I have to admit I am an auto noob but this seems like the perfect place to get some answers.

I have a 2001 Cherokee with stock cross bars. This summer I will be doing some field work in Florida that involves me carrying around 3 kayaks on my jeep for an extended drive and then daily for a few months. I am trying to figure out if my current cross bars will work for this or if I should consider getting an aftermarket rack.

I understand that the user manual says these racks can hold about 150lbs. That should be about the weight of 3 kayaks. This also doesn't seem much smaller than what most of the Yakima and Thule cross bars are rated for. In your experience, do the cross bars hold up to this weight? I have heard about some vehicles having cheaply made cross bars, but it seems like these ones on my jeep are not too bad.

The other issue is that the fasteners holding them together have started to rust and the bars are a bit loose. It seems like the connection between the feet and the bars is starting to have some give in it, which doesn't seem good. Has anyone had good experience with replacing these screws to make the bars stable again? I would hate for the bars to break on my way down to Florida. However, it seems like you guys put a lot more weight on your vehicles without any issues...

Any advice would be appreciated. I just wanted to see if the bars I have are any good before breaking down and dropping some money on new crossbars. Thanks.

 

Welcome to CF.

I believe I read that these are rated for 100lbs? But what concerns me more than the weight would be the possible stress put on the rack and mounts from the wind against the kayaks. Hopefully someone with experience will reply.

 

Not sure on the weight rating, but your mention of wind was also my concern when towing paddle boards. To help with the issue, I ran a strap around the board and through the jeep (opened back doors, then closed once strapped). No issues at highway speeds with wind. My question is how he expects to fit 3 kayaks up there? Not much room and the racks are slightly curved

 

Thanks for adding. I guess where there's a will there's way. lol

I've never had the need to use mine and to be honest I've never seen one being used. Of course I don't se lots of traffic let alone XJ's in particular.

 

There's no way I would trust my factory crossbars for 150lbs, especially with boats that are susceptible to wind forces in addition to the weight they are bearing. I carry two canoes at times totaling ~120lbs with Yakima gutter mounts & bars.

 

I think it's just the nature of the design. They are just a little loose. I often carry 2 kayaks and I make sure the strap goes through the adjuster not around the crossbar. Also I tie the ends to the bumpers. Never had an issue on the highway or rough roads. I use some cheap j-cradles I payed like $40 a set for and they even came with the straps and rope.

There isn't a lot of room for a third. Maybe if they are all the sit on type. There is also those foam pieces that are used to set the kayak on the roof if your vehicle doesn't have racks. Maybe you could use something like that in conjunction to add some extra support and relieve some weight from the cross bars.

 

Another idea. Grab another or 2 more crossbars from a junkyard and slide them on. Then you get more tie down points and more weight distribution. That's something I was pondering doing myself since I have an extra set of crossbars. And I would like to be able to carry 3 kayaks myself. I was also thinking of buying or converting a trailer to carry them as an alternative.

 

Thanks for the replies everyone!

I am not quite sure how I will fit three up there yet. I was thinking about putting a kayak saddle in the middle with two J racks on either side. I have seen a few people do it online, but it may end up just working out for two! Either way, I would rather have a secure setup for any number I put up there.

I think that the wind forces are an issue, but like many people mentioned tie downs on the bumpers and such should help alleviate some of that force. I didn't think how much more force would we placed on the bars with the wind.

It looks like I may g for some aftermarket crossbars then. This is exactly the kind of information I was looking for, so thanks for the help! You never know what you can actually trust. I was thinking about finding some crossbars that fit on the side rails already installed on my Jeep. Honestly I am not sure if there are bars that do. Is there an advantage to the rain gutter style you mentioned?

Thanks for all the help!

 

150 lbs may not fall through that thin cheap sheet metal roof the problem is the wind load will probably tear it off. Be safe and use a trailer.

 

One distinct advantage to gutter mounts is ease of installation and removal. I only have my bars on when loaded, and I can have them off or on in seconds. They also provide a wider mounting profile.

 

It's fun enough to get two kayaks on the roof cross bars. I wouldn't even try 3. Not enough space and the rack seems stressed enough with just two.

 

Personally I would not trust a 17 year old factory rack with anything I did not want to lose. Seems to me the weakest point is where the crossbar goes into the part that is attached to the rails (crossbar adapter?).
If you do the vehicle fit on Yakima, it rates the factory rails for 150lbs -- that would be using their "Landing pad 2" with their "skyline towers", then the 44" crossbars.

If you use their rain gutter pack, the load increases to 165lbs, and you can use the 58" crossbar.

Thule also has rain gutter mounts rated for 165lbs - neither are cheap after buying all the parts.

not sure if there are other rain gutter mounts rated for anything higher than 165 - JCR has some but I didn't see a weight rating.

another option would be getting a hitch mounted kayak carrier-I think there are two types- one that would take some of the weight off the rack, Like a pole that extends up from the hitch, but I'm not sure if it can be used with more than one kayak. They also make a vertical one that will hold kayaks on it's own, but that would turn the top of the kayak into a sail. Those are really built for RV's.

I would have to agree, a trailer would be better.

 

2 extra bars like waynerd said helped me out with a heavier load and to tie it to the front bumper will help a lot for the wind, tho the mount bolts into the metal of the roof arent very big, gutter clamps is probably stronger

Marc

 

My son just borrowed my Cherokee to take two kayaks up to the Salt River. During the trip the stock roof rack failed and the crossbar became separated from the rail. Evidently there is just one screw that holds it in place and it never felt very secure to begin with, with lots of play in the system. The crossbars seem sturdy enough, but the weak link is definitely in how those are attached to the side rails and side rail brackets. Those are not strong. I stuffed the crossbar back into the side rail bracket so it looks normal and I can drive around that way, but it won't hold a load ever again because the set screw tore through the bracket under a load. Can anyone recommend a good heavy duty set of crossbars that will work with my existing stock side rails?