hurt herself seriously while unloading some boats alone once because the bars rotated and the rollers moved enough to allow a boat to drop. Yes, I've read of other people fixing the problem with sand paper and, no, I have not taken the bars apart to do that yet. I also haven't talked with Yakima. I suppose I'm feeling lazy but also feeling very disappointed that a system from a company such as Yakima should be so much of a hassle. The set-up on my van has the front saddles straddling the front bar towers and thus the whole set-up is a real hassle to put on and take off the roof. So... my set up lives on the roof 365 days a year. I really, really, really miss the old set-up I had when my old van had rain gutters. Easy on and off and they stayed tight. I've also been disappointed with the performance of the rollers. Just looking at them, they have so much promise but they really don't perform that well. There are times they choose not to roll (yes, I did unlock them). They would probably work better if our boats had a much more pronounced "vee" shape. In fairness, though, the rollers do (most of the time) make it easier for me to load boats alone on such a high vehicle. I too have been thinking of a trailer. It would certainly make to loading/unloading part of paddling a lot easier. The bottom line for me now is I have what i have and will live with it for the forseeable future. When it come time to look at a new rack set up, I will probably not go again with Yakima. Bill Leonhardt *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ *************************************************************************** *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Although it does not entirely solve the rolling bar problem, a lot of people in our club have improved the clamping friction of the racks by taking some sand paper and roughing up the plastic coating on the bar so it is not quite so slick. They can still roll if you are not careful, but scuffing up the surface helps reduce the problem without having to apply to much crushing force to the clamps. Bill Leonhardt wrote: > In sort of a spirit of "me too" ism, I've also had problems with Yakima > bars rolling. > > I have saddles in the front and rollers in the back. The bars are the > "double cross" version mounted to the factory rack rails on a '97 Dodge > Caravan. In the beginning, I assumed that the Hully Rollers were rotating > around the bar. I replaced the factory nuts with ordinary hex nuts (more > to slow down thieves than anything else) and tightened the hell out of them. > > It was then I learned that the bars were rotating in the towers. I would > tighten the towers to the point of almost breaking the little red levers > and, in a few months, the rubber would extrude out and things would loosen > up. I DO NOT like having to tighten my whole roof rack with those fragile > little red levers. > > My wife actually hurt herself seriously while unloading some boats alone > once because the bars rotated and the rollers moved enough to allow a boat > to drop. > > Yes, I've read of other people fixing the problem with sand paper and, no, > I have not taken the bars apart to do that yet. I also haven't talked with > Yakima. I suppose I'm feeling lazy but also feeling very disappointed that > a system from a company such as Yakima should be so much of a hassle. > > The set-up on my van has the front saddles straddling the front bar towers > and thus the whole set-up is a real hassle to put on and take off the roof. > So... my set up lives on the roof 365 days a year. I really, really, > really miss the old set-up I had when my old van had rain gutters. Easy on > and off and they stayed tight. > > I've also been disappointed with the performance of the rollers. Just > looking at them, they have so much promise but they really don't perform > that well. There are times they choose not to roll (yes, I did unlock > them). They would probably work better if our boats had a much more > pronounced "vee" shape. > > In fairness, though, the rollers do (most of the time) make it easier for > me to load boats alone on such a high vehicle. > > I too have been thinking of a trailer. It would certainly make to > loading/unloading part of paddling a lot easier. > > The bottom line for me now is I have what i have and will live with it for > the forseeable future. When it come time to look at a new rack set up, I > will probably not go again with Yakima. > > Bill Leonhardt > > *************************************************************************** > PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List > Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net > Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net > Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ > *************************************************************************** *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Drive a self tapping screw into the top of the tower and into the bar. That will keep the bar from rotating. Next you fight the rollers or saddles from rotating. I am working on that solution which may also involve screwing them in place - but will limit ability to move. I will end the season and then consider investing in square bar technology. *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Try taking some sanding screen that is used for dry wall sanding and wrap that around the bar (<1 turn) then place the socket of the kayak holder over the sanding screen and tighten the bolts. ----- Original Message ----- From: Dave Uebele <daveu_at_sptddog.com> To: <PaddleWise_at_lists.intelenet.net> Sent: Monday, August 23, 1999 3:38 PM Subject: Re: [Paddlewise] rolling Yakama bars > I've also had problems with my Yakima bars rolling. > In general, I've been pretty disgusted with the "hully rollers". > The rollers don't roll very well and they seem to position the kayak such > that it has way to much leverage to torque the main support cross bar. > > I haven't contacted Yakima about this yet, I'm about ready to > chuck the hully rollers and just have a couple of sets of > these foam blocks that I can fit on over the basic bar set. > cheaper and less hassle. > > The basic bars seem to work ok, and for systems that bridge two > bars (like the storage boxes) the system is fine, but for something that > gives that much lever arm (like the hully rollers), its going to spin the bar. > I'm also thinking about build a kayak trailer so I can carry multiple kayaks > and not hassle with the Yakima bars at all. > > This has been more of a problem on the suburban, where the same cam > seems to lock the tower to the stock roof rack side rails as well as > tower to cross bars, and I've taken the bars on and off several times > depending on whether I want to carry kayaks or have a shorter overall > height (and not worry about the bars being stolen). I'm probably also > putting more torque on these, since with the overall vehicle height, > I'm more inclined to start at the rear and push the kayak > forward. > > I haven't seen the same problems on the saturn wagon bars. > Here, I cranked down the tower to bar clamps once, and the clamp > to the rooftop is a separate adjustment. I'm also more typically > loading a kayak from the side, and not doing nearly > as much front to back slide adjustment. > > > -- > Dave Uebele (daveu_at_sptddog.com) Spotted Dog Systems > http://sptddog.com/daveu.html > *************************************************************************** > PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List > Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net > Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net > Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ > *************************************************************************** > *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Dave wrote: >I haven't contacted Yakima about this yet, I'm about ready to chuck the hully rollers and just have a couple of sets of these foam blocks that I can fit on over the basic bar set. cheaper and less hassle. I used the foam block system for two years on my Yakima rack--they stink. They support the boat well, but allow too much side-to-side play. You have to do a really good job of attaching painter lines to keep the boat from shifting. I tried the Yakima saddles (a friend's) and really liked them, but not the pricetag. I then cut some plywood saddles that perfectly fit the curvature of my hull. I put some wide weatherstripping on the top edge of the saddles to protect the hull, and the boat rides like a dream. No side-to-side play, and painters aren't even needed. Shawn *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
> -----Original Message----- > From: Shawn W. Baker [mailto:baker_at_montana.com] > Sent: Tuesday, August 24, 1999 7:09 AM snip > I put some wide > weatherstripping on the top edge of the saddles to protect > the hull, and > the boat rides like a dream. No side-to-side play, and > painters aren't > even needed. > Oh No......:-) Not the bow and stern tiedown thing again! Dave Seng Juneau, Alaska *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
In a message dated 8/23/99 10:27:03 PM, wanewman_at_uswest.net writes: << Although it does not entirely solve the rolling bar problem, a lot of people in our club have improved the clamping friction of the racks by taking some sand paper and roughing up the plastic coating on the bar so it is not quite so slick. They can still roll if you are not careful, but scuffing up the surface helps reduce the problem without having to apply to much crushing force to the clamps. >> I think I may have mentioned that I put fine grit sand paper facing the plastic into the towers to expand the area of grip of the towers. I was thinking that maybe the problem is the 3 little teeth, grouped at 60 degrees from each other that are the issue. There just isn't enough surface to really HOLD the plastic. The plastic just rips at the teeth. I'm VERY concerned with the idea of screwing the bars to the towers. I believe them when I'm told that such a system can torque the towers right off my truck. I'd rather the bar roll than the whole bar and tower come off. I'm also sure it is the 64 pound Looksha or that cute Sea Lion with all her weight that are the cause of the rolling. The 54 pound Breeze doesn't seem to cause a problem but the longer, heavier boats do. I can't put the service I received together with the stories of bad customer service others are telling us about. I have spoken with 3 different people and each and every one of them seemed almost overanxious to make me happy. It was like I could ask for just about anything and they would find a way to give it to me. Perhaps complaints have caused this turn around, like the IRS. Whatever the case, I would deal with them again in a New York minute. If only greed wasn't so rampant we could demand and receive service like this from every company we deal with. Joan Spinner *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
I've got the same setup on a 99 Caravan and love em. I haven't experienced the rolling problem and lubricate the rollers regularly with 303. They are ideal for the sharp V of the Nordkapp and Eddyline Falcon. cya -----Original Message----- From: owner-paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net [mailto:owner-paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net] On Behalf Of Bill Leonhardt Sent: Monday, August 23, 1999 5:00 PM To: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subject: Re: [Paddlewise] rolling Yakama bars In sort of a spirit of "me too" ism, I've also had problems with Yakima bars rolling. I have saddles in the front and rollers in the back. The bars are the "double cross" version mounted to the factory rack rails on a '97 Dodge Caravan. In the beginning, I assumed that the Hully Rollers were rotating around the bar. I replaced the factory nuts with ordinary hex nuts (more to slow down thieves than anything else) and tightened the hell out of them. It was then I learned that the bars were rotating in the towers. I would tighten the towers to the point of almost breaking the little red levers and, in a few months, the rubber would extrude out and things would loosen up. I DO NOT like having to tighten my whole roof rack with those fragile little red levers. My wife actually hurt herself seriously while unloading some boats alone once because the bars rotated and the rollers moved enough to allow a boat to drop. Yes, I've read of other people fixing the problem with sand paper and, no, I have not taken the bars apart to do that yet. I also haven't talked with Yakima. I suppose I'm feeling lazy but also feeling very disappointed that a system from a company such as Yakima should be so much of a hassle. The set-up on my van has the front saddles straddling the front bar towers and thus the whole set-up is a real hassle to put on and take off the roof. So... my set up lives on the roof 365 days a year. I really, really, really miss the old set-up I had when my old van had rain gutters. Easy on and off and they stayed tight. I've also been disappointed with the performance of the rollers. Just looking at them, they have so much promise but they really don't perform that well. There are times they choose not to roll (yes, I did unlock them). They would probably work better if our boats had a much more pronounced "vee" shape. In fairness, though, the rollers do (most of the time) make it easier for me to load boats alone on such a high vehicle. I too have been thinking of a trailer. It would certainly make to loading/unloading part of paddling a lot easier. The bottom line for me now is I have what i have and will live with it for the forseeable future. When it come time to look at a new rack set up, I will probably not go again with Yakima. Bill Leonhardt *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ *************************************************************************** *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Dave Uebele wrote: > > I've also had problems with my Yakima bars rolling. > In general, I've been pretty disgusted with the "hully rollers". > The rollers don't roll very well and they seem to position the kayak such > that it has way to much leverage to torque the main support cross bar. I've had good experience with the hullies, though they rolled around the bar until I contact-cemented 120 grit wet or dry sandpaper inside the clamps. Just got back from a couple *beater* drives of 50 miles plus on rough logging roads using the hullies on the rear, and they never moved a millimeter. To each his own, I guess ... -- Dave Kruger Astoria, OR *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
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