Mounting Two Yakima ShowDown Kayak Carriers on 1996 Ford F-250 Extended Cab

Question:

1996, F250, extended cab, 2-door. I have 1A towers and 58inch bars that BAIRLY fit, 1/16inch sticks out. I realize I will need longer bars, but how long to put two ShowDowns on?

asked by: DR

Expert Reply:

The Yakima ShowDown Kayak or SUP Carrier # Y04081 requires at least 3-1/2 inches of crossbar overhang beyond the feet/towers for proper operation. If the existing 58 inch bars on your F-250 overhang by just 1/16 of an inch then you will need bars that are longer by at least 7 inches.

For this requirement the Yakima Round 66 Inch Crossbars # Y00410 will work perfectly to mount 1 ShowDown Carrier (this is actually the size Yakima recommends for your F-250 when using the 1A Towers).

Now in order to get two of the ShowDown Carriers mounted the bars will need to be even longer. This is because each unit will take up approximately 38 inches of crossbar space, which means you would need crossbars that measure at least 76 inches. For this the Yakima Round 78 inch Crossbars # Y00411 will work but you will also want to make sure they won't extend past the truck's rear view mirrors for safety reasons.

If this type of length looks to be too much for your truck the best option will be to use a single ShowDown at one end of the crossbars and then a J-cradle style carrier like the Yakima JayLow # Y04073 at the other end for your second kayak. This will let you use the suggested 66 inch bars for the roof rack.

I have included a couple short video demonstrations on these products that you can check out as well.

expert reply by: Chris R