Replacement Parts for Older Thule Hull-A-Port 835XTR J-Style Kayak Carrier

Updated 08/13/2019 | Published 08/12/2019

Products Featured in This Question

Replacement Metal Bracket for Thule Hull-A-Port

(62)

$33.77

Replacement 50 mm Arm Pad for Thule Hull-A-Port Kayak Carrier - Qty 1

(31)

$5.60

Replacement Base Pad for Thule Kayak Carriers - Qty 1

(19)

$9.72

Evo Raised Rail Feet for Thule Crossbars - Factory Raised Rails - Qty 4

(224)

$264.95

Thule SquareBar Evo Crossbars - Steel - 53" Long - Qty 2

(269)

$179.95

Question:

Hello, I am looking to refurbish my Hull A Port 835XTR J Cradles. They are great and served us pretty well. I found the bracket #853-5837 and the base pad # 8535302 and the carriage bolts # 915-066-554 So I am well on my way to success. I had a couple questions though: 1. Is there a recommended foam rubber to replace for the 2 lower cradle pads? 2. Can the entire base be removed to properly prime and re-paint? It seems to be riveted on the to tubing. There is visible rust on the cradles salt water kayaking and I need to repaint them. Our current rack setup is an old Thule TH440 Specialty Railing Rack with Load Bars from our old SAAB. Worked well for 2 seasons on our 2014 Ford Escape no sunroof but the bars are a little short for the Ford and it may be time for them to retire. The rubber pads have torn away on the foot packs. I keep the foot packs greased but they still lock and tighten fine. So my questions here are more about my options: Are the specialty rack foot packs compatible with # TH712400 Thule 53 inch square bars? And if so, are replacement rubber pads sold for those foot packs? If the above solution cannot work, are the 835XTR cradles compatible with Ford factory crossbars? It would seem that would be the most streamlined solution but I dont see any info on the vehicle/gear matcher regarding Ford factory cross bars. Our third option is just go ahead and purchase a new roof rack system. What is the difference between the Evo Raised Rail Feet and the Rapid Crossroad Feet? I appreciate your help/advice in advance. I love Thule products and the fact that they offer all the replacement parts and that they are mostly made in America. I also like to fix things myself and most of the Thule products we have just need a little TLC and they will be back to tip top shape.

asked by: Zachary K

Expert Reply:

The Bracket # 853-5837, Base Pad # 8535302, and Carriage Bolts # 915-066-554 are correct as replacement parts for your older Hull-A-Port 835XTR model J-Style carrier. To replace the arm pad on your carrier you need the part # 8533019.

I'm not sure if the entire base can be removed because the only part that is replaceable is the pad itself. If it is riveted to the arms and Thule doesn't have replacement bases (which they don't) then I don't really recommend trying to remove the base. I reached out to my contact at Thule who wasn't able to confirm whether or not you can remove and reinstall that base piece.

I went out to the warehouse and found that the Foot for the Thule Specialty Railing Rack TH440 (now discontinued) will fit with the 53" Thule SquareBar Crossbars # TH712400 but if the legs aren't fitting properly on raised rails on your Escape I recommend replacing them too. Both the Rapid Crossroad TH450R (discontinued) and the Evo Raised Rail # TH710401 feet will work with these bars on your Escape with the main difference being the Evo use a clamp style like your Specialty Railing Rack while the Rapid Crossroad uses a strap to secure around the raised rails. The Evo is the new style that Thule came out with because newer vehicles have less space beneath the raised rails and they were having difficulty with the strap fitting.

If you do have the OEM roof rack for your Escape then it is compatible with the 835XTR that you have.