Does any one out there have a Ford Escape with a Yakama Rack System, and if so are you satisfied with it, and what type of towers do you have?
Thanks in advance,
JackL
Tribute
I have a Mazda Tribute which is basically the same thing as a Ford Escort. I use Yakima Low Rider mounts which attach to the factory rails and 48" bars. The mounts are very secure and I’ve not had any problem with them. I generally use a Hully Roller and Mako Saddle combination when hauling just one kayak. I generally use two sets of Hullraisers (padded) when hauling two. It’s very difficult to load a kayak on Hullraisers by yourself. Sometimes I will use a single Hullraiser set with the Hully/Mako set. I also have kayak stacker bars which I don’t use much as they are not padded.
The Hully/Mako is low profile and I rarely have any problems with sliding (off-center)on the rack bars. The Hullraisers will slide a little due to high speeds - but not enough to be a problem.
I also haul a canoe on occasion. It is so wide that the gunwales sit directly on top of the low riders. This has not been a problem (as long as the canoe is tied down securely).
When I’m not hauling boats, the bars will cause a bit of wind noise. To deal with this, I use a 36" fairing on the front bar. It fits nicely between the factory rails and works very well for noise reduction.
Have A Thule
The foot kit that fits our Escape allows the rack to be removed or put on in under a minute. Here’s a link if interested. WW
http://community.webshots.com/album/226122759XYbkwI
You should be a Thule Salesman !
Your pictures show the set up ten times better than Yakama"s site shows theirs.
If I didn’t have two Yakama bike racks, their ski racks, two sets of their kayak saddles and their gunnel brackets, I would be tempted to switch.
I would have to mortage the house to replace all that stuff!
Cheers,
JackL
Don’t Blame You Jack
If I had all those extras, I wouldn’t change either. I’ve actually had this rack on 3 vehicles now. I’m not a big Hull-a-port fan, but I really like my Thule rack. You would think Thule WOULD exploit the fact that it can be installed and removed so quickly. And that “Under a minute” installation and removal does not require me to run arround like a mad man, I could probaly easily break 30 seconds if I tried. Hope you like your Escape. We’ve had ours 2 years and no problems. Our vehicles have to go through mud, snow, bad roads, accross creeks, etc. here on the farm. The Escape does VERY well, and it also handles like a car on the highway (I guess I sound like a Ford salesman now, huh). Take care. WW
Landing Pads…
Jack, take a look at the Yak Control Tower/ Landing Pads set up. If they make a fit for your Escape, they are great. Similar concept to the Thule system in the pics shown. I use them on the camper shell of my Toyota Pickup. On and off in no time!
Jon
What happened
to your Jeep? An escape is no substitute for the canvertable that Nanci wanted…
yakima side loader
I have an escape and am shorter than it is.
I have the landing pads and 48 inch bars.
I have two sets of cradles (I got rid of the rollers because I didn’t feel like the held the boat securely).
To load and unload I have a yakima side loader.
It’s comical to watch but I can handle this myself
Using Lowrider rack
– Last Updated: Mar-29-05 11:59 PM EST –
I have a "No Boundaries" Escape (different factory rack) using a Yakima Lowrider rack and a pair of Mako saddles. The Makos have been solid as a rock... no worries about my kayak flying off my roof (knock on wood). I'm just tall enough where I can raise my kayak above my head and toss it on top of my car. And to get it off, my Escape has side steps, so I've mastered the art of standing on the side step and rolling my kayak off the saddles towards me while taking the step back down to the ground. So far I'm happy with it.
Thanks
That is what I got and put them on in a very short time yesterday.
It was easy and I like their strength.
They must be very similar to the Thule like Wildernessweb described above, since if I want to, I can take the whole set up off in a matter of minutes.
I had already used permanantly bolted landing pads to the top of the fiberglass cap on my pickup truck, but they are a different model.
Cheers,
JackL
Was Just Thinking of You…
…yesterday, Jason. Big Creek is up and was thinking “I wish Jason was arround to paddle it with me.” I guess you survived that N.MI winter? Sorry, Jack, I apologize for the thread hijacking. WW
Spring thaw
Yeah, winter wasn’t too bad up here this year truthfully. December was the worst of it… after that just a few storms. Typically it’s the other way around, but whatever… we were up around 60 degrees and sun this past weekend and a lot of the snow melted.
The worry now is flooding from the spring thaw. There’s a small bridge just before the street I live on and the small river that passes under it is at its peak, and we’re starting to get some rain. Not good!
Wish I could be down there enjoying a run or two with you, but it’ll have to wait. Don’t know if I’ll make the Rendezvous right now… high gas prices and my budget aren’t mixing well (especially when you only get 15 miles/gallon). So I might come down this summer instead. A friend of mine in Peoria is getting married, so if I go to his wedding I’ll make an extended trip south to do some paddling.