Diesel139

Hi All,

I am looking to install two Thule Kayak Racks on my 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee (Altitude Edition). I want to use two Thule Hullavator Kayak Racks which are lift assist racks that use hydraulics to lift the Kayak from the side of the car where it can easily be strapped in and lifted to the roof. My wife and I are recently retired and are looking for something that's easy to use.

Now for my questions:

Has anyone has experience with these racks?

I have been in contact with Thule and they say two can be installed on a 69 inch Pro Bar they sell with a 220lb capacity. The racks rack weigh 40 lbs each and my kayaks weigh 45 lbs each with a total weight of 170 lbs. The system can work but they say to check with Jeep to find out what weight capacity the roof is rated with the factory side rails I recently installed. Who can I contact for this information? I searched the internet with no luck.

Any suggestions, thoughts or installation guides would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Bob K

PCO6

I'm not sure about later Cherokees but according to the owners manual for my '89 XJ the roof rack capacity is 150 lbs. My guess is that newer Cherokees would be rated at that or probably more. By "side rails" I'm not sure if you will be relying on the original rack itself or the drip rails which would be able to carry a lot more weight.

I faced this issue too; older, retired, 2 kayaks, etc. I built a rack for my tear drop trailer and am currently working on ones for my XJ and LJ that will allow me to lift the bow of the kayak up on to an extension of the rack first and then swing the stern up and over onto the rack. I'm 68, short(ish) and in decent shape and can get both up and lashed down in about 15 minutes. For my XJ, the rack I built weighs 25 lbs and will bolts to the original rack. My kayaks are 55 lbs. each so I should be good to go. I don't know if you're into fabricating things but there may be some alternatives.

Diesel139

PCO6,
The roof of the Altitude Edition did not have any side rails just a moulding so I ordered the Mopar Factory rails and installed them a few weeks ago (see photos). I read through the owner's manual and can't find the roof load capacity. My brother has used the Thule Hullavator hydraulic rack and it's really easy to load. Although a bit pricey ($650 each) hopefully will keep me kayaking for many years to come!

Your kayak setup sounds great but I am not very handy!

Thanks for your input.....

Bob

PCO6

That's seems odd that the capacity not is not in the manual but maybe Jeep didn't want to be held to a number for some reason. My guess is that in my case it actually holds a bit more and they're just playing it safe. I wasn't familiar with the Thule rack you mentioned so I Googled it. I've seen similar ideas and they are a nice way to go.

I understand now what you mean about the side (not drip) rails. I'm living in the past! ha ha. Regarding your post, the photos you mentioned aren't showing on my screen.