Malone J cradles question

Advice
#1

I recently acquired two sets of Malone J cradles, but I am having trouble with them rolling around the bar when I try to slide the kayak on from the rear or front.

Has anyone else had this problem and figured a way to solve it?

On my old Thule ones, I just drilled through the center, and through the center of the round bar and put a bolt through, but the Malone has a center strip of plastic under the pad which prevents this method.



jack L

#2

They will do that; try silicone tape
I had Malone Js on my trailer bars at one time. Even without sliding the boat from the rear, they sometimes swiveled.



I got rid of those cradles. You might try putting a thin band of grippy material around the bars to make stickier contact with the cradles–maybe the stuff that is sold to put on kitchen drawer bottoms.



Actually, silicone tape would be even better.

#3

an idea
First idea was square bars but it wasn’t serious.



But I’m wondering if you can just drill through the round bar, horizontally, just below the cradle, and insert an overlength pin through the hole. It won’t tighten anything up but might kee the cradle from rotating more than a few degrees…

#4

jackl - another dumb idea:

– Last Updated: May-14-14 3:46 PM EST –

Maybe a "cross" fitting can be slipped over the bar and positioned under the j-cradle, so that it lies horizontally (not vertically as in the image below). You'd still have to drill a hole thru the fitting and bar to fit a pin or screw to keep the cross fitting from rotating. But if so, it seems the cross fitting would keep the saddle from rotating.

Here's a picture of a PVC cross fitting:

http://www.pvcfittingsonline.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/c/r/cross_pvc_6.jpg

You might even be able to use a copper fitting and crimp it somehow to keep it from rotating. Or this might be a starting point for a better idea.

#5

I tried a piece of rubber from a bike
tube, but that didn’t do any thing.

That bumpy rubber stuff for the drawer bottoms might work.



Jack L

#6

Both your ideas have merit, except…
I am constantly changing back and forth from J cradles, saddles, and bike racks.



I’ll try that sticky rubber stuff that Pikabike mentioned and see what happens.



I can load them from the side, but “the bride” is afraid I am going to pull a muscle in my back, and when “the boss” speaks, I listen!



Jack L

#7

maybe just skip the J cradles
alltogether and go with foam pad with kayak on its deck.

#8

Sticky rubber stuff didn’t work
Jack L

#9

No way.
there is a right way and a wrong way.

I try to go by the right way



jack L

#10

ah hell
Seems like an oversight on Malone’s end. Have you asked them about it? Maybe have them add a PVC cross fitting to the saddle bottom? :wink:

#11

Already asked them
They said they were made to load from the side.

They don’t realize that some of us are little shits!

Maybe I’ll put my old beat up thules on with the bolt through the bar, and keep the Malones for “best”.

Then ten years from now give them to someone.



Jack L

#12

I sent mine back,
as I had the same problem with them rolling, and got the Malone SeaWings instead. They are by far the easiest I’ve used, and I can carry two kayaks side by side, hulls down.

#13

Is there a way to connect the cradles
to one another with some sort of strut?



I always load my decked boat into the cradle from the side. Once the boat is tied into the cradles, the hull serves to strut the cradles together, and they don’t roll on the round bars.



Mine are old Yakima cradles. I haven’t ever looked closely at Malone J cradles, so I can’t suggest a specific way to strut them together.

#14

Hole in bottom of bar
Drill a hole in the bottom of the bar.



Drill and tap a hole in the bottom of the U clamp. screw in a short screw - smaller diameter than the hole in the bottom of the bar.



Hold U clamp in place with screw engaged into hole. Put on J cradles.



Can’t rotate.

#15

Silicone tape is stickier
I did the bike tube thing, too, with the same results. It’s not sticky enough.

#16

I already thought of that, and
that is what I’ll probably end up doing.



Thanks



Jack L

#17

thanks a lot
Now I feel like Rube Goldberg



:wink:

#18

Up date
it’s all fixed.

I tapped the underside of the Yakama cross bar for a bolt. Then drilled a hole slightly larger then the bolt in the center of the Malone strap.



thanks for all the suggestions



Jack L