The Locking Handle on the Yakima JayLow Kayak Carrier Will Disengage When Kayas are Secured to Car

Updated 06/19/2024 | Published 02/04/2017

Question:

I purchased a Yakima roof rack system from you about 14 months ago. I have two pairs of the Jaylow 8004073 4 units, to carry 2 Ocean Kayak Tetra 12 each weigh 55 lbs.. One of the units located on the drivers side rear consistently breaks over from its position causing retightening of the rear hold down strap and causing the kayak to travel in a cocked position. We are on a 3 month trip to Florida. Can the red handle locking mechanism be tightened so that the teeth be engaged more securely.

asked by: Brad B

Expert Reply:

I contacted my rep at Yakima and he told me that sometimes the red locking handle will become loose on the locking cam.

They suggested to take all the tension off the carrier and before reattaching and setting the lock, you should turn the red handle a few times before you set the latch to the locking position. As you are turning that handle clockwise, you should feel tension begin to build up then lock the cam. This should eliminate the lock from coming free.

expert reply by: Jared P

John M.

6/19/2024

This helped me! We couldn't figure out why our new JayLow Kayak Carriers were NOT remaining in their locked positions. This seemed like a design flaw. I implemented your suggestion, and sure enough, the locked carrier arm is now really locked. Question: given that when the red handle is in an open position there's less tension, should it be left in the open position when not in use? I'm concerned that something (a wire or spring) might fatigue. Thanks.

Jon G.

6/19/2024

@JohnM Glad to hear we were able to help you find a solution! I would leave the red handle on your Yakima JayLow Kayak Roof Rack # Y04073 in the open position when not in use, or at least loosen up the tension to avoid fatigue like what you mentioned. Yakima designed these to fold up for storage so that locking feature can be used to keep them flat, but I'm with you, and I try to keep tension off of these types of products as well.

John

6/19/2024

@JonG Ah! That's helpful. It's not what I would call a great design; the engineers should have reversed this: the lever should be in tension when open and slack when closed. We keep them on the car for much of the year, and I would rather NOT have them flopping around to save the materials from fatiguing. Sigh.

Jon G.

6/19/2024

@John Yeah, if you're keeping them on the vehicle (like most people do) then you definitely need to keep them locked. I wouldn't be too concerned about fatiguing because a lot of the rec companies like Yakima know that people keep the carriers installed most of the year - I was just referencing if you were to take the carriers off. We've had a handful of kayak carriers in our video team department for a number of years and we usually keep them locked so parts aren't hanging loose, and we normally don't see them malfunction because of this, just to give you some peace of mind.