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Designed for use in the Australian Outback, this rugged platform lets you bring whatever gear you might need for your next adventure. Compatible with many Yakima off-road and traditional roof rack accessories.
Features:
Yakima LockNLoad Platform B, 60x54:Videos are provided as a guide only. Refer to manufacturer installation instructions and specs for complete information.
Hi, Matt with eTrailer, and today we're gonna be talking about the Yakima JetStream roof rack system, on the 2023 Toyota Highlander. Taking a closer look at our system, it's gonna be comprised of our 50-inch JetStream crossbars, our skyline towers, and our landing pad bases. Those are all gonna work together to kinda give you some extra space up top if you wanna carry any roof boxes or kayaks too. Our crossbars are gonna be made of aluminum with a black powder coat finish. It just means it's gonna be lightweight and corrosion resistant. Even though it's made of aluminum, it can still withhold 165 pounds.
And I would just always make sure, and make sure that the rest of your system is compatible with that. Just making sure that your roof can withstand up to 165 pounds. Taking a closer look at a crossbar, this will be the shape of a teardrop, it's gonna be fatter on one side, and it's gonna taper in on the other side. That's just gonna help reduce wind noise. And also, the rubber padding we have in this T track is also gonna reduce wind noise.
But it's also going to help protect any accessories that you plug in here. And beneath our crossbars, we're gonna have our towers. They're just gonna fit right into this base too, you can see the shape that they lined up with. And our base is gonna be a contour to fit the shape of our rails. Taking a closer look at the tower, it's gonna have the ability to squeeze in and open this back over here.
And that will allow you to lift up on this because we're gonna have two divots that pop out, that lock into place with our base. If you want some added security, you can get a lock core installed right here, just to make sure no one can come by and take this off. As for how they sit on top of your roof, we're gonna have just a little bit of overhang on the side. You might be able to hook on something to the very edge. But it's not gonna be far enough to where you're gonna bump your head.
Honestly, I'd actually recommend maybe even going one size up, so you can have a little more room on the end. But, as for how much space we have beneath it, we're gonna have just about 3.5 inches, which is gonna give you plenty of room to clamp underneath. And above it, we're gonna have just about five inches. So this is gonna stick five inches from the top of your roof. That's just something to keep in mind for when you have any accessories on top of here. I would measure how high that accessory is, plus the five inches from your roof rack, and that should give you your total height of your vehicle, just to make sure you can fit in tight spaces or low clearance areas, like maybe a garage. As far as our cross spread goes, it's gonna be a fixed 31 inches. That just means it won't be able to be adjusted. So there's a couple ups and downs to that. The downs are, you won't be able to adjust for different crossbar spreads to accommodate different accessories up top. The ups, though, it won't obstruct your sunroof. And it makes for a really easy install process that you don't have to kinda maneuver and measure everything out. But speaking of the install process, if you need any help installing this, just stay tuned and we'll show you how to do that now. The first thing you're gonna wanna do is lay out all of your supplies. So we're gonna have our 50-inch JetStream crossbar, we're gonna have our towers, and on the other side we're gonna have our fit kit with the hardware. It's gonna come with two tools, an Allen key, and this other key as well. And we recommend you get a tape measure, a couple of these trim tools, and this screwdriver or flathead that we've taped off at the bottom so we don't damage our vehicle. We're gonna start by removing this cover here, on your rails, with a trim tool. I like to kinda put it through the center. And prop it up a bit. Just so I can find the tabs that hold this cover down. After, when I kinda slide down a bit, I'm able to find that first tab. I can get my screwdriver underneath there. And try to pry it up. 'Cause you wanna try to put pressure on the tab that's behind there. I'll just do the same thing on the other side. Next up, we're gonna take our landing pads, and we're gonna have two of each, two of the B, and two of the A. The Bs are gonna go one on the front passenger side, and then one on the rear driver's side, and vice versa for the As. Putting 'em on there, you just have to line up this block here, between these two screws, and lay it down. You'll notice it fits pretty flush, with this fatter side on the outside, and the thinner side on the inside. Next up, we're just gonna take our base. You can just remove the cap on it that says Yakima. I'm going to put ours to the side. After you've removed it, you're just gonna line it up here, with these designs put here. You might have to move it around a little bit, and it'll plug right into place. Next up, I'm gonna take our bolt and washer. And line it up in there, and you start to screw it in. Something to note, it does have that blue patch on it, that's just a thread lock. It's just gonna help it be more secured when it's all the way threaded in. But it's also gonna make it a lot harder to bolt in, so, keep that in mind, if you're having issues bolting it in, just take your time, and keep going 'til it's all the way secured. And once you've tightened it down all the way, just kinda shake it to make sure it's secured. And once it is secured, just make sure you do the same process on the other side. Next up, I'm gonna get my crossbar ready. So I'm just gonna take it, and flip it over so the bottom's showing. And I'm gonna remove my end cap. Like that. And I can now take one of my towers. And to get it started, I'm just gonna take this adapter piece, and plug it right in here. You'll hear a click when it plugs into place. I'm gonna take our block here, and just line it up with that bolt on the bottom. And I have to tighten it up a little bit too. You might see this metal piece here, I'd just like to push that out of my way. And get my Allen key on there. Just tighten it up enough to hold it on. You're gonna wanna gap here, so you can slide into that T track. And when I do that, I can come over here and just line it up, and push it right down here. I don't wanna tighten it all the way, just because I wanna be able to adjust it with this ruler at the bottom here. That'll help you kinda make sure each side is even. It's kinda harder to see in ours since this crossbar's been down here for a little bit, so, it's been kinda roughed up a bit. But, you'll be able to see it on yours much easier. I'm gonna take our end cap again. And plug it right on the back of here. And I'm gonna open the back of this. This is gonna let me tighten it once it's up there, just by squeezing on either side of here, and peeling that back. And once that's done, I'm gonna do the same thing on the other side. With both your towers secured on here, and the ends opened up, we can sit on top of our roof. We're just gonna line it up with our bases here. And if you need someone else to help ya, it's gonna help a lot, because, when you set it on top of there, you really don't lock into place. So, you might need extra hands. But, if you can just do one at a time, you can just slide it through here, that'll lock into place. And I can go on the other side and lock the other side back into place, and then we can get our measurements from there. To get it even on both sides, you're just gonna wanna shut this here. You'll hear it click into place. And just get the measurement from the back of it, to the end of your crossbar, and I'm gonna get a measurement now. And I'm just gonna make sure it's that same measurement on both sides. Once it's even on both sides, I'm just gonna take off the lid, and to do that, just squeeze on both sides and pull away. That's gonna reveal this bolt back here, and I'm just gonna tighten that down with our included tool. I like to squeeze the very back of it so it gets a nice secure hold on it. And when you tighten it down, you'll hear a click, because this has a built-in torque to it. So you don't tighten it too much. And once that's done, we're just gonna close it up, and repeat the same process on the other side. And once you've installed everything, you can give it a good shake test. Just to make sure everything's secured. Once it is, you can take it on the road. And that will conclude the install and the look at the Yakima roof rack system on the 2023 Toyota Highlander.
Average Customer Rating: 4.9 out of 5 stars (54 Customer Reviews)
Designed for use in the Australian Outback, this rugged platform lets you bring whatever gear you might need for your next adventure. Compatible with many Yakima off-road and traditional roof rack accessories.Very easy to replace. Fit perfectly. I had a slight disaster with roof rack and Yakima showdown but fortunately replacing the landing pads was all that was needed. Very happy about the ease of finding, installing and using.
Fit our Subaru Forester perfectly. Install was a breeze. For the money I wish they came with the core locks.
These crossbars were easy to install and adjust. Be sure to get all the pieces you need. There is no mention of the Landing Pads necessary to use these.
Very nice quality towers. Very heavy duty! They have a cool "snap" on / off mechanism for quick removal and installation.
All I can say is wow!! Outstanding customer service from shipping overnight, to follow up the next day to make sure the package arrived safely and was the appropriate part!! Customer service all stars!!! Thank you so very much!!
You guys provide great products and excellent customer service.
Thanks
Mounted to the top of my 2018 F-150 Super Crew Cab. Had Yakima Baselines, with HD Bars, HD Bar Adapters and the locknload crossbar adapters. Wished I was able to install it without crossbars as it requires that I buy them, also adds a bit of height to the the locknload as well.
Very well built, had my wife (125lbs) walking around on it after I mounted the locknload. Took about an hour to assemble the locknload and maybe another hour or two of adjusting the bars to where I wanted the locknload to sit on the roof. Other than it looks a bit too high I do love them. Will probably see what I can do about lowering the locknload in the future.
Yakima SkyLine Towers are well-designed and well-executed. They easily fit into the Yakima Landing Pads and form a tight fit when closed. And they also fit nicely into the Yakima JetStream Crossbars when following the Yakima instruction manual and various YouTube videos. I did run into a snag at first where I found the rubber seal on one SkyLine Tower getting caught on the JetStream Crossbar track, but after that I was careful not to let that happen with the other towers.
I find the appearance of the Yakima SkyLine Towers to match their level of quality in materials and design.
first try was missing what was needed
Etrailer helped. It was great!
Great company. Fast delivery.
I am going to include the Landing Pads, Skyline Towers, LockNLoad adapters, and Pivoting Mounts that are all required for my vehicle in this review of the 84" x 54" LockNLoad Platform. First, I had done months of research trying to figure out what would work and meet my needs for a 2008 GMC Yukon XL. Without the help of etrailer's agent, Ashley, I'd probably still be trying to figure things out! Ashley was patient and thorough, she made sure I had all the parts I needed for a fairly complex (and large!)project. I cannot thank her enough!
On to the assembly and installation: Ashley confirmed that following instructions was key to efficient building - I found that combining online instructions with the included hard copies worked best. As an example, the online fastener images and descriptions are far better than the paper ones. Then, having the paper instructions in hand made "in the moment" progress much faster. All of the Yakima parts fit together perfectly, and by methodically following the instructions (I cannot stress this enough!), including pre assembling Landing Pads, Towers, and Pivoting Mounts, there was no need to backtrack. Once I had a day to devote to the project, everything went very smoothly. Placing the large Platform on the mounts does require two people, but the rest was easy for one fairly handy person to accomplish. Making adjustments to be sure the Platform is centered and square to the roof took some time but it's worth it in the end. Again, thanks to etrailer and particularly Ashley! It was a pleasure doing business with you!
This thing added a great deal of flexibility to my 4Runner. Rock solid and almost limitless options for roof storage allowed me to customize it to transport a kayak and roof box that would never have been possible otherwise.
Lots of wind noise. Good rack overall
These really look so much better then the factory racks! Easy to install. Easy to order! Great product!
It was exactly what I ordered
Excellent experience
Video for putting onto the vehicle was very helpful.
fit great
Love it.
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