Just ordered kayak J bars for my roofrack. This just doesn’t look like a good connection to me but I could be wrong. Just don’t want to be doing anything unsafe. Doesn’t seem like the J bar connection sits properly on the crossbar.
What brand J’s? Might be a manual out there to look up as to my next question.
Is the rectangular top plate removable or is that riveted in place?
See you on the water,
Marshall
The River Connection, Inc.
9 W. Market St.
Hyde Park, NY
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Looks like your cross bars are the “AeroBlade” style while the J bar jaws are for square or round style bars. I am no expert on this stuff but I would get the correct J bracket/jaws for better safety and less scuff marking on your main cross bars?
That’s a bad fit, and it won’t get better even if that rectangular piece is removable. It will cause damage.
That J-rack is NOT suitable for aero blade bars and will not be stable or safe. Pack them back up and return them.
You need to get the kind that will adapt to flat bars, like these:
https://www.amazon.com/d/Bike-Racks-Carriers/Rhino-Rack-Folding-Carrier-S512/B00AK6Y4TW
Not safe…
Top clamp is for square bars
Bottom clamp may work for aero bars… hard to tell
I’ve used many racks but always on aero crossbars.
Are those even what folks mean by aero bars above, as in from Thule or Yakima? Or are they manufacturer original bars? If the latter I am not sure I would recommend trying any Jbars with them unless from the vehicle manufacturer. Sometimes car makers contract with Yakima or Thule to make stuff specific for their rails.
My husband and I mixed Yakima round bars with some Thule stuff for many years. But none of our combinations ever had the kind of mismatch others are pointing out with the extra straight bar on the rack attachment balancing atop a rounded oval.
I used various racks on factory Subaru and Jeep factory “ovalish” crossbars. I mostly used Malone and they would come with clamps that would fit the ovals well. Now days not many vehicles come with crossbars I guess in the interest of fuel economy or just keeping the cost down on a little used accessory.
I could easily remove the Subie crossbars with the racks mounted but the Jeep is a PITA. I don’t transport that much now and just use the foam blocks that pop on and off the crossbars and really work well.
Both the top and bottom are miss matched.
Get rid of them, or if you are handy with metal, make a clamp that fits and redo what you have