How To Tie Things Down On A Roof Rack

After you ve selected the appropriate vehicle roof rack for your cargo it s time to learn how to safely tie down your rooftop cargo.

How to tie things down on a roof rack.

It s important to use the right tie downs and place the item correctly on the roof rack if you want to avoid damaging your cargo or causing an accident. Sporting equipment when it comes to sporting goods it s worthwhile to invest in custom built roof equipment leanse says like a dedicated rack for bicycles snowboards kayaks or surfboards. Roof racks have been known to fail at high speeds with lots of updraft so take the extra precaution of tying the roof rack down to the roof of the vehicle as well. Here i have the bicycle s handlebars firmly planted on the roof rack s cross bar in the.

Improper tie down practices are all too common and many accidents and injuries happen because someone didn t take their time loading cargo on the roof of the car. Tie down the boards lengthwise and widthwise similar to how you d secure a mattress. It s really important that you tie the pipe down safely and securely before you start driving. Wood said most roof rack systems for cars have a dynamic roof load of about 165 pounds.

Use ratchet or cam straps to tie the roof rack through the doors not the windows. Run 2 boat straps over the top of the kayak and them under the roof rack bars then bring the straps to the other side of the kayak and loop them under the roof rack bars on that side. To tie down a kayak place it right side up on your roof rack and center it. With anything you plan on tying down you ll need three preferably four solid points of contact stability.

Whether it s pvc pipe or steel plumbing pipe attaching pipe to your vehicle s roof rack is an easy way to transport it. This means that assuming you ve strapped everything down properly and your load doesn t exceed that weight you should be in the clear to drive as you normally would at highways speeds. Tie the straps down with cam buckles to secure the kayak. Remove your rack when not in use to avoid the added weight drag and noise.

Luckily tying pipe to a roof rack is easy to do with the right gear.