Yakima Control Towers - Roof Rack Feet (QTY 4)

Video Transcript for Yakima Control Tower Roof Rack System Review

Today on this 2002 Ford Escape we are going to be installing a Yakima Control Tower Roof Rack using the control towers part number Y00214, the Yakima landing pads part number Y00221, and the Yakima 48 inch round crossbars part number Y00408. The first thing we need to do in preparation to install the roof rack is to remove the factory crossbars on the Escape. To do this we are going to loosen the knobs and slide the tracks rearward. With the factory crossbars removed the first step is to install the nut plates inside the track in the approximate position where we are going to put the landing pads. We will repeat the same process for the track on the passenger side. 00:45

The next step is to prepare the landing pads. First we are going to pop the cap off the landing pad so that we can get to the mounting holes. In the mounting holes we can the plastic spacer and metal washer and finally the bolt. We will repeat the same process for all of the mounting holes on all of the landing pads. With all of the landing pads assembled we are going to set them up on the tracks and loosely attach them to the square nuts that we installed earlier. We are going to use the included Allen key to begin threading the screws into the nuts. Yakima notes in the instructions that if the bolts are not long enough you can remove the plastic spacers but you need to continue to use the metal washers. Once we have the landing pads loosely bolted to the tracks we are going to move them into their approximate position so that we can install the crossbars easier. 01:28

Next we are going to start putting together our crossbar assemblies. To install the crossbars inside the control towers we are going to pry open the door and again using the included Allen key we are going to loosen this bolt so that our crossbars can slide into the towers. With the tower clamp loosened we can slide the crossbar in. Next we are going to take some of the slack out of the bolt, we do not want to tighten it down yet but just enough to keep it from rattling around. Put the end caps in place and repeat the same process for the other three towers. Now that we have the crossbar assemblies together we can install them on the landing pads on the roof. To install the towers into the landing pad open the door and them into place. When you start to close the door a pin inside will expand and lock into the landing pad. For now we are going to leave the doors open so that we can access the bolt to clamp on to the crossbars as well as the bolts that lock our landing pads into place. Now that we have our crossbar assemblies into place we are going to start locking down the landing pads. Next we are going to set our crossbar overhang. We are going to make sure that we have an even amount hanging outside the towers on both the driver side and the passenger side. 02:42

Now that our landing pads are locked down into place and we have got our overhang set we are going to tighten the clamp on the crossbar. Now that we have our landing pads locked into place and the control tower locked down to the crossbar we can close the lid. Next we are going to set our crossbar spread, that is the distance from the center of the front crossbar to the center of the rear crossbar. Because this system installs in the factory tracks we have the option of setting the spread at whatever distance you need. We recommend checking the instructions for whatever roof rack accessory you are going to be using and setting the crossbars accordingly. With our crossbar spread set we are going to repeat the same tightening procedures we did with the front crossbar. First we are going to lock the landing pads down and then we are going to check our crossbars for overhang and lock them down. Available separately is the Yakima SKS lock core system. You can remove these knockouts here and install the lock core. Lock cores will allow you to lock the door closed so that the roof rack can not be removed. If you are not using the roof rack and you want to remove it from the vehicle all you have to do is open the door all the way and the control tower is unlatched from the landing pad. Included with the landing pads are snap on covers. Since we locked down the landing pads to the track and locked down the control towers to the crossbars, the next time we go to use the roof rack we do not have to do any measuring or adjusting. They just right in and we close the door and lock them into place. Easy in and easy out. There you have it for the Yakima Control Tower Roof Rack.