Question Was Asked By - Marc M

Can a Hitch Extender be Used with a Bike Rack

Question:

Hi, Can I use this 6 long 1.25 hitch extender with an Hidden Hitch #60852 hitch to support my bike rack? Even though the hitch is right one for the car Volvo V50 2005 and professionally installed by the Toronto Rack Attack, it is recessed behind the bumper and the rack does not fold up or down properly. This extender would fix the problem but I dont want to create other problems with exceeding load limits or voiding the hitch or bike rack warranty. Thanks for your help,

asked by: Marc M

Expert Reply:

The limiting factor is the capacity of your hitch. Using a 1-1/4 inch extender will reduce your hitch overall capacity by half. Your hitch has a 200 pound maximum tongue weight, so by using the extender you will be limiting your capacity to 100 pounds.

Tongue weight is the weight of the bike rack, the extender (if used), and any load in the vehicle behind the rear axle, plus the bikes on the rack. You can see that, when using an extender, you will be significantly limited to the amount of weight on the bike rack.

Your best bet may be to measure from the center of your hitch pin hole to the farthest back part of your vehicle and use this measurement to select a bike rack with clearance to the back of the upright of at least this amount. Our bike racks all have this measurement included in the description and I have posted links to some bike racks that may work.

Remember your hitch is a class one hitch, so class two racks will not fit in the hitch. Let me know if I can be of further assistance.

expert reply by: Bob G

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