2008 Volvo V50 Roof Rack for Bare Roof – Thule TK14/430 Tracker II Fixed Position System with Thule Slipstream

After such a beautiful weather 60 degree weekend what’s keeping my mind off the wintery sampler platter of precipitation that is occurring on this fine New England morning? Well, it is the knowledge that Spring is right around the corner. As winter winds down, we have all been trying to squeeze in as much snow time as possible, but now is also the perfect time to make sure that you’re prepared to carry all the gear necessary to dominate your favorite warm weather activities.  It was definitely a blast pedaling my bike all over Boston this weekend, but there is nothing like breaking out the Kayak for the first time of the season. So for today’s showcase install, I have chosen an application that suits my current want for warmer weather.

For this 2008 Volvo v50 Wagon we installed a Permanent Thule Fixed Position System. Which includes Thule’s TK14 Tracker Kit which creates a solid mounting point for the Thule 43o Tracker II foot pack towers on any vehicle without a factory rack. The Thule TK14 Tracker Kit is made for a sheet metal roof. It includes “flaring” hardware and an installation tool.  To take a peek at the installation instructions for the TK14, which might give you a better picture of what it is all about Click Here. If you would like to watch a product video for the 430 tracker,  please Click Here. Using these we were able to mount a set of Thule 50 inch Load Bars, and the system is secured to the roof using a 4 pack of Thule Lock Cores.

Our customer was interested in mounting one kayak on her vehicle, but she hadn’t had much success lifting it on to J-Style kayak carriers in the past, due to the overall weight of her kayak. The solution to this problem, The Thule 887XTR Slipstream, which is  a premium load-assist carrier that supports up to 50% of the kayak’s weight, all while ensuring there is no contact made with the vehicle during loading and un-loading. This year’s newly released model 887XTR Slipstream is now contructed from a Double-coated, heavy-duty steel design for a long, corrosion-resistant product life. To watch a product video for the 887XTR Slipstream Click Here.      This system allows the owner to utilize the full spectrum of accessories including ski and snowboard accessories,  Roof Mount Bicycle carriers,  all water sport carriers, as well as Cargo Bags, Baskets and Cargo Boxes.

If  you are interested in additional information custom install or any Roof Rack system,  please feel free to consult one of our highly knowledgeable Rack Experts by calling (888)399RACK (7225). Otherwise you can email us with any questions….Well…as long as they are pertaining to Racks.

- Rack Attack Boston - (888)399RACK

2005 Jeep Wrangler Rack – Custom Yakima Track/Control Tower System with Thule Boxter Cargo Box

Here at Rack Attack we take pride in the level of service we can provide due  our extensive product knowledge and installation experience. Our Rack Experts will be able to assist you through your entire rack buying experience.  From explaining each option available for your vehicle, Installation services and or Tips for the “do-it-yourself-er”, as well as maintenance and upkeep tips. At our 4 US locations we offer a wide range of installation services which include custom drill applications on vehicles where other options would either not exist, or would not provide the most flexibility in terms of accessories, highest weight rating, and the widest spread between the front and back cross-bars.

For example one of our most popular options for Hard Top Jeep Wranglers is a Custom Track Installation. For this 2005 Jeep Wrangler we installed Yakima’s 60 Inch Track with Bolts, and mounted Yakima Control Towers using 2 Sets of Landing Pad 1′s (sold in 1/2 sets), which are the adapters that connect the feet to the track. The Rack is secured to the tracks through the use of a 4 Pack of Yakima Lock Cores, and we have mounted the, New for 2009, Thule Boxter Cargo Box.  Thule’s premium two-tone 611 Boxter combines European-inspired design with a stronger, more convenient box structure. The Thule 611 Boxster gives you the perfect combination of unique style, tremendous durability, and unsurpassed performance.

The Track system allows the owner to utilize the full spectrum of accessories, where as the only accessories that would be approved to mount would be ski and snowboard accessories, and Roof Mount Bicycle carriers. Leaving out; Canoe carriers, Kayak carriers, Surfboard and Sailboard carriers, as well as Cargo Bags, Baskets and Cargo Boxes.

If  you are interested in additional information custom install or any Roof Rack system,  please feel free to consult one of our highly knowledgeable Rack Experts by calling (888)399RACK (7225). Otherwise you can email us with any questions….Well…as long as they are pertaining to Racks.

- Rack Attack Boston - (888)399RACK

1999 Porsche Carrera Roof Rack – Thule Fixed Position Custom Install

Here at Rack Attack we pride ourselves in being able to provide rack systems to those vehicles that would otherwise be unrackable.

For example, we had a customer who was intent on driving his 1999 Porsche Carrera (removeable roof) to the mountain to go skiing, but unfortunately did not have the trunk space to fit his skiis. That, and Porsche did’t have a solution for a Carrera with a removeable hard top roof.

Luckily we have had quite a bit of experience in racking the unrackable, and we decided the best course of action was to go with a Thule fixed position custom install.

This included; Thule’s TK14 Tracker Kit which creates a solid mounting point for 430R Rapid Tracker feet on any vehicle without a factory rack. The Thule TK14 Tracker Kit is made for a sheet metal roof. It includes “flaring” hardware and an installation tool, Thule’s 43 inch Rapid Load bar, and a 4 pack of Thule locks.

This system allowed the customer to mount any number of accesories, such as Thule or Yakima Ski Racks, Thule or Yakima cargo boxes, or even  Thule of Yakima roofmount Bike Racks. However, please note that Thule’s Rapid Load Bars may require the use of an “Xadapt” adapter, which is required to mount particular accesories that are “Out of the Box” designed to only mount to Thule, Yakima, or Factory bars.

For Example, the Thule 91725 Ski Carrier that the customer had us mount to the rack required an Xadapt7, which includes longer bolts that allow it to be mounted to the rapid bars. If you are interested in a custom install or a Rapid Bar system, but are unsure if you will require an Xadapter, please feel free to consult one of our highly knowledgable Rack Experts by calling (888)399RACK (7225).

Rack Attack Boston’s Blog = Online

The Rack Attack Boston Blog is officially online, helping us publish our latest rack installations, product information, store related news, and technical tips.

Items referred to here can be located on our website, RackAttack.com, otherwise come right down to our location in Framingham, MA. If you have questions, we have got answers, simply post them through here and someone will help you out. An alternative is to post your question through our Ask a Rack Attack Technician feature and a response will be sent to you typically within 24 hours.