SportRack A30902 4EZ Hitch Platform 4 Bike Rack Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Pros: this rack carries 4 bikes without any of them touching, and they are supported exactly the way they are designed to be supported. The carrier appears indestructible. If you have a lift back, the hatch can be opened when the carrier is mounted (but not when the bikes are on the rack). Any size or shape bike can be carried. When driving, the bikes are secure and silent.
Cons: weight -- the disadvantage to indestructibility is that a lot of steel was used to build the rack, and that makes it heavy (about 60 lbs without bikes). This weight only comes into play when putting the carrier on your car, or taking it off. loading -- If you have a lift-back, you need to get into it before the bikes are loaded. The upright bars can be tilted away from the back of the car far enough to open the back. length -- you have to remember that this carrier is sticking out a few feet behind your car. Storage -- even folded up it takes a lot of room in your garage.
We need to carry several bikes at a time: road, hybrid and "step-through" (ladies) -- and sometimes a mountain bike.
The wheels fit in lower channels, which may be adjusted for wheel length and to avoid interfering with the next bike's pedals. Then the "hold down" hook keeps the bike firmly in the channels, and the hooks are well padded. You can leave your frame pump on the bike if you want (although a rough road may vibrate it off if it's not secured). Finally, Velcro straps across the tires ... well, I'm not sure what these are for, but we use them. Once on, the bikes don't sway or bounce relative to the car, and any shocks are delivered through the tires -- where the bikes are meant to receive shocks.
A 2 inch receiver will allow for 350lbs -- or more -- of tongue weight. A 60 lb rack and 4 40 lb bikes will only be 220 lbs, well within the limits of the receiver. If you've got the hitch, you can handle the weight.
The assembly is not straightforward: it took me about an hour, and I had leftover pieces. After it was assembled I realized that I mounted the "hold-down" bars in reverse (the long one has to be in before the short one). Assembly is a one-time event, and, while difficult, should not dissuade you from getting the rack.
Tilting the upright bars, or shrinking the carrier from four to two bikes is done by moving cotter pins. The receiver has a screw-in bolt to keep it mounted to the car. Adjusting the wheel wells or hold-down hooks is done using handles that screw in or out.
Once the rack is adjusted for your bike, getting the bikes on and off is quick and simple.
For us, this is exactly the rack we need to carry 3 or four bikes at a time for any distance.

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4ez HITCH PLATFORM SYSTEM

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Softride 26321 Acess Dura Assist 4 Bike Rack Review

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(More customer reviews)I just received this rack, unpacked it and assembled. The assembly was easy requiring only 4 bolts. I mounted the rack on the car's 2 inch receiver hitch using 1 additional bolt supplied with the rack. This bolt takes all of the slop out from between the rack and the car. The assembly is rock solid on the car and does not vibrate around like many other racks. The rack and car act as one unit and this keeps the motion of the rack and bikes to a minimum. The rack tips back and my van's back door opens with lots of extra space. I mounted 3 bikes and all fit well from a 48cm to a 61cm. The assist part works well and the weight of 3 carbon road bikes holds it in the down position and it is easy to lift up. There is a feature to disable the assist when no bikes are on the rack. This allows the bike rack to be in the down position with no weight on the rack. All in all this is a well engineered rack that is well built and very strong. I will be adding some lube at the main hinge points as it is a bit stiff right out of the box but I am sure it will remain solid for years to come.

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Softride Dura Assist 4-Bike Rack features a powder-coated steel construction for the best in strength and corrosion resistance. A unique hydraulicly assisted parallelogram design operated by a spring loaded pull pin release allows for easy up and down maneuverability and superior rear vehicle access. QuietRide lockingtightening anti-rattle technology and padded anti-sway cradles with rubber straps keeps your bicycles solidly and quietly mounted to your vehicle. Safety features include end-of-arm safety reflectors for nighttime visibility, cable lock, and a super reinforced top plate. This rack is outfitted with a 2 inch and 1.25-inch universal hitch bar to accomodate all receiver sizes.

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Hollywood Racks HR1400 Sport Rider SE 4-Bike Platform Style Hitch Mount Rack (2-Inch Receiver) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Looked at several racks before finding the perfect one. We haul 4 "hybrid" bikes around. None have the traditional cross bar. The Hollywood Sport Rider supports the bikes by the tires/wheels. It weighs a bit, but if you fold it up, it balances nicely and can be put into the receiver easily. Also, it has a device to tighten it up once in the receiver, so it (and the bikes) do not wobble AT ALL as you cruise down the bumpy side roads. As with most anything in life, you get what you pay for with this awesome rack. Hope this helps.

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This heavy-duty platform-style rack is designed as a 2 + 2 system so it can be easily converted to hold either two bicycles or four bicycles. It mounts on a 2-inch hitch and folds flat against the back of a vehicle when not in use. The rack uses padded universal top clamps and adjustable wheel holders. Bikes need simply to be dropped into the wheel holders and clamps slid down onto the frames. Velcro wheel straps add security. To prevent rack sway, the hitch system is "no-wobble/no-tools" and includes a locking pin and 9-foot security cable. The rack carries a limited warranty against defects.
About Hollywood Racks Hollywood Racks started in 1973 when they began making trunk racks in the back of our bike shop in Hollywood, CA. As a retailer, the company knew exactly what people needed: good quality products that were easy to use. They earned a great reputation fast and began selling racks to other dealers, and later to the bike companies. Today, Hollywood Racks builds racks the only way they know how: simple, strong, and secure.
Hollywood Racks are built with top-quality materials including high-strength steel, aircraft-quality fasteners, and thick powder coats to withstand the elements. Generous amounts of padding protect bikes and cars, and all of their products are fully covered with a limited warranty. The company's products continue to receive accolades from all the major outdoor sports magazines, and are in demand by everyone from recreational cycling families to weekend warriors to race teams on the road and off.

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Swagman XC-4 Cross-Country 4-Bike Hitch Mount Rack (2-Inch Receiver Hitch) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)At our children's urging we recently purchased bicycles for ourselves so that we could take family rides together. Since we are not experienced cyclists, perhaps I am not the best judge of a bike rack; in fact, this is the first bike rack I have ever owned and perhaps that makes me a mite too critical.
That being said, however, on the whole, I am very pleased with this rack. It holds our four bikes extremely securely, including my women's frame bike (one of the reasons we decided to go with a platform-style bike rack, like this one). The bikes, when firmly fastened, don't budge at all. I like the fact that the bike rack tilts upward, away from the road, which gives us an added sense of security when driving over bumps. I like the fact that the arms ratchet down, rather than screw down, as a competitive rack does, as I find that we are often securing and then releasing the arms to better the position the bikes. Screwing and unscrewing would drive me up the wall. Plus, the ratcheting allows us to get a really snug fit. My husband always gives each arm one last little shove before we take off and the ratcheting feature ensures an incredibly tight fit.
On the downside, we still find getting the bikes on the rack a hassle. We bought the platform-style bike rack because we thought, based on various reviews, that it would be easier to load than a hanging rack -- and perhaps it is. Again here our inexperience shows. Using this bike rack, however, is still like fitting together a puzzle. Even though we've figured out which bikes fit best in which position and we've gotten the tire loops set just right, it's still a challenge. Invariably, the pedals are oriented wrong and getting in the way of installing the next bike, or rubbing against the ratchet arm, or one bike's seat doesn't slide under the other's handlebars exactly as it seemed to the last time we loaded the rack. It can be very frustrating, especially at the end of an exhausting and sweaty ride. (I would note from experience that it's best to stagger the tire loops as dramatically to the left and right as possible to make the loading as easy as possible.)
Also on the downside is the weight of the rack. We store ours in a walk-out basement and it's all my husband can do to get the thing out and up the little hill to our driveway. I definitely could not install the rack myself.
Some additional points: The rack I received was a newer model than the one in the picture. This created a few issues. For one, the assembly instructions which came with our rack was from the older model and completely useless. Moreover, we couldn't even look at the picture on the box for guidance because the picture was of the older model. Assembly was extremely frustrating. Also, if you are looking for a locking hitch pin, note that this rack (at least the newer model which we received) can not use a standard locking hitch pin; it requires a specialized threaded locking hitch pin which only Swagman seems to make.
And finally, the rack we received contained parts in which the powder coating had chipped off and the rack began rusting immediately. We contacted Swagman about this problem. The company representatives we've spoken to so far have been friendly and more than willing to exchange the parts, but even that experience has been frustrating. No one I've dealt with at the company calls back when they say they will, or responds to email, and then when I finally received a box of parts, only one of the three damaged parts was actually in it. I've been promised the remaining parts and expect I will receive them, but this has been a ridiculous hassle. I'm never impressed with poor, unprofessional customer service.

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Easy loading and unloading of your bikes at ground level. Fast adjustable quick release tire hoops and ratcheting top arm allows you to quickly carry the widest range of bike frames. Top arms fold down and the base folds up to keep this rack our of the way when not in use. Carries up to 4 bikes (2-inch receiver only). Designed with a rise to offer more ground clearance.

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