Thule and Yakima Swinging Hitch Bike Rack Comparison, Which is Best

Question:

Hi there, My wife is traveling to Yellowstone with kids, long trip from Wisconsin. I am looking for a good 4 bike rack that swings out of the back of the car to allow her access to the luggage in the evening. She has a Suburban 2013. I was looking at the Yakima FullSwing Y02465 and the Yakima SwingDaddy Y02464. I am still trying to understand what the difference between the two is. Could you help me out by describing the difference? Is there one that you would choose over the other? What about the Thule Apex 4 Switch Hitch Bike Rack. Is it also comparable? Thanks,

asked by: Martin

Expert Reply:

The Yakima FullSwing 4 Bike Rack # Y02465 is basically the fully upgraded version of the Yakima Swingdaddy # Y02464 that you also referenced. It features a nicer frame cradle system that is much easier to adjust and load/unload bikes on as well as locks that lock the bikes to the rack and the rack to the hitch. On such a long road trip where the bikes would be loaded for such a long time it would be worth the peace of mind for me to know the bikes were locked to the rack as well.

The Thule Apex Swing # TH9027 is basically the Thule version of the same rack. Fully loaded with features with the biggest difference being that it has arced arms that help with bike loading since it puts the bikes at different heights. I am not a huge fan of the anti-rattle device of this rack so I would recommend the Thule Vertex Swing part # TH9031XT and lock part # THSTL2 as it uses a traditional threaded hitch pin locking setup. The Vertex is basically the stripped down version of the Apex yet still has all of the important features. And when you add the lock to the rack you end up with a better rack overall in my opinion.

Of all the bike racks mentioned I like the Vertex (with extra lock that mentioned), the best. I really like the arced arms and the fact that its about 10-15 lbs lighter than the Yakima racks. It is the rack I recommend the most. However, I did attach review videos for all of the bikes I mentioned.

expert reply by: Jameson C