I just bought an 07 Toyota Rav4. It has a nice cargo rack on it but after looking at the front of the vehicle, there is no place to tie down in the front. I am thinking I might need to get a yakima rack to fit onto the stock rack that came with it but that still does not address the problem of no tie down in the front. Any ideas anyone?
Sherry in Ga
Pop out
I’m in the middle of new car shopping, and have spent lots of time looking at the Rav4. There should be a rectangular pop out on the front bumper that once you pop it out you will find a tow hook to secure your bow tie down to. How do you like your Rav4 so far?
tie downs
check out hood loops from oak orchard canoes & kayaks.
Nothing at all?
There should be SOME kind of protuberance underneath the bumper, if not in the middle, then on either side. What about using rubber-coated hooks and attaching them to the rim of the bumper itself?
Top Ties
Bumpers are plastic. What you want is a product called a Top-Ties. Rutabaga sells them. http://www.rutabaga.com/product.asp?pid=1001675
There is ALWAYS a bolt that holds the quarter panel to the frame under the hood. It’s usually a 10mm in all vehicles except Ford which uses 8mm bolts. I have installed thousands of these things. The loop sticks out the side of the hood when you need it and hides underneath when you don’t.
Agreed - get the loops
I put those on my SUV and they worked great. No rubbing against paint, no getting dirty trying to hook on under the car.
Of course I forgot to take mine off when I sold the car - doh!
I should run down to Canoecopia to get some more. Oh, 5 hour run. Hmmmm, have to pick up a new boat to make that worthwhile!
I have the new RAV4
I have the new RAV4 and it’s been a great vehicle. Works well as a daily driver and for transporting my kayaks.
Thanks!
Ok! I found the place for the hooks under the pop out things. Now I need to get one more hook since only one comes in the tool kit. Thanks for telling me about those! I love this little truck. I know it is not really a truck but I consider it one anyway. Now that I know I can easily carry my boats, I am indeed a happy camper!
Sherry in GA
Hood loops
I just checked out the hood loops! Pretty neat idea and may be cheaper than buying another eye ring to fit the truck. I saw all kinds of neat accessories on that site. The hullevator is something to think about but is a bit pricey.
Sherry in GA
Tie down spots on Rav4
I drove off the lot with my 07 Rav4 a week ago. I like it a lot but won’t try to give an informed review until I’ve driven it for at least a year. Can say the low beams are lame.
More to the point of this thread-- Have ordered Yakima brackets to grip factory rails and will use Yakima bars.
For the attaching the front lines, look for a notch under the center of the bumper cover. I am going to thread a cord through the holes in a metal part exposed in the notch and clip into that cord.
For the rear lines, there is a shipping tie down bracket on one side and a metal plate with a hole near the exhaust on the other side.
On top I will use J carriers on Yakima crossbars with straps.
Not a ideal set up, but certainly workable.
Dave
Make your own loops for less than $1
I bought 1 inch tubular webbing from REI, drilled folded an 8 inch section in half and drilled a hole in it. Then installed a grommet and it was done. Took about 10 minutes to make and used less than $1 worth of parts.