Availability of Load-Assist Kayak Carrier to Use on Tall RV

Question:

I just purchased Seasucker monkey bars and Malone Downloader kayak racks with the Telos download assist. I chose this roof rack based on an answer from Kyle S who recommended this solution for a Winnebago Travato RV. I haven’t received it yet, but was reading the specs on the Telos and noticed that the max extension is 8’ 3”. The height of the 2016 Winnebago Travato Ram Promaster van is 9’1”. It seems like this will be a problem in that the full extension Telos bars will not reach the ground and therefore not be secure. The old Telos assist system had suction cups which protected the car, but the new version does not and therefore would probably scratch the vehicle if not secured on the ground. This leads me to my question to you on whether the Telos Download assist will work on the 9’1” height Winnebago Travato? If it won’t, is there another download assist system that will work? Thanks in advance for your help! Kind regards

asked by: George M

Expert Reply:

The extension legs for the Malone TelosXL Load Assist # MPG351XL really do need to make contact with the ground to allow for proper operation because as you mentioned, there aren't any other contact points (such as suction cups on the vehicle side) to provide support.

Because of the height of your Ram Promaster I don't think there really is a load-assist option that will work well to assist with loading or unloading your kayaks. Any of them will either require some ground support or simply won't reach down far enough to provide benefit.

The best method for loading the kayaks onto the Malone DownLoader Carrier # MPG114MD is just going to be by using a step like the part # SASA-10C-G to help with reaching the roof. I have attached a link that will take you to our available selection of similar steps that you can also look through.

expert reply by: Chris R