July 11, 2010
Rack Attack Team
On a very rare occasion here at Rack Attack do we see a vehicle that comes from the manufacturer with a system thats set up perfectly for a great rack. This, however, is the situation for the 2004 Volkswagen Touareg, a SUV thats not only stylish, but is also ready for a beautiful new Thule roof rack. With the factory track system already in place setting up a stylish, new rack is a breeze. On top of just looking amazing, this VW Touareg roof rack will increase the amount of weight you can carry on the roof to a whopping 165 pounds.
What's so great about these track thingies, you ask? Well, these "thingies" take an otherwise boring roof and turn it into a roof capable of doing and carrying almost anything! The tracks, which lies nearly the entire length of the roof, allows the user to easily adjust his crossbar spread depending on what he is carrying or even completely remove the system without even breaking a sweat. What this means is that when carrying a long unstable load (a kayak in this case) the bars can be spread further apart to make the load far more stable and make the trip much easier not only on your car, but also on your kayak.
This particular customer of ours stopped in to check out a new system to haul around his brand new Hobie fishing kayak. He had previously loaded the yak onto some J-cradles that he had on his factory roof rack but after putting a pretty good sized scuff mark on the side of the vehicle (and admittedly paying a boy $5 to hold up the opposite end of the kayak), he decided enough was enough and it was time for something new and something much easier.
With ease of loading being the primary concern there was one choice that reigns supreme above the rest, the Thule Hullavator. The Hullivator is a system that is added onto the Thule roof rack to make loading the kayak, no matter how large or small, as easy as the Hobie is to paddle, or should I say, pedal. With gas assist struts nearly anyone can get their kayak onto their roof no matter how high that is. The Hullivator drops to only a few feet off of the ground so there is no more trying to balance it on your head or paying passers by to help you out.
Now, how the heck do I attach that thing to the car? Well, remember the factory tracks that we talked about way up there /?? Thule makes a kit called the TK1 that slides right on into those tracks and creates a strong and stable mounting point for the Thule 430 Tracker II towers. Top off the TK1s and Tracker IIs with some Thule Load Bars and you too can have a system capable of attaching the Hullivator, or any of the great accessories that Thule makes for their roof racks.
Like I said in the beginning, having a vehicle set up this perfectly isn't always the case, but fear not young reader, here at Rack Attack we can install tracks on nearly any vehicle so you too can have the ultimate product in kayak haulin', The Thule Hullivator.
Please call or stop in at any of Rack Attacks 9 locations throughout the US and Canada with any questions or to get all set up with a killer new rack that will have all the neighbors watching as you easily take your kayak off of your roof.
