[thcormen]

I recently bought a 2011 Equinox, and after I got it, I realized that it doesn't have front or rear tow hooks. I plan to carry a 16-foot canoe or a 15-foot kayak on top, and I'll want to lash down the bow and stern of each boat. I have straps with S-hooks on the ends. On previous vehicles, I attached one S-hook to either the bow or stern of the boat, and the S-hook at the other end of the strap to a front or rear tow hook. In that way, the boat couldn't wobble up or down when the car was moving. But the Nox doesn't have tow hooks, so I don't have a way to secure the bow and stern. The dealer said they can add a rear tow hook, but they don't have a front tow hook that they can add.

Has anyone else had this problem? How did you solve it?

 

[gar187er]

attach it to the subframe.....should be something down there to attach to....

 

[tjjkc]

I recently bought a 2011 Equinox, and after I got it, I realized that it doesn't have front or rear tow hooks. I plan to carry a 16-foot canoe or a 15-foot kayak on top, and I'll want to lash down the bow and stern of each boat. I have straps with S-hooks on the ends. On previous vehicles, I attached one S-hook to either the bow or stern of the boat, and the S-hook at the other end of the strap to a front or rear tow hook. In that way, the boat couldn't wobble up or down when the car was moving. But the Nox doesn't have tow hooks, so I don't have a way to secure the bow and stern. The dealer said they can add a rear tow hook, but they don't have a front tow hook that they can add.

Has anyone else had this problem? How did you solve it?

Check out this post I made http://www.terrainforum.net/index.php?topic=664.msg13695#msg13695

The roof rack (feet) are not my favorite part (Yakima),they do not look too bad but still stick out a bit...

It was the only thing available last June and I spent tooooooo many hours building that canoe to take a chance of loosing it.

I did consider foam blocks on the front but ,there is still not enough factory roof rack to prevent the boat from wiggling .

Also with front tow hooks you still have to pass the strap over/against the flimsy front bumper and grill(Terrain)

On the rear I strap to the trailer hitch.

The front strap in the hood keeps the bow pretty stable and I have traveled down major highways in cross winds

 

[thcormen]

Check out this post I made ...
The roof rack (feet) are not my favorite part (Thule),they do not look too bad but still stick out a bit...

It was the only thing available last June and I spent tooooooo many hours building that canoe to take a chance of loosing it.

I did consider foam blocks on the front but ,there is still not enough factory roof rack to prevent the boat from wiggling .

Also with front tow hooks you still have to pass the strap over/against the flimsy front bumper and grill(Terrain)

On the rear I strap to the trailer hitch.

The front strap in the hood keeps the bow pretty stable and I have traveled down major highways in cross winds

I went to your post, but I didn't see any pics or links to pics. Would you mind providing a link? Thanks!

 

[tjjkc]

Pics worked for me

 

[KANWAR]

good idea, i would just be concerned with the strap rubbing through the chrome on the terrain, and the paint on the nox.

 

[thcormen]

I did consider foam blocks on the front but ,there is still not enough factory roof rack to prevent the boat from wiggling .

Also with front tow hooks you still have to pass the strap over/against the flimsy front bumper and grill(Terrain)

On the rear I strap to the trailer hitch.

The front strap in the hood keeps the bow pretty stable and I have traveled down major highways in cross winds

OK, I see. I'd still rather have tow hooks in the front and rear. I pass the strap over the bumper in my wife's CRV, and there's no problem doing that.

So has anyone attached tow hooks to the front and rear of their Equinox or Terrain? If so, where did you get the hook, and how did you attach it?

 

[mnussbaum]

Place a soft towel under the front where it hits the chrome.

 

[thcormen]

I think I figured out how to do it. I spent a few minutes looking carefully underneath the vehicle, both front and rear.

In the front are four short supports. Two are a couple of inches apart on the driver's side, and two are a couple of inches apart on the passenger's side. They are not the same length. The two on the driver's side have a hole in them, and an S-hook could easily be put through the hole. The two on the passenger's side do not have holes. I could drill a small hole in one of them and put an S-hook through it. Even better, I could easily install an eye-bolt on each side, which would be even easier to get an S-hook into.

In the rear, there are a couple of small holes underneath, on both sides. Again, I could get an S-hook into these holes.

So I think that the problem is solved. I'll know for sure the first time I put kayaks up top. Because I live in New Hampshire, that's about four months from now.