What Is Crossbar Spread And How Do You Measure It?

Published 05/26/2021

Question:

Is the cross bar spread to attach an accessory determined by center to center of cross bars or is it the minimum distance between the bars?

asked by: John

Expert Reply:

Crossbar spread is the distance from the center of one crossbar to the center of the next crossbar. I attached a photo to illustrate this measurement.

The Yakima SkyBox 21 Rooftop Cargo Box - 21 cu ft - Black Carbonite # Y07337 that you were looking at requires a crossbar spread of 24" - 42". It also requires a hatch clearance of at least 57" in order to open the rear hatch when the box is installed. The hatch clearance is the distance from the center of the front crossbar to the line where the roof and trunk meet (see photo).

expert reply by: Andrew N