Aftermarket Hitch Options

[4advtr]

Quick question for those with the factory hitch. Does it move at all when installed? Just wondering if a bike rack mounted to it will wiggle much?

BTW, my Yak Rack has the tightening bolt so it's as solid as the hitch it's mounted to.

 

[tlt]

It will be solid when installed. The only potential play you might get would be from the receiver.

 

[jwest]

It will be solid when installed. The only potential play you might get would be from the receiver.

Yeah, even when bolted in from the side, the bike racks still move around a little in my experience.

The quick release receiver block is snug and motion free though due to the wedge design I suppose. I'd expect some play to develop if used a lot for towing as the contact surfaces start to wear, but a bike rack is going to take forever to cause the same wear.

I've seen a multi-bolt stabilizer somewhere, maybe on Rovers North or Atlantic British, that would slip onto the receiver first, and then also overlap the mounted 2"x2" bike rack tube. It had bolts all around it so you could crank them all down from all sides which would immobilize the movement.

Seemed pretty cool but I never got one.

 

[4advtr]

OK, thanks for the info. The Yakima rack I have bolts in pretty tight so it won't wiggle much. Nothing worse than your $3K mountain bike wiggling back and forth at highway speeds...

I think I'll give the factory hitch a try first. Really would prefer the Curt but am concerned it might be too tight a fit with a full size spare under there and I have no desire to relocate that at this point. If I get a flat on a trail my first move is always to plug it. So far this has worked about 5 times, saves time and energy in swapping tires when flats occur.

 

[jwest]

. If i get a flat on a trail my first move is always to plug it. So far this has worked about 5 times, saves time and energy in swapping tires when flats occur.

nice !

 

[jwest]

I think I'll give the factory hitch a try first. Really would prefer the Curt but am concerned it might be too tight a fit with a full size spare under there and I have no desire to relocate that at this point.

I do not understand the draw to the Curt ? Curt makes some great stuff, I have a Curt 2" on my Audi S4 Avant but had it modified to be stronger and not hang so low. The factory version is great, especially the newer block which is about 1-2" higher from the ground. I do NOT believe in cutting corners on these things.

If the concern is off-roading with bikes on the back, none of those are a good idea anyway. The bikes need to be inside, or on a swing out tire carrier to be high enough off the ground. Even then I'd be concerned.

On my BMW Wagon I had a fully custom receiver built to allow a high clearance tray style. I had the angle of the receiver kicked up just a touch to help with departure angles on various driveways and such. A good custom hitch shop can make just about anything you can dream up

 

[4advtr]

If you've hooked up very many trailers you'd understand my concern. The factory hooks for safety chains are a PITA to get to and use. My initial problem was the low hanging factory hitch but it sounds as if the newer ones are a bit higher. Was not looking forward to taking a 4" drop arm and turning it upside down just to keep a normally sized trailer level.

Regarding bikes and offroad, I rarely do that. I leave them in the hotel room when I'm in Moab wheeling, never really needed to offroad to get to a good bike trail. Kind of defeats the purpose.

 

[jwest]

Regarding bikes and offroad, I rarely do that. I leave them in the hotel room when I'm in Moab wheeling, never really needed to offroad to get to a good bike trail. Kind of defeats the purpose.

I don't use hotels, therefor I'm "en route" to wherever the next place is while carrying the bike(s). Lately I've been bored with "wheeling" anyway because I find it a lot more fun to ride a 50 mile mtn bike trail than bounce around in a vehicle. Plus, you get to eat anything you want without any weight gain by riding. Wheeling doesn't exactly burn many calories

 

[jwest]

My solution for rear bike carrying. This rack style allow for highest clearance however the tray-stand up/front wheel grab-arm style is the easiest and is high enough.

 

[4advtr]

Does that hold the bike pretty stable? It's certainly high enough off the ground.

I keep thinking somebody needs to make a bag that we can zip/velcro over bikes to keep them dust free when driving down dirt roads. Seems like it wouldn't be that difficult, could use ripstop fabric to make it light and easy to work with.

Edit: Maybe this can be the next product I build... Hmmm.