Thule Hitch Bike Racks - TH9030
This sleek, stylish hitch rack lets you carry bikes on dual arced arms that provide optimum bike spacing and let you mount bikes at different heights. The bike rack also has cushioned anti-sway cradles and a tilting mast for rear cargo area access.
Features:
- Hitch-mounted rack carries up to 5 bicycles
- Dual arching arm design allows fast and easy bike loading
- Provides more space between bikes than standard dual-arm racks
- Cradles are attached at varying heights along the arc, allowing handlebars and pedals to hang at different heights
- Reduces scratches and dings when you are loading bikes
- Hold Fast cradles with advanced grooves and detachable anti-sway arms (No-Sway Cages)
- Gently cushion frames and accommodate cables for proper bike hold
- Hold bike frames at 3 points to prevent sway and bike-to-bike contact
- Heavy-duty, reinforced straps maximize cradle hold strength
- Tall, arching, upright mast improves both ground clearance and clearance from the rear of your vehicle
- Ergonomic quick-release levers (HitchSwitches) enable you to fold down the rack in 2 places
- Dual arms conveniently fold down for storage
- Rack body tilts forward to allow easy access to your vehicle's rear cargo area
- Audible click lets you know that the arms and mast are locked in position
- Built-in anti-rattle device reduces vibration and noise of the bike carrier in the hitch
- Snug-Tite hitch lock (THSTL2; sold separately) secures carrier to hitch
- Built-in handle makes it easy to carry, install and remove the carrier
- Premium steel construction with black finish and molded covers
- Made in USA
Specs:
- Carrying capacity: 5 bikes
- Weight capacity: 150 lbs
- Application: 2" x 2" trailer hitch receivers
- Distance between rack arms (outside to outside): 12-3/8"
- Distance from center of hitch pin hole to upright bar of the carrier: 12"
- Distance from center of hitch pin hole to closest edge of pivot assembly: 6-1/4"
- Length of rack arms: 25"
- Cradle width: 1-3/4"
- Limited lifetime warranty
The sleek and stylish Thule Vertex has Hold Fast anti-sway cradles that grip your bike frame at three different points - twice along the top bar and once along a downward bar, such as a seat post. This third point of contact that is created with Thule's No-Sway Cage prevents not only sway, but also front-to-back movement and bike-to-bike contact. The cushioned cradles include reinforced rubber straps to secure the bikes in place. The cradles also include advanced grooves that accommodate bike cables.
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 Vertex 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 Vertex are longer, adding more space between the cradles than standard dual-arm racks to protect your bikes even better and to make it easier to get five bikes on the rack. 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 Vertex includes ergonomic levers (HitchSwitches) that enable you to fold the rack in two places. The rack body tilts forward to allow easy access to your vehicle's rear cargo area, and the arms can be folded down for storage. Also, the handles audibly click to reassure you that the arms and mast are locked in place.
The Vertex comes with an anti-rattle device incorporated into the shank to reduce vibration and noise in the hitch for a smooth, quiet ride - simply tighten the hitch bolt with a wrench.
A Snug-Tite hitch lock (THSTL2; sold separately) is available for locking the rack to your hitch. And you can lock your bikes to the rack using Thule's locking cable with a One Key System core so it can be keyed to match your hitch lock.
9030 Thule Vertex 5 Bike Carrier for 2" Hitches - Tilting
Replaces TH915XT
Video of Thule Vertex 5 Bike Carrier for 2" Hitches - Tilting
Videos are provided as a guide only. Refer to manufacturer
installation instructions and specs for complete information.
Video Transcript for Thule Vertex 5 Hitch Bike Rack Review
review--vertex5-th9030 Today were going to review a part number TH9030 from Thule. This is our vertex 5 hanging hitch bike rack. The bike rack holds five bikes, the hitch switch allows the arms fold down when now in use and also allows the carrier to tilt down out of way for rear vehicle access. The hold fast cradles cushion the bike and provide maximum bike security and all the cradles do come with the no sway cages to prevent bike to bike contact. And also the top of the bike rack has a built in carrying handle as well.And the bike rack also comes with the tools, the symbol and attach the bike rack to the hitch. And this bicycle rack is designed for 2 inch receiver hitches only.
Lets go ahead and take our bicycle rack and install in our hitch. Well line up the holes with he bicycle rack and the hitch and well install the anti rattle bolt. Now the bicycle rack does come with a tool to tighten it down, however in certain applications, probably a inch wrench would work better.Now we go ahead and show you how the hitch switch works, that allows you to tilt the bicycle rack back and out of the way so you have access to the back of the vehicle. Lets use the hitch switch on top and unfold the arms. One unique design above this bicycle rack, is that it has an arch thats built into the post, that gives you a little more extra room between the vehicle and the bikes and also the arch on the arms as well gives you a little more room to load the bikes up as well.
Now well go ahead and cover the cradles in a little more detail. The cradles have a strap that can go on both sides of the cradle depending on your bike and the cradle also has grooves inside to allow room for your cables on your bike and each pair comes with one anti sway cage and a strap as well to hold it in place. The cradles can also be rotated left to right and front to rear. Ok at this point, lets go ahead and let up a bike and show you how it looks. Now in this demonstration were actually going to use the cradles on the very end for clarity, however when you load up one or two bikes, you always want to load up the bikes closest to the post and then work your way out and you can also see how the cables fit inside the grooves of the cradles.
In just those few steps the bicycle is loaded up and ready to go. What we will do next is go ahead and take a bicycle rack out for a road test, its good to bike up towards the post and well also install a safety strap. And with that will finish it for our review of part number TH9030 from Thule, the vertex 5.
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Ask the Experts about this Thule Hitch Bike Racks
Do you have a question about this Hitch Bike Racks?
- Thule Vertex 5 Bike Rack will Work with a 2004 Honda Pilot with 2 Receiver Opening
- As long as your Pilot has a 2 inch trailer hitch, yes, the Thule Vertex 5 Bike Hitch Mounted Folding Rack, item # TH9030, will work with your vehicle. We have a video review of this rack in use on a Nissan Pathfinder that you might find helpful, see link.
The following link will take you to the trailer hitches for the 2004 Pilot.
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- Bike Rack Recommendation for Carrying 5 Bikes on a 2010 Honda Odyssey
- Since you have childrens bikes, which have smaller frames, I would recommend a single arm bike rack that will fit your bike frames easier than a dual arm bike. This hitch will work on a Class III hitch that has a 2 inch opening.
I would recommend you get a Swagman Hitch Bike Rack # S64970. This single arm rack should work well for carrying your childrens bikes. I attached installation instructions for this product for you to check out also.
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- Comparing the Thule Vertex 5 and Hitching Post 4 Bike Trailer Hitch Mount Bike Racks
- On the Thule Vertex, # TH9030, the first benefit is that the two arms are arced which allows for the best in spacing the bikes and allows you to mount the bikes at different heights. The # TH934XTR has straight arms so the you will not have as much mounting freedom.
The main obvious difference is the amount of bikes they can carry. The Vertex can carry 5 bikes and the Hitching Post can only carry 4 bikes.
The cradles on the Vertex are the newest type offered by Thule. They include cushion
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- Kuat Beta Bike Rack Recommendation for Transporting Beach Cruisers on a 2010 VW Tiguan
- Since you said that you will be transporting 2 bikes most of the time and since weight and storage size is a concern for you I would recommend you get the Kuat Beta Rack # B202-2 that you referenced. This bike is one of the lightest bike racks we offer and since it is a 2 bike rack it would take much less room than the other bike racks you referenced. This rack should install and perform very well on your 2010 Volkswagen Tiguan with either the # 87810 or # 75152 hitches.
To adapt to the somet
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- Bike Rack Recommendations for Carrying 5 Bikes with a 2011 Mazda CX-9
- We typically recommend against using a bike adapter for a 1-1/4 inch to allow it to carry a bike rack designed for hitches with 2 inch openings. The reason for this is that it will cut the capacity of the hitch in half and therefore make the bike rack capable of carrying even less weight. This would be counter-productive as it would most likely damage your hitch. You would be better off using a Class II bike rack to transport 4 bikes and then if you need to transport a fifth bike to put a roof m
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- Will the Thule Vertex 5 Trailer Hitch Mount Bike Rack Fit a 2009 Mazda CX-9
- In order to determine if the Thule Vertex 5, # TH9030, will fit your 2009 Mazda CX-9, you will need to take some measurements. On the hitch, measure from the center of the hitch pin hole out to the distance required to clear the rear of the vehicle. On the Vertex, the distance from the center of the hitch pin hole to the back of the hub (where the rack tilts, is 6-1/4 inches.
From the hitch pin hole to the back of the rack where the arms are it is 8-1/2 inches. If there would be interference
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- Can the Thule Vertex 5 Be Used on a 2011 Ford Explorer and a 2002 Chevy Trailblazer
- As long as you have a hitch with a 2 inch opening on both your 2011 Ford Explorer and your 2002 Chevy Trailblazer the Thule Vertex 5 Bike Carrier # TH9030 that you referenced should work very well for you. To be sure you could measure the distance from the center of the hitch pin on the hitches of both vehicles out to the furthest point out on the rear of your vehicle. This rack measures 6-1/4 inches from the center of the hitch pin hole out to the nearest portion of the rack. And then 8-1/2 inc
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- Trailer Hitch Mounted 5 Bike Rack Recommendation that Can Hold 2 Childrens Bikes and Adult Bikes
- The weight capacity on the Thule Vertex 5, # TH9030, is 150 pounds. That would be 30 pounds per bike. The average adult bike weighs about 30 pounds. Provided that the combined weight of all 5 bikes does not exceed this 150 pound limit the rack can handle the weight. The Vertex and Apex, # TH9026, have the highest capacity of any of the 5 bike models we carry, see link.
Regarding the childrens bikes, measure the length of the top frame tubes. If they are greater than 12-3/8 inches, they should
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- Thule 5 Bike Vertex Bike Rack Recommendation for Carrying 3 Adult and 2 Children Bikes
- The Thule Vertex 5 Bike Rack # TH9030 that you referenced would make an excellent choice for you to carry your 5 bikes. This rack has arcing arms that allow for faster and easier loading, more space between the bikes and puts them at different heights allowing the pedals and handlebars to be at different heights which will reduce contact between the bikes. I attached a review video for this product for you to check out.
For childrens bikes we recommend you use a Thule Bike Adapter Bar # TH982
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- What is the Difference Between a Thule Apex 5 and Vertex 5 for a Infiniti
- The main differences between the Vertex, # TH9030, and the Apex, # TH9026, are the type of cradles each has, the cable lock on the Apex, and the anti-rattle function on the Apex.
The Apex features Hold Fast cradles which offer road-dampening technology (RDT) and detachable anti-sway arms. The RDT technology provides 2 Layers of cushioning to absorb road shock and minimize vibration. The upper layer is composed of thermoplastic elastomer (TPE), a gel-like substance that gently but firmly cups
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- How to Reduce a Bouncing Bike Rack Installed on a 2004 Nissan Quest
- Having a bike rack, loaded or unloaded, bounce some is common but there are measures you can take to reduce the movement of the rack. The issue is that the shank on a bike rack has to be slightly smaller than the receiver opening for it to fit correctly so there will always be some play.
Some racks come with an anti-rattle device that usually takes the form of a threaded bolt uses to pull the shank of the bike rack tight to the side of the receiver to reduce or eliminate the movement in the h
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- Using Thule # TH538XT Cable Lock with Thule Vertex Bike Rack
- The Thule Vertex does not feature an eye ring to run a cable lock like part # TH538XT through. In all but extreme cases, securing all four bikes together and making a wrap or two around the mast of the carrier would offer sufficient deterrence against theft.
Keep in mind that the purpose of a lock is to keep honest folks honest. A determined thief will get what they want despite any precautions taken. The idea is to make the crook move on to easier pickings.
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- 5-Bike Trailer Hitch Mount Bike Rack for a 2012 Honda Odyssey
- For real. On any bike rack, you will have to adjust the pedals or make other adjustments when loading the bikes, and the Vertex 5 # TH9030 is no exception, when mounting them. But once they are mounted and the anti-sway cradles are in place, the bikes will not rock into each other and get tangled up.
Also keep in mind that if any of the bikes have an alternative shaped frame (not round), or do not have a top frame tube that goes straight across, you will need an adapter bar, # TH982XT, in or
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