This side loader lets you easily load a kayak, ladder, or other gear on your roof rack without assistance. Padding protects your boat and vehicle. Accommodates vehicles of different heights. Easy, clamp-on installation to most crossbars.
Features:
Specs:
The Rhino-Rack universal side loader makes it easy for one person to load a kayak, canoe, surfboard, ladder, or other gear onto a vehicle's roof rack. A padded bar extends past the side of your vehicle and holds one end of your load up so you can pivot the other end onto your vehicle's roof. This eliminates the need for a second pair of hands while loading your gear. A telescoping pole helps accommodate for uneven terrain and adds support for heavier loads.
Quick and Easy Installation
This crossbar extension easily clamps onto most crossbars without the use of tools, and it can be installed on either side of your vehicle. Simply place the first clamp against the bottom of your crossbar and rotate the extension around so the second clamp can grab the top. Once it's secure, you're ready to load your gear.
Simple, 1-Person Loading
To load your boat from the back of your vehicle, simply lean your boat or ladder against the extension at a 45-degree angle. The padded bar protects your boat from scratches and scuffs during the entire loading process.
Next, lift the rear end of the boat up so that it's level with your roof rack and set it on your vehicle's rear crossbar.
Finally, use the back end of the boat to lift the front end and pivot it into place on your vehicle's front crossbar. Once it's in place, secure your load with tie-down straps (sold separately).
Convenient Storage
After you've loaded and secured your boat, disconnect the side loader from your crossbars. Once disconnected, store the Side Loader in the included storage and carry bag.
Average Customer Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars (37 Customer Reviews)
This side loader lets you easily load a kayak, ladder, or other gear on your roof rack without assistance. Padding protects your boat and vehicle. Accommodates vehicles of different heights. Easy, clamp-on installation to most crossbars.Work as expected. 898778
I give this load-assist crossbar Rhino-Rack a 5 star for it's sturdiness and good fit on my Thule Aerobar rack. I have not had a chance to load my 50 lbs. canoe with it on yet ( because of weather) but I'm sure this set-up will not change the rating of an 80 year old guy. Thank you for a fine product. 874409
I use the rhino side loader, with my thule roof rack, to transport my fishing kayak. It makes it very easy to load an unload. The bag that comes with the loader keeps everything clean and together. Very convenient. 869857
The Rhino Rack Universal Lift (RR-RUSL) works well. Easy to put on the crossbars and easy to take off. etrailer.com shipped the lift faster than I thought it would and got here exactly as shown on the website. I would buy from them again. 824334
The Rhino Rack side loading assist "works" as an extra arm for leverage regarding cartop carrying. My experience was mixed. First, the extentending pole which supports the actual loading arm is poorly manufactured of thin aluminum and plastic for obvious cost savings (no fault of etrailer.com). The twist-lock mechanism in the pole has no "stop/lock" feature so you can keep turning the pole which causes the pole to collapse. This is only slightly annoying. Next, placing the kayak against the loading padded arm appeared secure. The issue I had was not placing more than a third of my Ocean Malibu Two XL (68 lbs) against the extended arm. As I was adjusting the kayak it proceeded to slip off the arm, downwards, and slid to the ground scraping the side of my car. Lastly, if you think a $150 item adds value to the experience by saving you some physical exertion reevaluating your needs is reasonable. However, the detailing bill I am to pay for the scratches on my car door will not justify this purchase. 822552
Great product, suggest putting a pad/blanket over the side of the car in case you slip, to protect the paint. 711115
On the Euro bars I had to loosen and slide aside the kayak rack all the way to the other side, then slide it back under the kayak while holding that end up to get the bar secured to the rack. It'd be nice to have some kind of extension that went around or under the kayak carrier. 703864
Fits my Rage by Powersports canoe rack perfectly. Good quality and I look forward to many years of use as I can no longer heft my canoe on the racks without assistance. Now I don’t have to search out my wife or a neighbor. 678568
This a great product for anyone that has canoe or Kayak. I've been in the sports retail for sometime and product has never been introduced in retailer I've ever work with. I ran across this product [online]. 670715
Product shipped quickly and functions as it should. 667840
This was my second big purchase from Etrailer. I have been very pleased both times. The other reviews were so descriptive I knew exactly what to expect and received a great loader. I probably wouldn’t use it for anything heavier than 70 pounds but it works perfectly with my kayak. 663041
Seems like a good idea but doesn't work as well as i would like with my crossbars on my Subaru forester with a J Cradle. The telescoping pole would not completely tighten properly and would collapse. Still trying to come up with a better way to maneuver the kayak into the J Cradle by myself without buying a more expensive system. 659797
Awesome product- it works! I'm a 5'4" woman who lifts her 75 lb. kayak using this rack. It took me a couple of tries to get the process, but after that no problems. I'm so glad I found this product it's been a life saver. 625513
The supporting/ telescoping pole is useless and cross threads easily. If you have any attachments on your roof rack, these will probably not work. They were designed to be used without attachments on the rack. Rhino rack will not stand by their products. I bought 2 of these and they are pretty useless. Check the reviews on these on other websites. I won’t buy from the manufacturer again. 620134
All the items I ordered came in one large box. All the items were undamaged, new, with all the necessary hardware. The items also arrived right on time! Very satisfied! Please use this site and also use their assistance either online or just call! 614799
I wish I had known about this years ago. I could have saved myself A LOT of heart (and head) ache. 601045
I'm not getting any younger so lifting my canoe on top of my Suburban is a challenge. When I saw this, I thought it would be a big help. Assembly is fairly straight forward, but you better have a strong thumb to release the button to take it apart. Haven't loaded the canoe yet, but I think it will work just fine. One thing not addressed in the literature is that I have to remove one of the Yakima braces I have mounted on the cross bars to attach the Load Assist. A minor inconvenience. 595112
The Rhino-Rack Universal Load Assist - Crossbar Mount is a great help to load and unload my 59 pound kayak onto my Yakima J-low racks by myself safely. It is good quality and definitely a great addition to my equipment. 549152
While previous reviewers have noted that the Rhino-Rack Universal S-Loader is not really "universal" in application it did fit my Sports Rack Rack System (SR1009) using clamp 4 (A position) and clamp 5 (B position, outer holes). This loader will be used to transport a 52lb 16.5ft canoe. The fit seems snug enough though I would avoid pushing or jerking a heavier item like a longer canoe or kayak to quickly over the support bar. Doing so, could possibly decouple it from the supported cross-bar. While solidly constructed, the weak link in the system is the telescoping support pole. Like most telescoping poles it is made of lighter gauge aluminium and it is designed for stability only and not something to support you while you use the Rhino Rack cross bar to do pull ups. 540208
This product is made of good/solid raw materials, and is worth the money. I looked at other similar products, but they lacked the left, and length I needed to properly load my Perception Pilot kayak onto my flush mount roof rack. The upright support bar is necessary to prevent overloading the bar or the crossbar of your roof rack. 509526
The rack is on the roof and the Rhino side bracket ready makes it easy to load my Hobie 14 foot Pro Angler Kayak (98lbs) on the high roof of my Suburban, (it has a 3" lift}. Next year will be my first winter in retirement and I'll be able to haul my kayak to Florida pulling a travel trailer. 500877
Be informed before buying this. If you have kayak holders on your crossbars, they will interfere with this, especially with aero bars where the crossbar bracket will not work well on the driver side. Also, if you have two kayaks the holder for the second kayak will interfere with the loader. The only really viable solution is to use foam blocks for one or two kayaks. The review video tellingly shows only bare crossbars and makes no mention of holders. Mine are being returned. Another user did post a photo showing one set of J racks mounted backwards. A very awkward mounting that requires reaching all the way across the vehicle roof to tighten all th straps! 490152
Talk about a great accessory ... this makes loading my yaks on top of my full size truck cap a breeze. Plus it knocks down and stores compactly in its own bag. It’s a no brainer if you’re loading boats on your own. 467495
I recieved the order this afternoon and open the Box and I love the product.it is well built and strong and being Its the same brand name the Racks on my car,well great ! Thank you for your help. Soon as I can take a photo with the kayak on I will send it. 465929
Got it on-time and a great price. Instructions very clear and after changing the brackets to match my cross-rails, it worked perfectly. Very stable and breaks down to fit in a nice soft case. My Hobie Outback weighs about 90 pounds and it is easy to load with this tool. 425352
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