Mount a Yakima LockNLoad platform directly to your crossbars with these heavy-duty crossbar clamps. Simple clamp-on installation with included hardware. Requires 1 set of clamps per crossbar in application.
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Videos are provided as a guide only. Refer to manufacturer installation instructions and specs for complete information.
Hi everyone, it's Evangeline here at etrailer. And today, we'll be taking a look at our crossbar clamps for your Yakima LockNLoad platforms, right here at etrailer.com. So you have your Yakima LockNLoad platform rack, or you're considering gaining the LockNLoad platform rack but you wanna make sure it is compatible with the system you already have or are planning on getting. That platform rack can be installed in multiple different ways. It can be installed straight to TimberLine towers, it can be installed to your crossbars, and that's what we're gonna be taking a look at. We're gonna take a look at the crossbar clamps for this platform rack, just to see if it's the right fit for you, the system you already have or want to put on your vehicle, as well as your platform.
So my personal thoughts about the crossbar clamps is that they're really helpful for if you already have a roof rack system on your vehicle, and you just wanna add the platform rack, because then if you want to, you can take the platform rack on and you'll still have your crossbars on your vehicle ready to use it as a roof rack. Now you also have different options when it comes to Yakima LockNLoad platform racks when it comes to securing them to your vehicle. It's really nice to know that you have crossbar clamps available for when you already have a system. That way, you don't have to invest in even more parts than you need to. So on all, the install process is very simple as long as you follow the instructions.
If you get confused, go ahead and rewatch this video that hopefully, that will help guide you through the process. You don't need fancy schmancy tools, just 10-millimeter sockets or wrenches, and a half-inch wrench as well, and then you're good to go. We currently have the platform rack size K on our vehicle right here, which is the smallest platform for the LockNLoad series. But this can also fit with any of the platform sizes in the LockNLoad series. So whether it's K, B, J, E, N, or H, you are good to go with these crossbar clamps.
So we have different LockNLoad platform sizes, depending on your vehicle. So K is 55 by 49 inches, B is 60 by 54, J is 76 by 65, E is 84 by 49, N is 84 by 54, and H is 84 by 62. We usually have the different platform sizes fit guide specifically for your vehicle. So check out the etrailer fit guide and put your year, make, and model of vehicle, and look through our roof rack selections. And if you're still not sure if this is gonna fit the roof rack system you have on your vehicle, let's take a look at some dimensions.
So the space that takes up beneath the crossbar, if you're too worried about roof clearance, is it's going to be about one inch from the bottom of the crossbars to the bottom of the clamp. Now I do recommend giving yourself just a little bit more room to move that into place if needed. Also, if you have two-inch square or round tubing, you may need to remove part of this nubule in order to attach it underneath the tubing. So a little extra effort for that. Also, depending on the platform rack, there's a different requirement from minimum to maximum crossbar spread. So that's measuring from the center of one crossbar to the center of another crossbar, I have my crossbar spread at 28 inches apart because I'm using the size K platform, which requires about 27 to 33 inches of crossbar spread. So check out the requirements for the platform for your vehicle to also see if your crossbars on there are far apart enough. These crossbar clamps come in a set of two. So you need one set per crossbar. In our case, we have two crossbars, so you need four total. So go ahead and pick up two of these sets. If you are getting the kit, which has the LockNLoad with the clamps included, which you can find here at etrailer, you don't have to worry about the quantity of clamps that you will receive. You'll receive four automatically. But if you're adding this to your own system, go ahead and get two sets. We have these installed on our Yakima TimberLine towers and our Yakima aero crossbars. But if you have other crossbars from a different brand, if you have aero, round, square, elliptical, or even factory crossbars, these clamps can fit around them. Even if you have two-inch square or round tubing, for those people who like to DIY their own roof rack system, these crossbars can fit around those too. Most of what you see here is the LockNLoad platform or our crossbars. So let's point out what actually comes with this kit. So notice how we have these two bolts, as well as this metal bracket underneath the platform and underneath the crossbars, so that's what you get. Notice how it's connected to the pivot bracket of our platform, which is this long, rectangular metal piece. That comes with your platform rack. So that's what you really needed to clamp to. If you're trying to use this with another platform rack, they won't have this pivot mount, so it's not gonna be compatible with other platforms. So these are the tools I used to install the crossbar clamps, as well as the platform itself. So I have the Moki doorstep, which gives me a little extra height, just to reach the other bolts, as well as the platform. I have a half-inch socket, I have a 10-millimeter socket for my wrenches, I have the Yakima torque tool, and finally, I use the drill for some of the parts, just because the bolts had a lot of thread. I do not recommend using a drill for most of this, but it's just gonna help you make it a little bit faster, as long as you're careful with it. Now let's take a look at the install process. So to start your install process of the crossbar clamps, you're first gonna attach the pivot mount to the crossbar bracket. So you have those two bolts, you're gonna use those bolts first. Notice how we have the hex bolt with the flat washer. That pops right in there between the bracket and the pivot mount and secures with a hex key or the torque wrench. So once your pivot bracket is installed to your crossbar bracket, you're then going to put this onto your crossbars. You're gonna have this piece underneath, as well as two nuts and two flat washers that go on top. So this fits right underneath the crossbar. We're gonna put our split washers on first one and then two. And then we're gonna hand-tighten down the two nuts on top. For the next step, I do highly recommend using a 10-millimeter wrench or a socket wrench, or if you're super careful like me, you can just use a drill to get the first part of the thread down and then tighten it down by wrench later on. And just like that, once you have tightened down all eight bolts for your crossbar clamps, you're then ready to put the platform on top. So for this next step, I do recommend having a friend help you hold the other side of the rack. I have my friends here, I got Zac, I got Tom. They're gonna lift this platform rack up and carefully fit them between the pivot brackets on our crossbars. Once you have the platform on the pivot brackets, don't forget to push the clamps right into the platform. You can see where they fit into those tracks. Do that on all eight of those clamps, and then tighten down those large bolts with a half-inch socket. Notice how we have them clamped down to two of these slats. So it doesn't really matter which two or where along these slats you have it clamped down. Try to get as evenly distributed as you can, but just make sure that you have two slats secured for each of the pivot brackets. Don't forget to double check all of your bolts, since there was a lot of them involved in the install of the both platform and your crossbars. But after that is complete, you're done with the install. And that was a look here at our crossbar clamps for your Yakima LockNLoad system, right here at etrailer.com. My name is Evangeline, and I hope you enjoyed the journey..
Average Customer Rating: 4.9 out of 5 stars (13 Customer Reviews)
Mount a Yakima LockNLoad platform directly to your crossbars with these heavy-duty crossbar clamps. Simple clamp-on installation with included hardware. Requires 1 set of clamps per crossbar in application.Great project, easy to put together and install
etrailer was an excellent business to order from. etrailer had inventory when others did not. The communications were excellent and the shipment was fast. I will return to etrailer when I need things they sell.
Fast service, received my order the next day.
Works great , love it
It’s a basic, but necessary component. The design is clean with the parts well finished.
Love it! Order was delivered on time
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