Andy Mink
Everyone loves spring skiing but not in January
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Inno. It's not a name that was familiar to me when I was looking for a solution to install my Thule box on my truck bed. I was thinking about Thule or Yakima but didn't really want to shell out the high price -- especially considering that I used round pipe from Home Depot and u-bolts to attach the box on my old truck. However, I have a new truck and wanted to avoid drilling holes in it any time soon. Thus began the search, and Google is your friend in a case like this.
Inno is not even remotely new to the rack/box/bar game. Inno Advanced Car Racks is a division of Car Mate USA, Inc., which in turn is a wholly owned subsidiary of Car Mate Manufacturing Co. Ltd. of Tokyo, Japan. Founded in 1966 by Takaaki Murata, Car Mate is today the largest manufacturer of automotive accessories in Japan. The company's car rack division was started in 1976, and the products first hit the US in 2003. Suffice it to say, Inno has been around for quite a while. Enough history; on to the important part.
I wanted an easy-on/easy-off setup for my truck bed. At $107.99 from etrailer.com, the bed stays were significantly less than other offerings. I also ordered the 79-in. square tube bars, for $76.49. The entire setup cost less than only the stays from other companies. Etrailer.com is a company I've used before, and it has great customer service, so I figured, What the heck? I can send them back if they don't work.
When the parts arrived, I was first impressed by the quality of the packaging. Both the stays and bars came packed box in a box. The bars had nifty plastic connectors that held them together but didn't allow them to touch. Inside the connectors were the rubber feet for the bar ends. The stays were held securely in individual cutouts in the box. The stays are made from heavy aluminum; the bars are thick steel with a plastic coating.
Installation consists of determining the spacing necessary for your particular box, bike rack, or other rack-mounted equipment. Set up the first side by unscrewing the clamp about halfway, tilt it under the lip of the bedrail, place the shim, and tighten. That's all there is to it. Measure and repeat for the other three stays. Inno requires at least 27.5 in. between the bars.
To install the bars, loosen the head bolts on two opposing stays using the supplied Allen wrench. Slide the bar into one stay first so it clears the other side, then slide it back through the second stay. You can also remove the tops of the stays, but I tend to lose bolts! Measure to get an equal overhang on both sides and tighten the bolts. Repeat with the other bar. Inno requires the bars to be at least 5.25 in. longer than the width of the inside of the truck bed. Any attachments to the bars need to start no more than 2 in. from the stays
Overall, I think Inno's truck bed stays and cross bars are solid. When driving around town with the box on, you do get some vibration, but I would expect that with 79-in. bars. The system is rated to carry 110 lb, and the stays are designed to accept square or round bars (round bars require an adapter, which is available from Inno). The easy installation is a great feature, but the cost might be the best feature. If you are in the market for solid, reasonably priced load-carrying solutions and aren't married to other lines of products, give Inno a look. It offers a vast array of bars, boxes, bases, and other accessories, and just may have what you need!
Inno is not even remotely new to the rack/box/bar game. Inno Advanced Car Racks is a division of Car Mate USA, Inc., which in turn is a wholly owned subsidiary of Car Mate Manufacturing Co. Ltd. of Tokyo, Japan. Founded in 1966 by Takaaki Murata, Car Mate is today the largest manufacturer of automotive accessories in Japan. The company's car rack division was started in 1976, and the products first hit the US in 2003. Suffice it to say, Inno has been around for quite a while. Enough history; on to the important part.
I wanted an easy-on/easy-off setup for my truck bed. At $107.99 from etrailer.com, the bed stays were significantly less than other offerings. I also ordered the 79-in. square tube bars, for $76.49. The entire setup cost less than only the stays from other companies. Etrailer.com is a company I've used before, and it has great customer service, so I figured, What the heck? I can send them back if they don't work.
When the parts arrived, I was first impressed by the quality of the packaging. Both the stays and bars came packed box in a box. The bars had nifty plastic connectors that held them together but didn't allow them to touch. Inside the connectors were the rubber feet for the bar ends. The stays were held securely in individual cutouts in the box. The stays are made from heavy aluminum; the bars are thick steel with a plastic coating.
Essentially, the bottom part of the stay is a clamp to hold the stay to the bed. The top part is where the bar goes.
Installation consists of determining the spacing necessary for your particular box, bike rack, or other rack-mounted equipment. Set up the first side by unscrewing the clamp about halfway, tilt it under the lip of the bedrail, place the shim, and tighten. That's all there is to it. Measure and repeat for the other three stays. Inno requires at least 27.5 in. between the bars.
There is a large, sturdy plastic grip that allows easy tightening of the clamp to the truck bed without tools.
The grip flips up and out of the way after tightening the clamp.
Between the clamp and the rail, Inno provides a soft-plastic coated metal shim to prevent scratching the bed.
To install the bars, loosen the head bolts on two opposing stays using the supplied Allen wrench. Slide the bar into one stay first so it clears the other side, then slide it back through the second stay. You can also remove the tops of the stays, but I tend to lose bolts! Measure to get an equal overhang on both sides and tighten the bolts. Repeat with the other bar. Inno requires the bars to be at least 5.25 in. longer than the width of the inside of the truck bed. Any attachments to the bars need to start no more than 2 in. from the stays
Loosen or remove bolts to install bar.
Heavy-gauge steel bars have a plastic coating to help prevent marring and provide friction to keep things tight.
Once the bars are on, install the rubber bar caps. There is a small step in the cap to prevent you from pushing it on too far. This allows the rubber tip to stick out a bit and remain flexible in case of head/body-to-bar-end contact.
Step inside the rubber tip.
Tip stays soft.
The finished product.
Overall, I think Inno's truck bed stays and cross bars are solid. When driving around town with the box on, you do get some vibration, but I would expect that with 79-in. bars. The system is rated to carry 110 lb, and the stays are designed to accept square or round bars (round bars require an adapter, which is available from Inno). The easy installation is a great feature, but the cost might be the best feature. If you are in the market for solid, reasonably priced load-carrying solutions and aren't married to other lines of products, give Inno a look. It offers a vast array of bars, boxes, bases, and other accessories, and just may have what you need!
- Who is it for? Those looking for a high-quality rack solution at a budget price.
- Who is it not for? Those who wish to stay with a currently owned brand.
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yup, I had to do a lot of measuring and experiments to clear the garage door!. This also included ditching the OEM Audi cross bars which sat about 6 inches above the roof. I could actually have gone even lower profile with one of the other INNO boxes but was able to use a higher capacity one and still get a couple of inches clearance by juggling different crossbars
