Easy load kayak rack.

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The Green Heron

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Well.....It's not perfect....But it'll do for a little while. It's not "one man" perfect yet. Maybe you guys can give me some suggestions.

I need to pad my rail.
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Need a block and tackle, one of them pulleys
 
Burt Gummer said:
Need a block and tackle, one of them pulleys
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It's got opposing pulleys already. I think I need a wench........
 
lol...it ain't going to be near that easy with the yaks strapped to it.
 
Id throw some padding on those stairs if your going to keep landing like that. lol

Joe, Tractor supply sells a 3:1 block and tackle set up with rope that might be of interest. How much do the kayaks weight?

Have you thought about building two separate frames, one for each kayak, drop them one at a time? This would be my plan if they had to load and unload from the rear, it would be much easier to handle alone.

Or... have you thought about making skids that could attach to the side of the rack and slide the kayaks sideways off the truck? You could still lower them with a rope, from the other side of the truck and wouldn't be having to deal with the awkwardness of a 10-12' of frame hanging off the rear of the truck while loading and unloading. Some 2x4s with cut pvc on the edge would let them slide nicely.
 
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Yeah. I've worked it from a couple angles.
if I put something in the receiver hitch that extends that might help. Extending a track to the ground may help.
Offloading to the side is out without completely reworking the setup.
We tried it with Trudi pulling the rope while I lifted and it went a lot smoother.
 
Matt.Cross said:
You need a Hull-a-vator from Thule. Just so happens, my FIL is a dealer/distributor....
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The hullavator is a no go. I'd have to climb up to top of truck to strap them down. My design was supposed to allow securing the yaks on the ground then lifting, and simply pinning the frame.
 
She "put that on there" btw... :) Gotta teach that woman how to edit your vids (good luck with that!)

I like the concept. Maybe something like drawer slides would help control any side-to-side wandering? Not sure how that would work, just in concept stage in my head. if the frame can't wander off sideways, then all the lifting / pulling force goes to raising the loaded~kayakified frame up onto the truck rack.
 
It's got sliding glass door rollers to ride on. Like you said, the side to side torsion is what has me at a standstill.

"You know we don't have to take the kayaks."

Oh no woman, we are taking the kayaks.
 
Bailey Boat;n9501 said:
Harbor freight trailer..... 200.00.....problem solved. I made one for my canoe, best thing I've ever done....
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Sure, take the easy way out! :)

I've thought about that for my wee bass boat, since it's a difficult to handle solo. I could get it on a trailer easier than getting it into the truck bed. But I also prefer to not drag a trailer around, so getting the yaks up on the rack has appeal.

(Also, the rolling rack project will keep him busy for hours!)
 
It's definitely a process isn't it. I'm still loading in the truck bed. I built a cart at the house that is level with the bed on casters (pneumatic 8" wheels). I roll it out of the garage and it slides right in the back of the truck. At the lake, for those times I don't have a fishing buddy, I have a pvc cart. I pull the stern out and set it on the ground with the bow still in the truck, slide the cart under and go.

I can't imagine trying to roof rack mine. What about utilizing some boat rollers somehow?
 
The Green Heron;n9315 said:
It's got sliding glass door rollers to ride on. Like you said, the side to side torsion is what has me at a standstill.
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Some long diagonal braces would really help, cross bracing or something.

But if it was me, I'd skip the rack. You already have the main structure up there. Put a pulley on the front cross bar with the rope tied to the front of the kayak. Lean the kayak up with the top open part of the kayak against the back of the truck scaffolding. Pull the kayak up using the front pulley and tie it off. A mobile rack strong enough to hold 2 kayaks and not kill you when it falls will be heavy.
 
Nothing to helpful to add but I see a big opportunity for a big scratch in the truck in the future. Just curious but do you have a way to anchor the rack down well with the kayaks on top as i could see that becoming a big sail in the wind if the rack is not anchored down well.
 
Gussets in the corners would be a benefit, and wouldn't add much weight. Would it be possible to attach the rope to the front of the rack? It may help with a lot of the side to side instability.

Cool idea.
 
I was gonna add gussets....My non engineering wife floated the idea that loaded with kayaks, it would be stiffer....Eh it's possible.

I thought about a front rope....It would definitely help. What I think would really help is a lift system, that would lift the hind end up while I pull.

As far as the scratched truck...Yeah I saw it going off the front long ago. There are 1/2 inch bolts that stop forward movement, I don't think it's going off the front, add the that the configuration of the rope....It ain't goin off the front. Pins will lock it for travel.

A hand crank winch with cable would make it easier.....Likely easier to break the crap out of something. If I can dead lift the yaks at the back end it'll all go on there OK I think. I don't think it can jump the track, which would seem to be the major concern.

Hey it's my first attempt, I'll get it worked out if I throw enough money at it.

One of my goals, that you need to keep in mind, is providing support more toward the front. Any idiot can throw them on the ladder rack and go, but then the hind ends are hanging out back enough to impede me hooking up my 30 ft travel trailer.

I should have explained my goal a bit better. I need to be able to drag a camper AND haul the kayaks.
Crap comes to sweat, I lock the rack down and throw the kayaks up there the hard way.....Right now my easy way looks like the hard way.
 
The Green Heron;n12704 said:
I was gonna add gussets....My non engineering wife floated the idea that loaded with kayaks, it would be stiffer....Eh it's possible.

I thought about a front rope....It would definitely help. What I think would really help is a lift system, that would lift the hind end up while I pull.

As far as the scratched truck...Yeah I saw it going off the front long ago. There are 1/2 inch bolts that stop forward movement, I don't think it's going off the front, add the that the configuration of the rope....It ain't goin off the front. Pins will lock it for travel.

A hand crank winch with cable would make it easier.....Likely easier to break the crap out of something. If I can dead lift the yaks at the back end it'll all go on there OK I think. I don't think it can jump the track, which would seem to be the major concern.

Hey it's my first attempt, I'll get it worked out if I throw enough money at it.

One of my goals, that you need to keep in mind, is providing support more toward the front. Any idiot can throw them on the ladder rack and go, but then the hind ends are hanging out back enough to impede me hooking up my 30 ft travel trailer.

I should have explained my goal a bit better. I need to be able to drag a camper AND haul the kayaks.
Crap comes to sweat, I lock the rack down and throw the kayaks up there the hard way.....Right now my easy way looks like the hard way.
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If the hind ends are hanging out to much, why can't you just push them forward more and tie strap them to the ladder rack?? Let them hang over the front more than the back, they are gonna hang one way or the other anyway???
It looks like it about whooped your butt just getting that rack up there, I don't see you doing it with another 150lbs of Kayaks strapped to it.
 
Looks cool, but I guess I'm spoiled because my yak only weighs 40lbs and I only ever take 1.
 
bennnn;n17298 said:
Looks cool, but I guess I'm spoiled because my yak only weighs 40lbs and I only ever take 1.
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Sounds like a good peewee kayak to pull behind just for carrying beer and snacks. :p
 
The Green Heron;n18195 said:
Sounds like a good peewee kayak to pull behind just for carrying beer and snacks. :p
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Yeah, just a ten footer for puddles these days. Haven't had time for anything else in the last few years.
 
OK, here is what we learned:

2600 miles, nary a hitch or hiccup.
The kayaks do add stiffness to the frame.
Should have used standard dimension unistrut for cross members. Some of the kayak parts didn't want to clear, it wasn't a major issue.
The rack does decrease effort involved in loading and securing the kayaks.
 
That was definitely missing a hey y'all watch this... Great idea but the twist rating on unistrut is road worthy. May the force be with you.
 
Blaze;n39772 said:
That was definitely missing a hey y'all watch this... Great idea but the twist rating on unistrut is road worthy. May the force be with you.
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Um...Twist rating? What am I missing and what problems can I look forward to?

I can guarantee that what I have built is stronger and more reliable than anything made by Thule or Yakima. There is no plastic in my build. When loaded and locked there are no twisting forces possible on my rack. The rack is anchored to two struts, that are in turn anchored to the ladder rack by 4- 5/16 ubolts.

Do I need to beef it up? In what way?
When the upgrade comes through I will post more detailed pics of what I have done, and look forward to suggestions on improvements I can make.
 
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