Caution with wingnuts
Malone supplies flange nuts that have teeth built-in to dig into their aluminum bridge bar. Wingnuts would not lock, and might loosten up with road vibration. Once the flange nuts are “cracked” with a wrench, they can be spun off pretty quickly by hand.
Jim
Maximum Beam
Max beam for the Malone autoloaders is 28".
Timely thread, I was all set to order Thule Hull-a-Ports until I read this. Had never heard of Malone, but started reading some reviews and they are highly recommended. Have just ordered two sets of the autoloaders to haul a couple of Old Town Nantuckets on a Ford Explorer factory rack. Think I’ll be quite pleased.
You can send me a check for starting…
You can send me a check for starting this thread then, haha.
Where did you order them from?
I’m still trying to figure out the difference between the two cradles they have. I know the autoloader has a lip and the super J doesn’t. Super J is supposed to hold wider boats? But who has a wider boat then a 28 inch beam (which the autoloader will hold)?
check them out here and let me know.http://www.prolineracks.com/kayak-carriers-racks-upright.html
I saw a pair of the “old” Malones today.
They are a little shorter and have the full neo pads but with less strapping options. The padding looked great and I’m thinking of repadding mine similar to the old ones…
Difference
The Super J looks to carry the boat in a vertical position, whereas the Autoloader is at an angle. This would seem to make loading easier; as I’m hauling a heavy plastic boat around, most of the time by myself, on top of a not so short SUV, ease of loading is really important.
I ordered them from Proline, after shipping it was the cheapest I found.
proline
Proline seems the least expensive place to get them ($87 shipped). The local store wants $100 +tax ($106).
I’m still trying to figure out the dimensions of these things and which will work best…
pointer to a similar discussion
The discussion of which Malones to use (Super J or autoloader) is also going on in another forum. If interested, please check out
http://www.goldcar.com/cgi-bin/yabbk/YaBB.pl?board=Future;action=display;num=1121311815
Hope this helps
Avi
Or…
You can go to your local shop where you can see, feel, measure and get expert advice and a return policy…
MIGHT just be worth a lousy 20 bucks more… Ya think?
very true but
Malones are not carried everywhere so sharing personal experiences in the forums is useful
Avi
I agree…
But the poster said…
“Proline seems the least expensive place to get them ($87 shipped). The local store wants $100 +tax ($106).”
I sent for mine because they were not available locally. If they had been I would have supported my local shop…
gull wing seems easier to load alone
I’ve only done it once but the gull wing seems easier to load alone. currently using the autolaoder it’s tough by myself without my home-made bar extender that I shove into the end of the thule crossbar. it’s a pool-noodle-covered outrigger.
no need for that with the gull wing model.
bar space would be a deciding factor. i use 58" so no worries here.
p
local store
In regards to the supporting your local store business: I guess I failed to mention that my “local” store is 30 minutes away. I called them Friday and first of all they wanted $10 about recommened retail price and second of all they only carried the super J’s, so I could’t compare them to the autoloaders.
So today I ordered the autoloaders for $87 shipped. My “local” store can try a little harder if they want the sale. I would bet that my local store makes just as many sales as the small, privately owned online store I did business with. I even asked the owner of my local store if these ever go on sale, and he said “nope”. So I said “nope” to him. Now I do like to be able to support my local stores but they also need to be able to support me. If I get better service and a better price elsewhere, that’s where my business is going.