Summiting Ophir Pass between Telluride and Silverton. Bike + ARB Awning + Yakima SkyBox, at least 250lbs on top. No issues so far.

 

more photos here

Interesting solution! By the way, this "more photos" seems to be not a clickable link for me??

So did your setup compress the existing large "rail" when it clamped onto the outside lip?
How solid is this setup, i.e. is it going to flex the existing rail? Is it going to be rock solid and not cause vibration/noise/movement of the bars?

 

Nice work. Not a bad solution!

 

Well done. Looks great.

 

INteresting.. Subd

 

The 2015 Outback isnt officially supported by Yakima yet, and the Landing Pad 12 & 13 doesnt fit. But I was able to squeeze a set of Rail Grab mounts with Crossbars onto the stock rack. I rotated the tie-downs 180 degrees and used a small RailGrab claw up front, medium claw in the rear.

I now have a 38" bar spread with 66" wide Crossbars for a SkyBox 16, ARB awning, and a bike.

So the railgrabs grab the tie downs? Ingenious! Was it hard to remove the factory bars?

 

That does look great. How's it working? What have you carried so far? I'm curious about how bikes and an 18" canoe would work on that setup.

 

Updated second post with photos of all the crap I fit up top for a recent trip. Working great.

So did your setup compress the existing large "rail" when it clamped onto the outside lip?
How solid is this setup, i.e. is it going to flex the existing rail? Is it going to be rock solid and not cause vibration/noise/movement of the bars?

Compressed a little bit, not much. Id say its pretty solid, check the updated photos.

So the railgrabs grab the tie downs? Ingenious! Was it hard to remove the factory bars?

Just need two star bits that fit the factory crossbars. Cant remember the sizes.

 

Fantastic! Thanks for sharing.

Though wouldn't take much to improve upon current set up for bikes using Yak HighRollers with Subaru branded adapters (which only seem to fit with the bolts to the rear, but that doesn't work as tray not sitting on bars and extends too far back) on OEM bars. My bike rocks -- not in a good way -- horribly on the flexi OEM bars.

And, it all whistles without a way to use my Yak fairing...

If only I knew 2 wks ago when leaving for CO and had to choose between bikes or box -- I chose bikes and most everything fit in back, but woulda been nice not to sweat it.

Really like this over the landing pad approach as its lower and cleaner. And Yak isn't there yet anyway for 15s ("we will have a fit for your vehicle in the near future").

I'm going to pick up a set tonight and slap em on. Will post up this weekend.

Thanks

 

Very nice, thanks for the information and additional pictures.

 

creso, et al-

Really, really great solution. Elegant.

I did the install this am. BUT haven't driven or actually used rack (sorry, didn't think I'd have time to writer this later...). I did easily rock the car with either Yak bar -- was very solid. Here are my notes. Haven't posted crappy pix yet to link:

- For 1 OEM bar and tie downs, used T27 torx, T20 for other bar (I think)
- I used a drill/driver to remove bars and tie downs and replace tie downs -- (I know, I know..) careful not to strip tie down bolts, which I did to just one, but it was in place
- Front bars with small claws went on easily - careful not to tighten the horizontal bolt any more than necessary as it can lift the outside of the OEM 'rail' and gap the longitudinal gasket [real interface is claw and tie down so plastic 'rail' isn't doing too much anyway]
- Rear bars with med claws were a total PIA. What worked for me eventually was to put the RailGrabs on the tie downs, then run the crossbar through them, using lube on the 'far' side. The angle of the claws leaves both RailGrabs angled up to the inside so it's a real struggle to get a level crossbar through the 'far' RailGrab. I used a hammer and block of wood with spray lube and it went pretty well.
- I put the OEM bar bolts back in their respective holes - they stick up but at least fill the holes. If noise is a problem, I'll revisit
- Probably took 60 min or so because of struggles with rear bar, but front was quick. Then there was the disassembly of old bars and OEM with high rollers and reattaching high rollers [plus the underside cladding beneath drivers side rear door that popped off after I stepped on it, which was its own PIA...]















Hope it helps,
-Scott

 

I need to carry a duck skiff for hunting trips to Canada. This option looks a lot more solid than the stock crossbars. Does this increase the 150 lbs. carrying weight limit?

 

Not qualified to say. But, each tie down is rated for 150 lbs...

 

If that's true then the marketing material is not correct:

"With its roof rails and crossbar system, the Outback can carry up to 150 pounds of equipment."

 

This almost appears too easy. I wonder why yakima didn't think of it! Perhaps they would not want to modify the tiedown position for liability reasons. I already own all of this stuff and have an OB on order. It's tempting....
Now that the system has experienced some miles and jiggling weight on the roof how do the plastic sections that face right and left look when the rack is removed?

Overall, it looks good and appears to be a solid solution.

 

Tie downs are each 150 lb -- that's different than the OEM crossbars, the latch ends (opposite bolted pivot) of which are "anchored" to hollow sections of the rail. Tie downs would appear to support more than the OEM set up.

 

Nice, thanks for posting the detailed instructions ssorgs. The rear was a pita, and I used the same method you described.

 

Good idea. I wondered if something like that might be possible when I was looking at my Rail grabs as an option back in 2010.

Yackima is in the business to make $$ so creating a special foot and mount for a vehicle with a very high % of owners who do use if you will advanced higher quality racks would be a smart move on Yakima's part. Vs a simple adapter plate they would offer for an existing foot.

 

What a great idea!
I'm wondering if SSORGS and CRESO can comment on any deformation (with use and rocking) of the OB plastic cover that the railgrabs sit on. Curious if it will be an obvious defect there after taking the railgrabs off in the future. Also, can the factory bars stay on if they are left in the "open" position and latched? Thanks for the help!

 

Sorry for the delayed response...

After 2 mos it's been working beautifully. No sign of deformation, probably due to the railgrab claws bearing all of the weight, with little to none on the plastic rails.

And, no, can't leave the oem bars stowed, but you probably can in "open" (if that means as cross bars rather than rails), though that seems like it would exacerbate turbulence and wind noise.

 

I am not interested in the Yakima stuff, but I am happy to hear that you climbed up the west side of Ophir with an H4, 29.5" tires, and a lot of stuff on top!

:17:

 

I am happy to hear that you climbed up the west side of Ophir with an H4, 29.5" tires, and a lot of stuff on top!

It made it over, and back the other way a few days later. Felt better than my 2013, not quite sure why though. I should note that the accelerator was floored and the trans temp warning light came on near the summit :17:

 

Can anyone (especially ssorgs) comment on how quick and easy it is to install the Yakima Railgrabs + crossbars once the learning period has been endured.

I generally only mount my rack and box when I know I will need them, although I know a lot of folks have the rack installed all of the time. If it is trivial to mount the Yakima setup, then I would be inclined to attach the rack only when it is needed

 

Can anyone (especially ssorgs) comment on how quick and easy it is to install the Yakima Railgrabs + crossbars once the learning period has been endured.

It's not that easy, especially for the rear. The angle of the tie downs forces the railgrap feet to angle outwards so I had to gently tap the crossbar through the opposite side (I lubed it). Sure, it's doable, but you'd be better off with Yakima's Landing Pads when/if they update for '15.

 

I hope that Yakima catches on and creates some new "feet" for the mounts so they would be a perfect fit for the new OB.

 

Thanks so much for thinking of this.... it is REALLY appreciated!

 

Need to haul Kayaks on my 2015 and this post is great.

Was wondering why you did not just use the stock crossbars? Does your system allow you to carry more weight?

 

For me, I have easily over $1000 invested in round-bar Yakima gear...

 

The stock crossbars aren't wide enough to carry some items, including most canoes. Where I live, a disproportionate share of Outbacks carry canoes some of the time, mine included.

Add-on bars (Yakima, Thule, etc.) were required to carry most canoes even on the pre-2010 Outbacks. The chunky roof racks on Outbacks made since 2010 are good for people who want to carry narrow things, including kayaks, I imagine. But many canoe owners look at the chunky racks as misguided engineering. We can't use the swing-outs and have to mount our add-on bars to the top of an already-too-tall, too massive system. There's just an excess of engineering up there then, all dedicated to what should be simplicity itself: lashing something to the roof and heading out.

All this said, I'll be replacing my 2004 Outback gladly with a 2015 model. Nothing is perfect but as cars go the Outback in general is great.

 

Zero issues hauling all sorts of boating crap and gear on 66inch long yakima bars sitting on rail grabs clamped to the stowed stock bars. Including 16ft kevlar canoe with roof box beside it. And also myb135lb 54inch wide 13ft long racing sailboat worth around 6 grand. Haul stuff like I do you learn real fast what works. No issues on my end. My other choice would be no stock rack just nakid threaded fittings for proper flat track install. All stock racks are junk compared to after market options. However so far the chunky stock rack is a non issue.

 

Info from Yakima on Landing Pads for 2015 OB

My first post on the OB forum, so bear with me….

I picked up my new OB a few days ago and am working out how to carry two sea kayaks (over 16’ long) or occasionally a 16’ canoe. Stability, crossbar width, and crossbar spread are very important. I’ve contacted Yakima Customer Support several times since ordering the OB, and I received two brief replies that may be of interest to other following this thread (my comments in italic):

From Yakima on 09/12/14: Our Fit Team is assessing your vehicle and we are going to have to develop a new Landing Pad for your 2015 Outback. The ETA is a year from now.

A year from 9/12/14!

From Yakima on 11/13/14: Unfortunately, I do not have any definitive information info regarding the mounting points available currently. The 30" crossbar spread will be our #1 goal in the landing pad fit due to more compatibility with our accessories. If we have a rear mounting fit option for the same landing pad then that will be an added bonus for a longer crossbar spread. At this time I do not have any further information on the 2015 Subaru Outback.

The second reply was to my inquiry on whether the 2015 Landing Pads would use the front or rear attachment points of the rear factory crossbars, which would produce a 30” or 40” spread between the crossbars, respectively. So it looks like a 30” spread is likely, while a 40” spread is more of a longshot.

Given that I can’t wait until next September to haul my boats around, and a 30” spread is shorter than I had with my old Corolla, I think I’ll give cresco’s ingenious approach a try when spring rolls around. That 38” spread sounds really nice. Or maybe Yakima will come up with something better by then.

Does anyone else have any information from Yakima on their approach and ETA for 2015 OB mounts?

 

Does anyone else have any information from Yakima on their approach and ETA for 2015 OB mounts?

The LandingPad 12 for the 2010-2012 Outback was released December 2010, roughly 15 months after the release of the 2010 Outback.

The LandingPad 13 for the 2013-2014 Outback was released January 2014, roughly 18 months after the release of the 2013 Outback. (minor update!)

The LandingPad 15? for the 2015 Outback will likely arrive sometime late 2016.

Use my hack for now.

 

Three months later, Yakima SkyBox 16 permanently mounted on top, no issues. Only annoyance is the plastic slightly bending away from the paint at the base of the stock mount, but having a real rack on top outweighs this. I recommend going this route until Yakima releases their official solution.

 

a landing pad design similar to earlier yrs would place the crossbars too close to each other to be practical.

I think a better idea would be to build a method of attaching round crossbars to the factory crossbars.

The beauty of the Forester with Yakima crossbars (my last vehicle) was that they could be removed or installed in minutes, so I had a noise free car, usable sunroof, and better gas mileage unless I needed to carry kayaks. I don't see that happening with the OB.