Videos are provided as a guide only. Refer to manufacturer
installation instructions and specs for complete information.
Rating: 
11 reviews
Code: TH9027
Retail:$499.95
Price:$449.95
Shipping Weight: 57 pounds
Shipping Special
Apex Swing has all the perks of the Apex hitch bike rack - folding, arced arms; shock-absorbing anti-sway cradles; cable and hitch locks; a built-in hitch pin for tool-free installation - plus a swing-away arm for easy access to your rear cargo area.
Features:
Specs:
The sleek and stylish Thule Apex Swing is every bit the premier hitch rack as the standard Apex - with an upgrade. This bike rack offers the same arching arms, RDT cradles and tool-free installation, plus the ability to swing the fully loaded rack away from your vehicle for easy access to the rear cargo area.
The rack has a hinged arm at the base that lets you completely swing the rack away from the rear of your vehicle with your bikes still loaded - no need to unload the bikes or remove the rack to get to your stowed cargo. To open the hinged arm, simply pull a spring-loaded pin, loosen the hand knob and swing away.
The Apex Swing features an innovative EasyMount system that lets you quickly and securely install the rack in a 2" trailer hitch without any tools. You'll no longer need to find a hitch bolt and clip to hold the rack in place or a wrench to install it. And best of all, you'll no longer need to take a knee while doing it. Once the integrated hitch pin snaps in place after you have slid the rack into your hitch receiver, simply turn the easily accessible knob to activate the anti-rattle. This takes all of the play out of the hitch-and-bike-rack connection. You can even lock the rack in place with the same key used to secure the cable lock.
The Apex Swing also introduces Thule's new Hold Fast anti-sway cradles with Road Dampening Technology (RDT), designed for use with carbon-frame bikes. RDT is composed of two layers. The inner layers of the cradles are made of soft "fingers" that flex to absorb large shocks and jolts from the road. The second, upper layer is composed of thermoplastic elastomer (TPE), a gel-like substance that gently but firmly cups your bike frame and enables the cradles to both absorb road shock and reduce vibration for a smoother ride. The cradles also include No-Sway Cages that provide a third contact point for the bike, preventing sway and bike-to-bike contact. The cages also have TPE bumpers that protect your bike frames from scratches.
The arching dual arms of the rack stagger the Hold Fast cradles so that the bikes hang at varying heights. This is just one of the ways that the Apex Swing prevents pedals and handlebars from hitting each other when you are loading your bikes and during transport. In addition to allowing different bike heights, the rack arms on the Apex are longer, adding more space between the cradles than standard dual-arm racks to protect your bikes even better. The arching arms, just like standard dual-arm racks, give great bike support, and it's less likely that you will need a bike adapter bar. However, adapter bars might be needed for smaller, alternative and women's frame bikes.
The upright bar - or mast - of the rack is taller than standard hitch-mounted racks and is arced slightly to offer your bikes greater clearance from both the ground and the back of your vehicle. A built-in handle in the mast also makes it easy to transport the rack to and from your vehicle and to install it in your hitch receiver.
The Apex Swing includes an ergonomic quick-release lever (HitchSwitch). This lever enables you to fold down the arms for storage. Also, the lever audibly clicks to reassure you that the arms are locked in place.
For security, the Apex Swing offers a built-in cable lock along with the locking mechanism on the hitch connection. The cable secures to the end of one arm, locking all your bikes to the rack, and it stores inside the mast when not in use. Both locks use Thule's One Key System lock cores that make it easy to key all your Thule locks alike.
Video of Thule Apex Swing 4 Bike Carrier for 2" Hitches - Swinging
Videos are provided as a guide only. Refer to manufacturer
installation instructions and specs for complete information.
Today, well cover a few bullet points on our Thule Apex Swing 4 Bike Carrier part number TH9027. This premium hitch-mounted rack with swing away design carries up to four bikes. Its hinged arm in base allows rack to swing away from the rear of your vehicle which will permit complete access to your rear cargo area. This will work with a full load of bikes on the rack - no need to unload bikes to get to your stowed cargo out. Easy mount system with integrated locking hitch pin and tool-free anti-rattle device enables quick and easy installation-no need for tools or pin and clip. The dual arching arm design allows fast and easy bike loading.
These arching arms provide more space between bikes than standard dual-arm racks. Also, the cradles are attached at varying heights along the arc allowing handle bars and pedals to hang at different heights reducing scratches and dings when youre loading your bikes. Hold fast cradles offer road-dampening technology and detachable anti-sway arms. The tall, arching, upright mast improves both ground clearance and clearance from the rear of your view vehicle. The ergonomic quick-release lever enables you to hold down the dual arms for convenient storage.
The integrated cable built into the mast allows you to lock your bikes to the rack, it has attracted two-tone design with molded black covers and a premium silver finish and that will complete our preview of part number TH9027, the Thule Apex Swing 4 Bike Carrier.
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Replacement parts available for this product
Average Customer Rating: 4.6 out of 5 stars (11 Customer Reviews)
by: Y Mireles03/19/2013
Is this review helpful?
This rack is a little on the expensive side but is totally worth it, you can get a more stripped down model but if you start adding the "extras" like locks and such you will end up with almost the same cost. We love it! great looks and very sturdy it holds the bikes very well. It can be mounted on and off with minimal effort, and the swing option is a blessing (we have a 1 year old child and we need access to the back of the vehicle all the time for stroller and other stuff). It fitted perfectly on my 2010 Murano using the hidden hitch we got from etrailer.com (of course). The only issue I have is that I was expecting the integrated hitch pin to lock in the closed position when the EasyMount system is secured (it does not). I highly recommend the Apex Swing, great product and great service from etrailer.com THANKS71585
by: Brett M.08/26/2012
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This is my second purchase from etrailer.com. I am completely satisfied with my entire shopping experience on the website, including the following; the quick shipment after placing the order, the online instructions and videos explaining how to install the items I have purchased, the prices were very competitive, and the website design is simple and easy to follow. The Thule Apex Swing 4 Bike Carrier for 2" Hitches - Swinging - TH9027 is an overall impressive product full of useful features. However, I must agree with some of the other reviews. It will be a little hard to fit 4 bikes on here. The bikes nest together very closely and a little close for my comfort as we have carbon fiber road bikes. I don’t want any abrasion or dings on my frames from an adjacent bike. I haven’t tried, but it appears I may be able to adjust the bike mounts on the tubes forward and backward to find a better fit between bikes. Overall the rack works well and seems like a very well thought out design. I own other Thule products and functionality is where they excel.53111
by: Jim's Handyman Services08/17/2012
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The Thule TH9027 is the best yet! Very well constructed and well thought out, this unit not a lightweight, and has the high marks of a quality Thule carrier. I appreciate that very much for my clients; thanks Thule! It nice to know that it is versatile to be able to fit in either size box hitch, and fits like a glove in the 2" box with the supplied adapter. An improvement might be to add a lock for the T-handle release at the swing out hinge. 5 stars!52147
by: Chris M08/08/2012
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I got my bike rack today and it was very easy to assemble and mount to the car. It is a bit heavy to put in and out, but that just makes it more sturdy when the bikes are loaded. It gives a very secure feeling that the bikes are safe.51024
by: Kristina L.07/01/2012
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The products were shipped out immediately and came quicker than expected. The Thule Apex Swing 4 Bike Carrier is a great bike rack! We did have to purchase a hitch extender for our 2012 Jeep Wrangler due to the location of the release pin on the bike rack. The placement of the release pin did not allow enough room between the spare tire to get your hand in to release the swing out feature.46390
Was it a Rubicon? What size extension?
comment by: Brett B. - 10/3/2012
We've notified Kristina that you have questions regarding her review. We've seen this rack work just fine on a 2012 Wrangler Unlimited with the stock spare. Often times, aftermarket wheels and tires are the culprit of fit issues on Wranglers. The video above shows the rack working on a stock 2012 Unlimited.
Patrick B - 10/3/2012 by: irfan04/04/2012
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assembly instructions could be little b etter36187
by: E J K11/30/2012
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Received in excellent condition. 60330
by: JANET08/19/2012
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LOVE, LOVE OUR NEW BIKE RACK. MY FRIENDS WILL NOW BE ORDERING THIS ONE BY CHRISTMAS.!! THEY HAVE A THULE BUT AFTER SEEING MINE WANT TO UPGRADE TO THIS ONE. MY HUSBAND THOUGHT IT WOULD NOT LOOK GOOD ON OUR LEXIS RX330 BUT NOW IS RAVING ABOUT THE LOOK AND THE PREFORMANCE OF IT. I LOVE THAT IT SWINGS AWAY TO ALLOW ENTRY INTO THE REAR OF THE SUV. 52265
by: Jason06/24/2012
Is this review helpful?
I found the Thule Apex Swingaway very easy to assemble and attach to my 2001 Honda Odyssey. The included instructions were simple to follow and etrailer has a video. I ordered my hitch from etrailer for my van and I had plenty of clearance for this bike rack. If you have any concerns about clearance on your vehicle, follow the etrailer recommendation for measuring your vehicle clearance. The Swingaway is a little heavy and my wife will not be able to lift and attach it. WORD OF WARNING: The anti-sway bar, which attaches below scratched my bike up slightly, which will require my having to get some touch up paint/nail polish. Lesson learned: I now place a thin cloth rag around my frame, where the anti-sway bar rests so my bike will not get scratched. If you want to lower the risk of scratching up your bike go with a roof mount (w/ roof mounts a rock can get kicked up from a car in front of you and nail your bike, but the roof system won't harm it). I got this hitch for my van as going with a roof mount on my van is a bit too high to reach up for me. Aside from the scratch-factor, I am very pleased with this bike rack. It is very stable and operates flawlessly. Having no pin to wrench on and off, and being able to quickly attach this rack was a real plus. The swing away feature allows us to access our rear cargo on trips. I only gave the Thule Apex Swingaway a 4-star rating because my bike was scratched by the anti-sway cradle.45415
by: Jaysun C03/12/2012
Is this review helpful?
Easy to assemble, very sturdy. May be too heavy/bulky for smaller people to install without a second person.33707
by: LJS01/24/2012
Is this review helpful?
I'd always wanted a nice bike rack, so I decided to get a Thule to go with my new mountain bike. My Suburban barely fits in the garage, so I wanted a rack that was easy to get on and off. Getting to the luggage in the back was also important to me. So I felt the swing away Thule Apex 9027 with no tools attachment was the way to go. The experience didn't start off so well as the product was backordered and delivery dates were changed a couple times. In the end though, it ended up arriving a couple weeks before I expected it. Then I found that it had been packaged without instructions. But with the Internet, I was able to find the instructions online. Assembly was fairly straightforward and took only 30 minutes. My biggest disappointment came when I put the rack on my truck. It mounted easily, but would not tighten up. There was considerable sway. I immediately regretted not getting the 9031 which would tighten with a wrench. I was looking for a way to get more torque on the receiver clamp knob, and found a pair of leather work gloves in my truck. Once I put on the gloves, I was able to get another turn and half on the knob so that it was fully tightened. This eliminated most of the sway so that I am now satisfied. Overall, the materials are of the highest quality and the aesthetics are impressive. The only downsides are that there is still a slight amount of sway and the pins rattle a bit. But there is not another bike rack on the market that I would rather have than this one. Because I expect to mount and dismount the carrier over 50 times this summer, I think that the no tools attachment feature is worth the extra $100 and worth tolerating a little sway. Overall, I'd give the Thule 4 stars, but I'll give etrailer.com 5 stars. Their customer service was really outstanding throughout the backorder and the shipping delays.30281
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