Swing Away Hitch Racks for Bikes (or skis)

[shoestring]

Anyone have any thoughts on whether the Thule model or the Yakima model is better - looking to carry 4 bikes (and maybe skis if the rack will accomodate a thin ski bag for protection).

Are there other brands I should be looking at?

Anyone in Northern California/Nevada looking to sell one?

[Edgewood]

We have the Thule model. Works great. We also have the Thule ski rack that attaches to the bike rack. It holds the skis well but doesn't have room to keep them in a ski bag.

[bobs]

I've been looking at this for our next car, so I'm interested in what anyone has to say. We'll probably be getting the '15 Outback, so being able to swing out of the way is nearly essential, and the roof's too high for my wife to deal with bikes up there. Yakima Swingdaddy looks good, but I wonder how convenient it would be for our bikes, almost none of which have a conventional horizontal top-tube. It's worth noting that the Swingdaddy requires a class 3 (or 4) hitch, so it's not something that you can hook up to a Prius or something.

[Quadzilla]

I have a Yakima Hold Up rack that is two bike but accessory to 4 bikes if necessary. It is a hitch mount so you need to get a hitch and probably a class 3 if you want to carry more that two bikes as it is 2" receiver. This rack doesn't swing out but drops down as well as folds up when bikes aren't on the rack. So, you can open any tailgate. This rack system is pricey but is stout and durable and works on any car once you have a hitch on it. I carry my bikes on my Chevy Truck and just put a hitch on my Honda Element. Great on both. Anyway, most Mt. Bikes don't have a straight top tube anymore so a lot of racks won't work, The Holdup grabs the tires and offers a easy sure grip and easy fool proof access. Nice rack and durable however again pricey.

[shoestring]

I have a Yakima Hold Up rack that is two bike but accessory to 4 bikes if necessary. It is a hitch mount so you need to get a hitch and probably a class 3 if you want to carry more that two bikes as it is 2" receiver. This rack doesn't swing out but drops down as well as folds up when bikes aren't on the rack. So, you can open any tailgate. This rack system is pricey but is stout and durable and works on any car once you have a hitch on it. I carry my bikes on my Chevy Truck and just put a hitch on my Honda Element. Great on both. Anyway, most Mt. Bikes don't have a straight top tube anymore so a lot of racks won't work, The Holdup grabs the tires and offers a easy sure grip and easy fool proof access. Nice rack and durable however again pricey.

Yeah, my 2014 Tacoma has a hitch - I need the swing away so that the rack doesn't block the door to our camper...looking like $400-500 depending on what features we want. hoping to find one used, but they seem to go pretty fast on craigslist. Regarding the full-suspension frames, you gotta buy a frame extender for some of them, depending on the rack...another $30-$40, each.

[Edgewood]

The Thule fits both my wifes and my MTB. Mine catches on both sides under the top tube. On my wifes bike (shorter top tube and more drop), one side catches under the top tube the other catches between fork and headset.

Congrats on the Four Wheel!

[bobs]

I just looked at the Yak and Thule swing racks. Roughly the same price, different looks (Yakima black, Thule silver), Mounting points look about the same, Thule using thick plastic loop-on-hook, Yakima using hard plastic click-teeth loops. I'll probably pick up one of the prosthetic top-tube thingies for my mountain bike, and will check whether one holds my wife's main bike better than the other. Need to get the car first, and might wait a few more months for that to happen.

[paulzo]

had good luck with a Softride rack - it folds down rather than swinging to the side, but does it in such a way that you can fold it down loaded so you can get into the hatch without taking the bikes off. I had two - the first got trashed when I got rear-ended - fortunately with no bikes on the rack!

[QuiverQueen]

Whatever you buy, make sure the rack fits securely into the hitch receiver. I have an older Yakima Swingdaddy that has some slop and actually sways in the receiver a bit. I have noticed this happening on the backs of other vehicles, too. When I asked a Yakima rep why this was, they said that the dimensions of the receivers can vary, so the fit might be snugger or looser depending on the hitch receiver.

Other than that, the Swingdaddy has served us well.

[teledad]

I have the Thule 4-bike swing rack from a few years back (2006 or thereabouts). I've managed to put a lot of different bikes on there, though sometimes it took some ingenuity. E.g. a kid's bike with 12" wheels that didn't have enough space for the arms inside the frame - I put it on upside down (strapping to the top tube and the chainstays) and used some Voile straps to attach it to the other bikes to keep it stable. Sometimes the bikes move around a little while driving but I've never had one get damaged or fall off.

One thing to consider is whether there will be clearance to open the door with bikes on the rack - depending on how wide the door is and how it opens you may have handlebars etc blocking the door even when the rack is swung out. This is usually solvable by being careful with how you load the bikes closest to the car/truck, but you might want to test it out before you buy (esp. if buying new).

If you have a backup camera or parking sensor check if the rack will block it.

I used an adapter to fit the rack on the 1-1/4" class II OEM hitch on my Subie and it worked fine. I don't know if this is "approved" though. Tongue weight was within spec so I figured it was OK.

[Alex]

North Shore Racks are quite ingenious for carrying full suspension bikes... and the design seems easy enough to strap some skis to it.

http://northshoreracks.com/index.htm

but it would most definitely bend a 1 1/4" hitch. I think you need a 2" hitch.

[shoestring]

I have the Thule 4-bike swing rack from a few years back (2006 or thereabouts). I've managed to put a lot of different bikes on there, though sometimes it took some ingenuity. E.g. a kid's bike with 12" wheels that didn't have enough space for the arms inside the frame - I put it on upside down (strapping to the top tube and the chainstays) and used some Voile straps to attach it to the other bikes to keep it stable. Sometimes the bikes move around a little while driving but I've never had one get damaged or fall off.

One thing to consider is whether there will be clearance to open the door with bikes on the rack - depending on how wide the door is and how it opens you may have handlebars etc blocking the door even when the rack is swung out. This is usually solvable by being careful with how you load the bikes closest to the car/truck, but you might want to test it out before you buy (esp. if buying new).

If you have a backup camera or parking sensor check if the rack will block it.

I used an adapter to fit the rack on the 1-1/4" class II OEM hitch on my Subie and it worked fine. I don't know if this is "approved" though. Tongue weight was within spec so I figured it was OK.

Yeah, I'd like to be able to try it first but I am having a hard time finding any used swing aways local - I may just have to wait until late fall...

Here is a picture of the door open (seems like it will work):



The backup camera is on the tailgate, so it is already off...I need to come up with a solution for that, but there seem to be a bunch of options.

[shoestring]

alex - the north shore looks sweet - just won't work with my set-up...

[Chem Guy]

Here is a picture of the door open (seems like it will work):

Looking at your setup, it would definitely work. I have the Thule version that swings away from the tailgate of my 4Runner. I love it for camping with the bikes since you can leave the bikes on the rack and locked up with it swung out of the way on the side of the vehicle and access the rear of the vehicle very easily. Unlike teledad, I have never had any issues with the handlebars being in the way of the tailgate. No one in my family has a full suspension bike, so we are able to get four bikes on there. With any kind of rear suspension, you would need the tube top adapter to get it to work.