After I shelled out good hard-earned cash for my Yakima rack system, I needed a way to deter any would-be thieves. Without some sort of theft-deterrent, my rack would be screaming, "steal me." It's as easy as unscrewing eight knobs. This locking bracket top stops those knobs from being removed thus stopping the removal of the entire rack system.
For about $50 - $60 a pair, Yakima makes these locking brackets to take the place of the tops of two of the non-locking brackets of the mounting system. Basically, after you've spent the time to install the four brackets of the rack mounts, you replace two of them with these lockable versions. You could opt for buying two pair of these locks if you're that kind of paranoid. But I find two locking brackets on opposite corners does the trick.
The problem (for me) is that since they're made of a polymer plastic, there are two things that will defeat the locking set-up. Nature; the Sun. The Sun will play havoc on the plastic over time. Best to remove the rack when not needed - especially in hotter climates. The other thing is that a thief with a cordless Dremel or similar cutting tool can easily defeat this bracket.
On the upside, through the use of my keyed-alike set of Yakima SKS core locks, I can use one key for all of the locks in my system. This lock enables me to lock the Load Warrior Cargo Basket to my crossbars and lock the locking cap on the brackets. Yes, the locking brackets come with two locks, but you'll want to swap them out for matching numbers if you've got multiple Yakima locks in your arsenal.
In almost every scenario, I would suggest removing any valuable cargo or sporting equipment from the roof if you park the vehicle for any length of time. Unless, of course, you park in front of a police or sheriff station.
Another downfall is that it takes a LONG time to situate and secure the roof rack system to the top of a vehicle. I spend long periods of time standing on each of my vehicle's tires, holding on with one hand and screwing the knobs down with the other. It's pretty strenuous - especially for taller vehicles. Yakima should make this part of the securing/locking a bit faster and easier.
All in all, I find these locking brackets a valuable part of the security for my Yakima cargo system. I'm sure Yakima will re-design these brackets in the near future because they listen to their customer's suggestions. I have used all sorts of Yakima products over the years, and the company really does go out of its way to take customer feedback and implement some of their ideas.
I love what the Yakima site says about this product: "Our cargo baskets are pretty sweet items. Unfortunately, that can breed envy in the hearts of unscrupulous people whose vile thievery must be stopped." The Yakima website is accessorized with funny snippets like this. Good times.
See for yourself at http://www.yakima.com/default.aspx
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