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Roof Rack Includes:
Part Numbers: RRRS566B,RTL002
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This quiet, aerodynamic roof rack with a from-the-factory look lets you carry gear on your vehicle's naked roof. Sturdy, lightweight aluminum crossbar includes top channels with noise-reducing Vortex strips. Integrated locks deter theft.
Features:
Specs:
The low-profile, aerodynamic Rhino-Rack RS 2500 roof rack lets you carry gear and accessories on your vehicle's roof quietly and with little wind drag. It's designed for installation on a naked roof (a roof without factory raised side rails, flush rails, fixed mounting points, tracks, or rain gutters). The rack's Vortex Aero crossbar has built-in rubber strips that disrupt airflow for a quiet ride, and the bar is constructed of aluminum so it won't rust. This bar blends seamlessly with the support legs to provide a from-the-factory look, and it is custom cut to your specific vehicle so it requires no adjustment during installation. The legs also include built-in locks that protect your gear and the rack from theft.
The rubberized Vortex strips in the top channel of the crossbar disrupt airflow with evenly spaced, wave-shaped grooves. This carefully controlled turbulence minimizes wind noise and whistling, so you won't need to add a fairing to your roof rack. And the slim, elliptical Vortex Aero crossbar cuts through the air with minimal drag - even at highway speeds.
The RS 2500 roof rack has a flush-mount design so the crossbar terminates at the legs with no overhang. This provides the rack with a seamless, from-the-factory look, and it also helps to improve aerodynamics by reducing drag and wind noise.
The Vortex Aero crossbar is made of structural-grade anodized aluminum with an H-shaped internal extrusion. This extrusion strengthens the bar without adding a significant amount of weight. And the aluminum bar won't rust so you can leave it on your roof year-round.
The rack's durable, glass-reinforced nylon legs are designed to stand up to cargo loads and weather extremes. They're also UV treated to withstand long-term exposure to sunlight.
The roof rack arrives at your doorstep almost completely assembled. The crossbar is already mounted into the nylon legs. And the bar is pre-cut to match the width of your vehicle's roof, so you won't need to waste any time centering it. The few remaining assembly steps are straightforward and require only the vehicle-specific fit kit.
The vehicle-specific fit kit includes pads and clamps specifically designed to fit the contours of your roof. To install, simply attach the pivoting plates and rubberized pads to the bottom of each leg. Then secure the legs to your vehicle with the metal clamps. Decals inside the legs and a diagram in the instructions help you to orient the crossbar on your roof.
Once the crossbar is properly positioned, use the included Allen key to tighten it in place. The Allen key is designed to serve as a simple torque wrench. The curve in the blue plastic handle straightens when you've applied enough torque to each bolt.
The crossbar has a built-in C-channel so you can carry channel-mounted accessories such as bike racks, watersport carriers, and ski racks. The Vortex strips in the top channel come in 3 pieces, so they're easier to adjust than a single long, continuous strip. You can remove, trim, and re-insert the Vortex strips around the mounting hardware of your accessories to keep the crossbar channel capped and quiet. Replacement strips (sold separately) are also available if you remove your accessories or switch to clamp-on accessories.
You can also attach most clamp-on accessories to the bar, and the Vortex strips provide a shock-absorbing, no-slip cushion for any accessories that rest on it.
Locking covers on each support leg let you secure accessories mounted in the crossbar top channel. These sturdy nylon covers give the rack a finished look and also help secure the rack to your roof. The cover locks are keyed alike, so a single key opens all locks.
Carry bigger, longer loads with this hitch-mounted load support. The adjustable-height system includes a 49" long, Vortex Aero crossbar; a tilting mast for easy loading; and a tie-down for transporting a ladder or kayak.
Features:
Specs:
Carry larger and longer cargo on your vehicle's existing roof rack by installing the Rhino-Rack T-Load in your 2-inch trailer hitch. This adjustable-height crossbar system provides the lateral support you need to safely carry long gear such as a ladder or kayak on your roof rack.
The T-Load includes a 49-inch-long, Vortex Aero crossbar that sits parallel to your roof-rack crossbars. The aluminum crossbar is mounted on an anti-swivel plate to ensure stability. And it has a built-in channel for mounting Rhino-Rack accessories such as ratcheting tie-downs and load supports. The crossbar also has a rubber insert in the channel that helps to cushion your load and that provides slip resistance during transport. The insert can be cut to accommodate channel-mounted accessories. An anti-swivel plate provides a stable mounting point for your crossbar. The plate is designed to accommodate a Rhino-Rack Vortex Aero (included) or Heavy-Duty (sold separately) crossbar, so you can swap out the bar depending on the accessories you wish to use with the system.
The height of the T-Load's upright bar is adjustable to match the height of your roof-rack crossbars. This enables you to use the T-Load on multiple vehicles. To adjust the height, simply loosen a nut and bolt, slide the bar up or down, and retighten the bolt. You also have the option to secure the T-Load in place at a fixed height. To mount the T-Load in a fixed position, drill a hole in the bar at the desired height and use the included wire lock linchpin to hold it in place. This option is great for those who will frequently be using the T-Load on the same vehicle - or for those who are always reinstalling the carrier and don't want to line up the height and use a wrench every time. Once your hole is drilled, the system requires no further adjustment, and drilling the hole enables you to simply pull the pin and lower the crossbar for convenient storage when not in use.
The upright bar of the T-Load tilts forward and away from your vehicle for easier loading and better access to the rear cargo area. The bar has a bracket in the base that lets you choose between two angles of tilt.
A rubber mat is provided to serve as a no-slip base for leaning a kayak or canoe onto the crossbar from the ground. To load, place the bow of your watercraft on the mat, lay the other end on the T-Load crossbar, and push the kayak or canoe up and onto your roof rack.
This system includes a pair of load supports that you install by clamping them around the crossbar. The load supports can be positioned anywhere along the bar to accommodate cargo of different widths. Each load support has an angled side and a straight side. For an item with a curved shape - such as a kayak - position the load stops with the angled sides facing each other on the crossbar. For straight-edge items - such as ladders or lumber - position the load stops with the flat sides facing each other.
The T-Load comes with a 51-inch-long nylon strap to use when you are carrying your canoe or kayak hull-side down. The strap - or sling - has buckles that you insert into cutouts on the load stops to anchor the strap in place. When pulled tight, the strap helps to balance the canoe or kayak during transport. Use tie-down straps and bow/stern tie-downs (sold separately) to properly anchor your kayak to your roof when using the T-Load.
Videos are provided as a guide only. Refer to manufacturer installation instructions and specs for complete information.
Today, we're gonna be taking a look at a solution for some of those heavier kayaks and the solution to this is the Rhino-Rack T-Load Assist bar. So this is gonna be a hitch mounted accessory for your 2" hitch receiver. The nice thing about it is we fold it back like this. We can go ahead and take this up, get it kind of lined up with it. And typically we have the back end kind of slide out on us, but it does come with a little pad to protect your kayak from scratches, but also allowing it not to slide around. So now, if this is done, we'll take it.
Clean it up. And I'm not really holding a whole lot of the weight. Which is nice. So now we can get it up here. Situate it.
And then tie it down. So this is a lot easier, especially as the weight start to go up. This kayak's not that heavy, but some of those fishing kayaks they get kind of up there. So this is definitely gonna be the easiest way to load that thing up. What comes with the kit is these little load stops.
So the angle right here, this is for your kayaks, but we can take this off, swap it around and then the flat side's gonna be for your lumber or ladders. You can tie down your kayak like you normally do. Cool thing about this is on the end, what I would do is to take this, throw it over the top. And use this as a strap. It's already there.
It's nice and perfect length this, go in there, tie it down. And if we did have these load stops a little bit closer, the nice thing is we have this little piece underneath here to protect the for many scratches. And the way you adjust these load stops is squeeze them up a little bit, slide it on down. Done deal, if you really needed to do that. But then when I unload it, obviously the center of our kayak is a little bit wider, but just know you do have these adjustments here on both sides. Very easy, you don't need a tool or anything. You're good to go. This is basically just your Rhino-Rack, aero bar it's made of aluminum. It's got an aerodynamic shape to it, and it's about 49" long, which is pretty good for most loads. We wanna make sure that our whole entire setup's gonna work with your kayak. If you have a really, really heavy kayak just make sure it's not gonna be exceeding 165 pounds. So depending on what kind of car you have, what kind of rack you're working with, ladder rack or roof rack you can use the included tool to adjust this with the telescoping system. So once we loosen this up a couple turns, where we need it to. Lower it if we want to. Raise it up, if we really want to. tighten it back up. And once we find that perfect little spot for your kayak What you can do is come down to this little hole. We'll go ahead and tighten it up. And then with the hole, we'll just take a little drill bit. Drill this out right there and then do give us a clip to go through it to mark our spot. So we can adjust it real low to put it in our garage. And then whenever we want to use it, drill that hole, put this in and you know, you're all ready to rip. As you can see, it's perfectly level. Didn't take me a whole lot of time to get it level. And I think that's pretty neat. We can also do some more adjustments. We have a hole here, hole here or we can take the bolt out all together and that's gonna change how far it goes back. So in the highest setting, doesn't come back a whole lot. Not much at all. So that's how mark goes back there. And that's it upright. Let's take it off. Go to the second setting. Let's see how far it goes back. This is what we we're using earlier which this will change depending on what kind of roof you have and what kind of vehicle you have. So there's that one. And then let's take it out all together. Let's see. And that's kind of a lot. So it all just depends, just know you have adjustability there. And whenever we have it all loaded up we're gonna have this hole right here which we can take this through and it's gonna be locked into the place. Looking down further on our shank, again, this is where your 2" hitch receivers. We are gonna get an anti-rattle bolt on the end of it with a lock. So a lot of these accessories don't come with locks. This one does, which is awesome. And the anti-rattle bolt, what that does is just make sure it's nice and secure to your hitch. So you're not gonna hear any rattling at all. We're ready to catch some fish, pull the pin unstrap your yak, and then grab your yak. Go down like this, pull your yak. Put it down on the pad. Grab your yak and hit the water and catch some fish. I do like how they have the strip here because I wasn't hearing the plastic on the aluminum rubbing. So that's good, it's not gonna scratch your kayak. So it's always nice that you buy something, that's gonna protect your investment. And whenever we're done, you can either leave it down, If you really wanted to. Just prepare for loading it up put the pin in, call it a day. Or if you are planning on putting it into your garage, what you can do is just loosen this up, take it down, undo the bolt and the lock and put it somewhere in your garage, just store it away. Comparing the Rhino-Rack Load Assist to some of the other ones on our website. I think this one's gonna be the one that's more customizable. Meaning some of them just have pre-drilled holes. This one, you put it to where you need it. You drill the hole and it's set for you. It does come with some load stops which have two different configurations for heavy wood and stuff like that, but also your kayaks. And it does have a little strap which kind of acts as a roller bar. The other ones on our website you to grab a roller bar separately. I think the roller will be a little bit nicer to use compared to just a strap, but this one just comes with it and it worked just how it should have. So I definitely think that this one's gonna be for those heavier kayaks and even the other ones as well. You know, you're really gonna need a lot of help getting those really heavy kayaks up on onto your roof. I don't think this is going to speed up the process a whole lot with your normal kayaks. I'd rather just man handle it and put it up on there. Or also just check out our load assist kayak carriers, if you do have a lighter kayak and you just want a little bit of help. And that's pretty much it for a look at the Rhino-Rack Load Assist and I'm Adam at etrailer..
Average Customer Rating: 4.8 out of 5 stars (847 Customer Reviews)
This quiet, aerodynamic roof rack with a from-the-factory look lets you carry gear on your vehicle's naked roof. Sturdy, lightweight aluminum crossbar includes top channels with noise-reducing Vortex strips. Integrated locks deter theft. Carry bigger, longer loads with this hitch-mounted load support. The adjustable-height system includes a 49" long, Vortex Aero crossbar; a tilting mast for easy loading; and a tie-down for transporting a ladder or kayak.Using this on a 2021 Honda Passport. The rack works as shown on videos although it will take some getting used to using it with a Hobie Outback Kayak. Assembly was pretty easy; to me, the video was much better than the instructions. A lock does come with it, but had differing opinions whether it did or didn’t so I ordered a lock that I’ll be returning.
The hitch pin for this uses a threaded bolt and the assembly does rattle a bit when installed.
Product shopped immediately, arrived as scheduled.
Had installed and kayak on top of car within two hours of opening box. Very simple. I am 67, still go to gym a lot, but my joints ache and back is feeling the years, so this makes loading of my 85 lb kayak now very easy. Worked smooth first time, though practicing the balance while unloading and rocking the bar back is important.
I previously used a Yakima Bar Extender, (pic attached) which was fine for my previous lighter kayak. But I did scratch the side of my car many times with the Yakima system when unloading, and nearly dropped the heavier yak several times because the Yakima bar sagged under the extra weight of the newer yak. I just got a new Subaru and dearly wanted to avoid any scratches. This Rhino Rack seems perfect option, kayak is always under control, and is very secure.
Robin
8/27/2022
1 year update - I use this rack a lot for weekend trips. 2 minutes only to put on the car or take off. Heavy duty construction. I also use for a fragile 18 ft rowing shell and like the third point of support. I live on coast with salt air, so I occasionally rinse. Also oil the one mounting bolt threads so they stay clean and do not rust. Highly recommend this rack !
great product! got it to haul my kayak on my unlimited rubicon (soft top) instead of installing a full roof rack. worked out great. easy install, well built, and removeable. good price too. i highly recomend
Steve M.
1/17/2014
Jeremy any pic of your Kayak on your jeep? I have a wrangler wsoft top would like to see your system.Thanks for your time Steve
Jeremy
2/6/2014
Rack works perfectly on my 2013 JK with 2 receiver. When installed, the racks vertical posttube rack butts up on stock spare tire. So if you have a larger spare mounted on tailgate, may be an issue. On the front, my light bar is used with Rhino Rack for kayak. Works great for me since I use up/down soft top a lot. Very clean install and setup, and well built.
Steve M.
2/10/2014
Jeremy, I like it locks great going to look into getting the same setupThanks fro sharing the picture Steve
Bought this for a 2015 Jeep Cherokee to load a Hobie Passport and it works great. I was hesitant about carrying the kayak with just the two cross bars. This third wing helps to load and secure the kayak.
Loading - I spread the goal posts wide enough for the beam of the boat and lift one end onto it. When lifting the other end and sliding onto the roof rack, the goal posts keep the boat from sliding laterally too much.
Securing - I narrow the goal posts to fit the boat and secure at three points: the two roof rack cross bars and the Rhino Rack. The front and back are narrow enough to prevent the boat from sliding forward or backwards so no bow or stern lines needed.
It is a bit pricey, a bit heavy, and awkward to store, but it gives me a lot of peace of mind that the kayak isn't going anywhere while I'm on the freeway. Plus it was one of the few that was adjustable enough to get to the same height as the roof rack cross bars.
I purchased the T Load support bar system for my 2013 Ford F-150 FX4. My kayak is a Seda Glider, weighing 42 Lbs and 19ft long. I’m so glad I opted for the T Loader, as my long kayak would be next to impossible to load onto the cab roof racks without the T Loader. With the T Loader, I can completely load my
kayak while standing behind the truck with no stress or strain. I’m 68 years old and about 6’ tall. I honestly don’t think I could load my long kayak without the T Loader!
My complete Rhino Rack system was not cheap, but it is very strong and stable on the road at 70MPH. This system enables me to take my kayak anywhere I want to go, safely and without hassle.
I bought this load assist bar for my hobie pro angler 14 ft . This was the first time using both of them . It went well they are some down falls with it but I would still highly recommend it . My vehicle is a 02 ford excursion. The t bar loader is well built but my first problem is that the hitch pin is a little short but still works and it is the wrong diameter for the size of the hole it should be a 5/8 pin size instead of 1/2 inch diameter. The second thing is, and it might be because of my vehicle, the height it extends to is a little short for my rig. It still does the job just fine but there is no rear end support witch is not a big deal for me . One thing you have to be carful of is when you are unloading your kayak the t-bar does fall towards you . I do use a small step ladder after I have the kayak on the roof to adjust it. Without the t-loader it would be nearly impossible to do it .
The unit is much more stable than expected. No rocking or swaying even with a side wind. The canoe is easy to load, I come in from the drivers side, set one end of the canoe in between the uprights and then move over to the truck and set the other end on the bar across the extended cab and then just lift it over. Of course the 5th wheel is not in this picture but that is why we load over the front.
A representative told me that my pickup tailgate would open without hitting the vertical support in the lowered position, but it did hit. Disappointed.
Heather A.
10/23/2023
Man.. I am sorry you got misleading information from a rep. I will look into that for you but this vertical support does not tilt away enough for a pickup tailgate to open fully. you want the Erickson Big Bed Load Extender for Truck Bed or Roof part # EM07600-07601. This load extender will extend out farther than the Rhino Rack but it will allow your truck bed to open. Take a look at the video on the Chevy Silverado I added. Let me send you over to customer service to see if they can help you figure this out.
The Rhino Rack Load Assist looks like it will satisfy my need completely. I have an inflatable dinghy, which weighs the same as a kayak. The Load Assist will help me place the dinghy on the roof racks of my Toyota Highlander! The packaging was well worn when the product arrived at my home but the double packaging by etrailer.com ensured all parts arrived safely.
Just got this in and installed last week. I used it for the first time this weekend and it worked great. It is MUCH easier to load my kayak on the Thule TracRac on my pickup. I need to work out how to slow the descent rate of the support bar when putting up or taking down the kayak. If you are putting the kayak up with it and need to lower it for some unexpected reason, the bar will come back at you fast. You might need some quick reflexes to keep it from hitting you. Having a full size pickup, I was pleased to see the hitch mount had two holes in it so I could bolt it in the hole closest to the end to give it the extra length needed to allow the tailgate to open fully without hitting the bar (when at the 45 degree angle). The nylon strap across the support bar is handy but I am wondering if it would be better to not use it when putting the kayak up onto the truck. Some trial and error may be needed to minimize the chance of getting hit on the noggin but it isn't a big deal right now. I have a few ideas to try (or suggestions from the Rhino-Rack people might be good).
I'm only giving it 4 stars just because of the rapid descent issue (which admittedly could be my fault for a lack of being able to find anything in the instructions about this) and I can't give it 4.5 stars. I think it is a great product though and it only took me about 45 minutes to install. (I'm a slow, methodical reader.)
The experience with E trailer was excellent, the customer suport, the product, evrething, even the marketing on line
This T-bar is the ticket when loading a Hobie PA-14 on the top rack of a lifted Jeep JK Unlimited Rubicon by myself.
Worked okay, except for the fact that the included hitch pin lock didn’t work for me. I have a recessed tow hitch on my Tesla Model Y, and as a result there is not enough room to operate the included lock and key that is in line with the hitch pin. Having a hitch lock with a key hole that was angled 90 degrees towards the rear of the vehicle would have helped. That, or including a shorter hitch pin so that I could thread it in from the left and lock in on the right would have helped.
Overall it was fairly easy to assemble. The non-slip mat was much different and flimsy compared to the reviews and videos I watched on this product. As for ease of use it made loading my 100lb fishing kayak a breeze. Ensure you fully tighten the bolt in the hitch receiver or you’ll have too much play in the upright when loading.
Well constructed of heavy materials. Once the screw in hitch pin is tightened (with the included wrench), the rack stays put with no rattle. A plastic lock was included for the hitch pin. Metal would probably have been better but it works as is. The instructions were OK with just pictures and no word descriptions and it took me about 40 minutes to assemble. I have a 17 foot composite canoe that was difficult to load onto my crew cab truck Yakima roof racks by myself. This product works as intended and I am able to load my canoe by myself. I'm 5'7" and had to let the canoe drop the last several inches onto the rack as I couldn't reach high enough as it pivoted forward. I may try attaching a rope to aid in controlling the canoe as it moves forward toward the roof rack. The pivot point of the rack to swing forward and aft is a bit snug and is a little difficult to get it to move. Hopefully that will get smoother with more use and maybe some lubricant. I drilled the optional hole for the permanent height adjustment and the material was very heavy to drill. Overall an excellent product and I highly recommend it.
The T-loader was easy to assemble and worked as promised in the specs and videos. It has made loading my 16.5 foot kayak much easier, and it is now essentially a one person job.
So far I can't comment on functionality, as some assembly parts were and still remain missing. I did as asked and sent a photo of the bar code on the box to etrailer, but have not received the missing part, so I'm having to fabricate something in order to use it. The attachment hole(s) to the hitch require drilling out in order to take a normal hitch pin and I had to cut 3/8" off to get it to fit my hitch receiver. Maybe it fits CURT hitch receivers, but it's not really standard. Seems well made, but something of a hassle if all the assembly parts are not there and the hitch insert has to be both shortened and drilled out to make a standard hitch pin work with it.
Katrina B.
6/20/2022
Thats terrible that your packages were missing! I have sent your information over to our customer service department for them to make sure this gets resolved as soon as possible. And it looks like they have gotten this shipped out and it will be delivering to you shortly.
I really think that this is a great product for the price (i.e., I felt like I was getting something which should cost more than it did). I have a very heavy fishing kayak and am not a spring chicken so it took a couple of times & a Youtube video to figure out how to use it but it worked fine after figuring that out.
I assembled the T-rack without full instructions (steps 4-19 missing). I looked for them online & the same steps were missing. Also missing is one small bolt 32mm used to attach the wide bar to the top of the T. There were 2 bolts in the package, but one is 4 mm. I had to use it, but cannot cut the rubber strip to fit as it is raised due to the extra length. Taped it up for use. Also, it does not load as all the videos show. The tight fit of the vertical bar results in it having to be forced into place. So, along with the weight of the sea kayak (@50lbs) I am forcing the rack into position so I can fasten the kayak down. It does help a bit with loading, but not in the way it was advertised to work. I am disappointed.
Sierra K.
10/7/2021
Very strange about the instructions. We are trying to fix that now! Customer Service will reach out about the wrong bolt.
Very well made, Works with my tal F350 roof rack.
easy to remove when not in use and takes up Zero space to stow.
This rack makes it easy for me to load my kayak on the rope of my Equinox by myself. Don’t have to worry about hitting the car. Also gives a 3 point to tie down to. Hauled my kayak from Montana to Florida with no problems.
Truly I'm super grateful because it was delivered much faster than I expected. thank you for your attention
Item was well packaged and all parts included. Easy assebmly.
It does great for extending my pickup bed to support a 12 ft kayak in a short bed pickup. Easy to assemble and if you strap everything down it does not rattle very much. For short day trips it's perfect. I am not sure how long the rubber on the roller will last and it would be nice to know what a person can use for a replacement once it wears out. But it does the job nicely. It is sturdy.
I screwed up with the rubber strip into the crossbar. I thought it went inside the groove and cut it to fit over the channel nuts. The instructions should be more specific to going on top of verses inside the crossbar. My mistake and should of looked closer before installing.
Jenny N.
1/13/2022
We do carry replacement rubber strips, part # RRM626, that are 15.75 inches long. They can be cut down to the length that you need.
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Rhino R.
7/16/2023
I decided to go another direction for load assist. The t-bar worked good but my other system works better for my particular application.