Our new Kayak racks f150 CC
Well, It finally quit raining today so we decided to try putting the Kayaks on the truck. Thanks for all the input on what to buy from this group. This is what we used:
Thule 480 Traverse half pack car and truck rack system
AND
a Yakima Outdoorsman 300 compact rack ( one pair ) for the truck bed
We used the compact 300 Yakima, which is designed for smaller trucks so the rack heights would hopefully line up, which they did nicely. The compact is 3" shorter than the full size rack.
Also put a 1 1/4" pvc pipe wrapped in pipe insulation over the round Yakima tube so the Kayaks would roll over the tube for easier loading. Seems to work ok. Don't know how long the rubber insulation will last but it is pretty cheap and easy to replace.
Vehicle is a 2013 Ford F150 Ecoboost CC 4D 4WD
We still have to work on tie down ropes / straps.
Would appreciate any opinions on the way the Kayaks are loaded. Whether the Kayaks are too far forward or back etc. , or the racks too far apart or close together. We can adjust the distance with the bed rack. Would appreciate input as we have never hauled Kayaks. We do realize we need to tie them down to the racks and to the truck, front and back.
BTW: we bought at http://www.orsracksdirect.com/ Their prices were great and they helped me pick out the right length tubes etc. Shipping was free and was received in about 3 days.
Thule 480 Traverse half pack car and truck rack system
AND
a Yakima Outdoorsman 300 compact rack ( one pair ) for the truck bed
We used the compact 300 Yakima, which is designed for smaller trucks so the rack heights would hopefully line up, which they did nicely. The compact is 3" shorter than the full size rack.
Also put a 1 1/4" pvc pipe wrapped in pipe insulation over the round Yakima tube so the Kayaks would roll over the tube for easier loading. Seems to work ok. Don't know how long the rubber insulation will last but it is pretty cheap and easy to replace.
Vehicle is a 2013 Ford F150 Ecoboost CC 4D 4WD
We still have to work on tie down ropes / straps.
Would appreciate any opinions on the way the Kayaks are loaded. Whether the Kayaks are too far forward or back etc. , or the racks too far apart or close together. We can adjust the distance with the bed rack. Would appreciate input as we have never hauled Kayaks. We do realize we need to tie them down to the racks and to the truck, front and back.
BTW: we bought at http://www.orsracksdirect.com/ Their prices were great and they helped me pick out the right length tubes etc. Shipping was free and was received in about 3 days.
