I have a Kargo Master Congo Cage ordered for my 2007 Jeep Wrangler. The Yakima crossbar mounts from Kargo Master arrived ahead of the rack and I found that they did not fit the Yakima crossbars well. There was too much gap. Also there were so many parts (so many nuts, bolts, washers, etc) that I’m sure they’ll loosen and probably get lost.
I would like another simpler more effective solution for attaching Yakima or Thule crossbars to the Kargo Master. Anyone have one?
Can you use short segments of vinyl
hose to fill in the gaps? I assume you’re saying that the Cargo Master attachment clamps don’t grip the round Yakima bars tightly enough. As for all the screws, washers, etc., if you use the right sort of Loctite, you can ensure that the clamps don’t come off.
There is also a chance that some off-the-shelf crossbar clamp from Yakima would mate to the Cargo Master.
Surprising
I have the same setup and everything is super tight. They make a bar holder for generic cross bars perhaps you got that shipped to you instead of the Yakima mount kit? A piece of rubber hose should resolve the problem or return them and get the Yakima low rider towers.
about a zillion
little nuts, bolts and washers…but they’re still all tight.
i didn’t have that problem with the mounting brackets…first i’d call and talk to someone and verify you were sent the correct kit…if that doesn’t get you anywhere, i’d try taping the bars with black duct tape, or use take he vinyl or rubber hose suggestions below.
good ideas … thank you!
I’ll double check the mounting hardware that I got and give it another try with the Yakima crossbars and try your ideas to get the tighter fit. If that doesn’t do it, I’ll try the low riders. I’ll let you know how it goes.
the Kargo Master congo cage
is on my Jeep and it looks fantastic. Solid as a rock and everything fits after all. The Yakima adapters and crossbars are on it and they are very secure. The Thule J racks also attached just fine to the Yakima crossbars … it takes a lot of tightening and ok some swearing, but they’re there.
Only problem now is that with the 2007 Wrangler’s huge ground clearance, then the added height of the rack, then the J racks, I need to be 10 feet tall to get a kayak up there.
Time to get a ladder. Anyone know of any cool short foldy ones I can toss into the Jeep?
Yeah
It’s a reach. You should be able to find a short 2 step stool at one of the mega stores. Fortunately I’m tall and can still get the boat up on the rack. That rack is awesome I haul boats, skis, rods, lumber with never a problem. It’s especially cool to cruise around with the top down and a boat over your head as a roof.
ladder?
i’ve an 06…step on the rear bumper or climb up on the tires when i need to reach up/over…with the rack on there you have convenient hand holds and it’ll support 500 pounds.
thule makes a hullavator too if the ladder thing doesn’t work out.
a ladder with wide feet
and one that’s rugged enough to not twist were good suggestions. I’ll keep that in mind. As far as climbing up on the tires and such to reach, that work’s fine so far for attaching the rack equipment. I just doubt that I could use that approach to get my 50+ lb kayak up on the J racks. I might be able to manage it if I can get most of it slid up on to J racks and then climb up to adjust it. But I expect that will likely result with the kayak tipping off the J racks and crashing to the ground. Since this rack is higher than expected, another option may be to switch to saddles that I can load back to front easier. Then climbing up to adjust it into position would be no problem.
rack
I have an 04 with rack;I used a small step ladder for a while what a pain, the lifting was a pain and the chance of dropping a kayak after a long paddle when being tired was great; I got a set of saddles for up front and rollers for the rear; You can set kayak up on end and roll kayak right on; What a difference and you don’t have to worry about hitting anything because your to high.
I got some Yakima saddles
in case the J racks don’t work out. I also got extenders from Yakima that plug right into the crossbars. I saw these at a Paddlesports Show yesterday. They assist loading from the side. If the J racks are still a pain I can use the saddles. If the saddles alone are’t enough, I’ll add the hullyrollers or Yakima’s newest gadget that extends to the back and does the same sort of thing. I got the wide foot step stool too. If none of this works, I’ll take up some other sport!
Kargo Master Rattle
Well the KargoMaster Congo cage looks great, Yakima attachments are on and solid. But I’ve found that unlike the Top Five racks I’ve had in the past this one rattles quite a bit. I’ve written to the manufacturer to see if this is expected or if possibly the dealer installed it wrong. Anyone else experience this and can it be corrected?
TIRE STEP
Maybe this will work to help your reach?
http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/links/link.jsp;jsessionid=3KNOOHJQ54XZPLAQBBLCCN3MCAEFAIWE?id=0019961521303a&type=product&cmCat=froogle&cm_ven=data_feed&cm_cat=froogle&cm_pla=0530120&cm_ite=0019961521303a&_requestid=108989
Do a Google search for Tire Step, this is just 1 site of many that carry them.
Yes
Despite using the silicone joint sealant that came with the rack I had an annoying rattle from the right rear corner. I eventually took that joint apart and used several wraps of electrical tape to seal the small gap. No more rattle.
Thule 450
I am using Thule 450. I am going to get an hand held electric driver to get them on and off. It is just a lot of turning.