Some updated factory roof rack information...

All the recent talk of roof racks and how to attach stuff is timely for me, as I just went through the rigmarole of trying to mount a Yakima ski rack to my "factory" roof rack (meaning the Yakima-built rack/crossbars made for the VX), so I thought I'd share what I learned.

Backstory: I have a great Yakima roof-top cargo box (see my gallery for pix), which is great for running a mess of gear up to Vermont for the season, but kind of a pain in the butt the rest of the season 0 I hate driving around with it all the time, and I am sick of putting it on and taking it off every weekend, and I scratched up the interior in a couple of spots when I got lazy last year and threw the boards in the back, so I decided to put a ski rack on the VX like the gods of winter intended.

Anyway, here is what I found out...

1) Isuzu no longer carries the VX roof rack, and Yakima never had it, so you can't get one from either of them. If you can find one that happens to be sitting on the parts shelf at an Isuzu dealer, BUY IT! You will make money on it selling it here or on eBay.

2) If you have the factory rack already and you want to attach a accessory to it (like a ski rack or bike rack), then you need to find a set of Yakima 28V or 28H Mighty Mounts, depending on the application. The #28 is the one made specifically for our wing-style crossbars. Ski racks require the 28V mounts (for vertical orientation of the attachment point), while bike racks or cargo baskets require the 28H mounts (for horizontal orientation of the attachment point).

3) You'll need some luck finding the 28V (Yakima part number 8830028), because neither Yakima nor any of the three major Yakima distributors (rackattack.com, orsrackdirect.com, and rackwarehouse.com) have them anymore. The 28H mighty mount may still be available from rackattack.com (it shows up on their website) but I haven't verified that. orsrackdirect.com thought they had the 28V for me, but it didn't actually exist on the shelf - only in their computers.

4) The Yakima Universal Mighty Mounts are readily available and will work on our factory crossbars, but their design does not offer much theft protection - anyone can simply unscrew the crossbar clamp and take your ski/bike rack (and everything it's holding).

Hope this info helps out! If anyone happens to find a source for the 28V mighty mounts, PLEASE SHARE (after you've bought yours, of course). I bought the universal mounts for my Buttondown 6 ski rack, but I'd much rather have the one fitted to our crossbars.

Thanks for the ideas! I just ordered a set of four 28H horizontal mounts. Just in case! RackAttack.com has them listed at $38.80 shipped.

Now I just have to figure out what to carry!

I just looked at the universal mounts and they are capable of accepting Accessory Lock Housings and SKS cores for security. It is an extra $56 from REI.com.

I didn't mention in my original post that when I talked to Yakima, they said that they would look through the back of the closet, so to speak, and if they found a set of 28V mighty mounts lying around, they'd mail them to me.

Well, Yakima came through - I got a set of 28V mighty mounts in the mail from them yesterday!

If you're in need of a set of mighty mounts for your factory cross bars, I'd recommend giving them a call and seeing if they'd look for a set for you too!

Good luck!

Interesting... I just spoke with someone over at Yakima..

They were telling me that the 28H is the horizontal version and the 29V is the vertical version of the same mount.

Could this be because the 28v is not in their catalog any longer? Did your box specifically say 28v??

I'm curious...

P.S. 29v are on back order through the rest of the month, at least

Very interesting interesting... let us know if the 29V fits!

When I talked to Yakima, they said the 28V was The One, and they would not claim that any others fit those crossbars. Anyway, the set they sent me had no box - they just threw the four mounts into a padded envelope without any documentation whatsoever.

All,

I ordered a set of 28H Mighty Mounts from Onion River sports. 28H does not fit the Wing Style Roof Rack. The part number 8830028 is correct for the vertical, but Yakima does not refer to that as a 28V. Their term is Mighty Mount Wing Horizontal and Vertical.

So, if you're looking to buy from retailers, use the Yakima part numbers 8830027 (horizontal) and 8830028 (vertical), but do not use 28H and 28V.

OK, so now I am confused. If I want to mount some Yakima or Thule mountain bike racks, what is the part number for the mighty mounts I need?

:confused:

Thanks - Bart

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Jason

All,

I ordered a set of 28H Mighty Mounts from Onion River sports. 28H does not fit the Wing Style Roof Rack. The part number 8830028 is correct for the vertical, but Yakima does not refer to that as a 28V. Their term is Mighty Mount Wing Horizontal and Vertical.

So, if you're looking to buy from retailers, use the Yakima part numbers 8830027 (horizontal) and 8830028 (vertical), but do not use 28H and 28V.

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Sorry. Yakima says the part numbers are 8830027 (for horizontal) and 8830028 )for vertical. Go with those part numbers. However, you'll have to do some searching as Yakima no longer carries these parts.

I just ordered the horizontals from my local dealer who didn't seem to think it would be a problem getting them. We'll see. The Isuzu part number for horizontals 2-90116-905-0.

OK, yeah, I was looking at these - The seller says the part number is 3601??

Do you think these will work?

Bart

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Jason

Sorry. Yakima says the part numbers are 8830027 (for horizontal) and 8830028 )for vertical. Go with those part numbers. However, you'll have to do some searching as Yakima no longer carries these parts.

I just ordered the horizontals from my local dealer who didn't seem to think it would be a problem getting them. We'll see. The Isuzu part number for horizontals 2-90116-905-0.

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Okay, more info from Yakima. The Wing Mighty Mounts were sold one at a time or in sets of 4. The part numbers are of course different. Here's how it works: One horizontal wing mighty mount is part number 8830027. A set of 4 is 8003601. One vertical wing mighty mount is part number 8830028. A set of 4 is 8003600.

So, according to Yakima, 3601 will fit the Vehicross Wing Bar.

BTW, my Isuzu dealer says the part is available in the warehouse. You could check with your dealer if this auction doesn't work out.

Thanks!!

Bart

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Jason

Okay, more info from Yakima. The Wing Mighty Mounts were sold one at a time or in sets of 4. The part numbers are of course different. Here's how it works: One horizontal wing mighty mount is part number 8830027. A set of 4 is 8003601. One vertical wing mighty mount is part number 8830028. A set of 4 is 8003600.

So, according to Yakima, 3601 will fit the Vehicross Wing Bar.

BTW, my Isuzu dealer says the part is available in the warehouse. You could check with your dealer if this auction doesn't work out.

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So how hard is it to remove the factory roof rack?

Question is...
How high is the fence?

:luck:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by cyronman

Question is...
How high is the fence?

:luck:

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I dont know what you are talking about :p

so it looks like some allen wrenches is all