Best 1999 Ford Van Bike Racks

We really think the bike rack is a big improvement over our previous one since you don’t have to lift the bikes so high. My only complaint is how much wiggle room the rack has inside the hitch receiver on the car

After assembly and fitting to my Jeep Grand Cherokee with 2" receiver hitch, the fit is tight via the bolt adjustment in horizontal plane, and very sloppy vertically. It wobbles in the vertical plane very badly, and will have to be modified before use. I was really hoping this bike rack would work like the video, but sadly, this is not the case. Once I figure out how to eliminate the slop in vertical plane, I will give it a try. The same thing applies to the fit in my Mercedes Sprinter based 24 ft RV-very disappointing!

it works well...thanks..... bit heavy though.

It fits my minivan well (after have an aftermarket hitch installed) and permits us to put all camping gear for our family of 4 and bikes (& 4 people) in one vehicle. That is awesome! It does NOT permit easy access to the "trunk" which is the reason we paid more for this model. In retrospect, I would save money and get the model without rear access as we don't have it now.

Nice & Sturdy, we love it

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My requirements for a new bike rack were for a platform style rack that clamped on the tires (not the frame), expandable from 2 to 4 bikes, and relatively light. I started with the Kuat Sherpa 2.0 that my buddy just bought. A very nice deluxe 2 bike rack which is fairly light at 32 pounds due to extensive use of aluminum. Unfortunately, Kuat doesn't make the Sherpa in a 4 bike version, instead requiring an NV 2.0 4 bike rack. Also a very nice rack, but heavier at 82 pounds and above my affordability at over $1,000. The Yakima Hold-up 4 and the Thule T2 4 were more affordable in the mid $700s, but both too heavy with the Thule being 85 pounds and the Yakima a whopping 104 pounds. Not sure how you could even lift that to get it aligned with the receiver hitch. While poking around the etrailer site, I stumbled upon the Malone Pilot 4 which I purchased. The Malone also utilizes a lot of aluminum and plastic to keep the weight down and weighs the same as the more expensive Kuat Sherpa 2.0 in 2 bike format. It is expandable to 4 bikes and weighs 52 pounds in this configuration, the lightest platform tire-clamp rack I could find. And a real bargain. This rack requires quite a bit of assembly and took me a couple hours to assemble it for all 4 bikes. Assembly was straightforward with only one tricky part getting some screws aligned to attached the cross members to the central spine. So, how does it work? As advertised. A really nice rack for the money. I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 because it is lacking some of the niceties of the more expensive (and heavy) racks. First, you can't have a bike sitting in the tire cradles when adjusting the width for your bike because the set screw that has to be loosened is in the bottom of the cradle. More expensive bikes utilize a knob or lever on the side or bottom of the cradle for adjustment. This isn't problem if you use the same bikes all the time except for the initial adjustment. For me, I switch between a mountain bike and road bike, so I simply marked the location of the cradles with a sharpie on the aluminum cross bars for each bike making it easy to adjust before loading the bike. The arms that pivot up with the tire clamps are just held in place with friction. My buddy's Kuat has a ratcheting action that holds them in place. I fixed this by tightening the bolts at the bottom of the arms so they would stay in place when I positioned them out of the way for loading the bikes. Also, the clamps that slide down on top of the tire to hold the bike in place has an awkward ratcheting system. Flip a lever and the clamps slide up and down the arm at will. Flip the lever the other way and they ratchet down. Problem is, when you release the ratchet, they just slide all the way to the bottom of the arm. Again, comparing with the 2 bike Kuat, their tire clamps stay in place and are released by a button on top. Last thing, to release the rack to fold up, you pull a pin. More expensive racks have a release lever that holds the rack securely. There's some vertical play in the Malone at the release pin, but not really a problem when it's weighted down with bikes. Sounds like a lot of things wrong. But really it's a very nice bike rack. I couldn't find anything on the market in this configuration that is lighter, and again a real bargain price. Plus, it looks cool with the curved aluminum cross bars. I would strongly recommend this bike rack if it's shortcomings aren't showstoppers for you.

Great product and works as intended.

This product has stood up very, very well. It is difficult to get four bikes on any rack but we have managed to do it a few times with wiggling here and there. I should note these are all adult-sized bikes, too, not little kid bikes. We have driven from SE Michigan to Madeline Island in Wisconsin and back with this hitch and had no problems whatsoever. That was a 12-hour trip each way. We also drove across the state of MI to the Muskegon area recently with all four bikes on the rack. Before any big trip, we check to make sure nothing is loose. So far, it has worked out really well for us. The best way to get them on is to kind of tilt them and wobble them back and forth, slowly rotating the frames back onto the rack. We are very happy with the product. It's true we cannot open the back of our RAV4 with the rack up but we've discovered it's not such a big deal to lower part of the rack (with built-in pin) if we really need to access the back of the car. We do take the rack off during winter as there doesn't seem much point in having it on during that season.

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Bike rack is well constructed and strong. Just what I need to attach to my tow-behind camper- don't want to lose bikes and rack on my way to somewhere. It is NOT light but this is a tradeoff...strong & secure or light & risky.

Installed on my 5th wheel camper. Assembly took about 10 minutes. I purchased the Yakima adapter bars for my bikes b/c none have the straight bar that makes for easy mounting of the bikes. I liked that the 4 bikes went on rather easily with some minor adjustments of the seats and extra baskets on the kids bikes. I recommend this bike rack and the purchase of the adapter bars for easy placement of the bikes. I recommend this for the rear of the camper. Very sturdy rack! Received my product on time. I originally ordered the newer Yakima rack but it was unavailable for several weeks. Sierra called me the next day to tell me the delay of the product I originally ordered and offered some other options. Glad she did this or I would have been upset when I didn't get the bike rack in time to go on a camping trip that we had planned. Thanks for reaching out to me and letting me know rather than me finding out later that I wouldn't get my order in time!

I really like this bike rack. It was easy to assemble out of the box and didn't take too much time to put together. it's my first platform bike rack, and it is super easy to load my mountain bike on it. The ability of this rack to swing out to the right allows me access to my trunk. I have an SUV whose rear trunk door opens from left to right and most bike racks don't allow me access to my trunk because of how my door opens. The rack is very sturdy, and is easy to use. It comes with a cable lock that isn't the greatest so you will have to use an additional lock or cable for better security. If you have a rear door that opens left to right and you have a need to access your trunk, this is the right product for you. I am very happy with it.

I am a 65 years old and will say I was a little intimidated by the weight the box that the rack came in. It comes in parts to assemble so after opening the box I realize I could get this together. The instructions were clear but photos of the process would have been easier for me to follow. I have a truck with a tall camper shell that has a custom built insert in the bed for camping. I decided on this rack because it looked easy to load the bikes on and it will swing out of the way when I need to access the camper. It took me about 2 hours to assemble. It was not that it was a lot to assemble but the drawings took me time to understand. Got it put together and tested the movement range of the rack and it clears the back of my 2017 Tundra with 4" to spare. The bikes were easy to load and secure. I took it for a test ride and the bikes did not shift position. The rack flex slightly but overall it rode very smooth. This looks like a winner. During assembly I thought I have not gotten a couple of small screws that I needed but after opening all the nuts and bolts packages everything was there. The two photos I took may be helpful. I wish I had not been so focused and taken more while assembling the rack.

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We literally could not be happier with Etrailer! We placed an order at 6:30pm on a Wednesday and at 8:30pm the same evening we got an email saying “thank you! Ypur Order has been shipped” it was here on our porch on Friday. I couldn’t believe it. Unbelievable customer service, QUALITY (we love our hitch and bike rack!) and better prices than I’ve seen anywhere else.

We needed to move up from our Saris Bones 3 rack now that our youngest is on a big girl bike. We initially went for a budget platform rack which was (not surprisingly) subjected to a recall. After an incredible amount of research, I opted for the Kuat NV 2.0 Base. I took advantage of the etrailer price pledge program and was very satisfied with the etrailer staff who were very easy to deal with both on the phone and online. Following my order, etrailer inadvertently sent me the incorrect base model. The sent me the 1.25 inch instead of 2.0 inch model and as the shipping label covered the hitch size I only discovered this after opening and unpacking it (thereby having to repack and re-ship it). This inconvenience notwithstanding, etrailer was very apologetic, paid for the return shipping and sent out the correct 2.0 inch model. Unpacking and assembly was easy (the second time...and I learned the valuable lesson of taking photos of the unpacking in the event you need to repack it). You certainly get what you pay for with Kuat! The fit and finish are first rate and the rack's design, in my opinion, makes it the most intuitive, cleanest and best looking rack out there. I was considering the RockyMounts Split Rail 2+2 (similar design and athletics and a bit lighter) but I am so glad I went with Kuat. I mounted it on my 06 Pilot today in less than 5 minutes with my wife's help (though it can be accomplished solo), locked the pin and tightened the anti-rattle mechanism for a rock solid mount. All bikes fit on it like a dream (my 29er, wife's mountain bike and 2 kids mountain bikes...have not tried by road bike yet but I don't anticipate any issues). Very impressed with the rack and my etrailer experience.

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Just what we needed to get the bike out of the van. It is super sold and easy to load and secure the bikes.

Great product! Fast delivery! Awesome website! Extremely happy customer.

Fast shipping and great communication throughout the order and delivery process. I can find things at etrailer at good prices that I cannot find locally at any price. This was the only rack I found that mounts such that it comes straight out of the receiver rather than out and up. Needed for the front of a van and the design allows the bikes to ride lower and more out of the line of sight than other racks.

I mount this to the rear bumper on our new 2020 Entegra Odyssey 26 foot class C RV that rides on a Ford E450 chassis. I gave this a 2 Star rating because even though it is a well built, sturdy 2 bike carrier it has two flaws and with minor changes it would be a 5 star rated. I'm going to keep and just modify it to work for us. The first issue. The bike closes to the rear wall of the RV handlebars are right up against the RV fiberglass wall with our Jamis road bikes when you use the supplied clamp using it as intended. The second issue is the two adjustable hold down clamps are not shaped right to securely hold the bikes down safely. I had to put them in my vice and reshepe them the old fashion way. With a small sledgehammer.

Easy to assemble, easy to load, works great.

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Good bike rack; especially for the price. The anti-rattle bolt mates with a nut that is welded inside the rack. On mine, the nut's threads were fouled, so initial install required excessive torque. But the bolt cut its way through, and is now successfully installed. Note: The nut for this anti-rattle mechanism prevents using a locking hitch pin. Note: You will see significantly decreased range with any rack installed unless you're driving very slowly. Even after considering these points, I would still recommend this product. And I would purchase the same one if I knew these things ahead of time. 5/5 stars

I had been waiting to buy a really nice bike rake - someone backed into my car though and damaged my old rack. I found this rack online. The reviews and info seemed very good, I liked the design. I was concerned that it might not be high quality - the price was excellent! It arrived super fast. At first I was fearful I had made a bad decision, assembly required. I could not have been more wrong. Assembly was a cinch (even for me). A tool was included so I didn’t have to scramble and find tools that fit. The rack looks great. I love how it folds up when not in use on the back of my car (I have a Prius with back up sensors and parking assist - which I couldn’t use because the old rack obscured the sensors). Customer service was above and beyond. It is so refreshing to find a great quality product at a reasonable price. I highly recommend this product!

Bike rack arrived with no packets of hardware!! Called e-trailer and an entire new package was sent. It arrived today and everything was there. The rack is on my car now. It took me a little longer than most people to assemble (judging from their reviews), but it was not difficult to do. Even though customer service could not just send hardware, everything worked out and the original box was returned via UPS. Customer service at e-trailer is first rate and I appreciate status updates and their helpfulness.

Installation pictures could have used words, but managed. The 8 mm bolts for attaching the platforms to the frame were binding, so I cleaned with a die and this made connection possible. Need to make a trip with bikes attached for further review.

Online vedios it looked wonderful, outstanding, the ultimate bike rack, with so many neat and wonderful features, fold down handle, no tool install, integrated locks, ect, ect, . In the flesh, its is all that.......EXCEPT IT MUST WEIGH 6000 lbs. !. Maybe King Kong could lift it and install it, but it going to take two people unless your Hercules. Great if you want to put on the vehicle and leave it on for years,......too heavy for pratcical on off from garage to vehicle.

Rack is stable but cotter pin to too weak, even thought the rack is bolted to hitch. The cotter pin should go through the bolt not around, just in case.Otherwise, great!

Pretty good product but if you have are women's bikes to haul just save yourself the trouble and get a rack that wheel fit them without a adapter that you have to purchase separately

Assembly (solo) was easy. Purchased this heavier duty model because I have two electric bikes as well as a mountain bike. Liked the idea of the attachable basket. Have not tried out on long haul but so far so good. Very secure and sturdy.

This is sturdy well designed bike rack, Cargo carrier combo! We used camping across the United States and it served us well. Our bikes were very secure and the cargo carrier gave us extra room for carrying firewood, coolers etc.

My only concern is that because we are going to use on our fifth wheel, it would be nice to be able to have choices on where you could put the connecting pin. It still appears to be far from the trailer. This is my second swagman, my other is over 20 years old and just broke on the way to our winter destination. I am wondering if I could have an additional hole drilled into the steel?

The bike rack is very substantial. I assembled it in less than 10 min. I took in on my first trip today loaded with 2 adult bikes and 1 children’s bike although I had to mount 1 of the bikes upside down they all stayed secure with no scratches. I am very pleased!

High quality product. Not many pieces to assemble but took longer than It should because instructions need much improvement and better pictures.

Solid! Excellent rack. No wobble!! A little tricky to put together. There are only 5 bolts but the parts are heavy and cumbersome.

Excellent product! Took it on a weekend tour about 3 hours away to bike and they were solid the entire time. The only thing that takes some time is trying to figure out how the bikes all go on. Once you figure that out, they go on and off very quickly. Well made, sturdy, love how the center arms fold down. It would be nice if someone, the company or consumer would post or put on youtube some bike scenarios so that you can have an idea before you start to try and figure out how 4 bikes will fit together. For example, on the lower racks you put smaller bikes and the end racks you put taller, or one tall one, one small one, and so on. Just a suggestion. It took me a while to figure out the best configuration.

It's a great product for the money! Shipped very promptly. Patience is the key when watching the shipping progress and a weekend ensues, but with free shipping, there is no room to complain! Assembly is pretty intuitive. A photo from your web site is a better guide than the figures on the instructions. I've already had four bikes, each with a different frame design, on it and they fit just fine on the rear of a 2013 Dodge Durango R/T. A bit of a close fit with the empty rack folded up but still clears the bumper fascia by 3/4". Just as functional to racks that are over twice as expensive. It's a keeper. I highly recommend it!

We have used our bike rack/hitch several times and it has performed well. Very stable on the road, and easy to get into the back of our Outback while it is installed. Assembly was easy and only found one thing the instructions that I had to clarify. I would recommend this product.

We pirchased this rack as my wife got an e-bike, which is heavier than a traditional bike. She loves the bike and her speed and distances have increased exponentially. The rack has done everything we wanted and loading and unloading her bike are easy for me.

Perfect for what I needed.

Had bought three of these a year ago and placed it on a cut 2" x 4" for three bikes. All three bikes (2 MTB and 1 Road) now easily fit the 5'7" bed of my Ram 1500. No worries with the quick release and no more stress taking the whole family to the trails. So glad I got these.

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Easy to assemble, excellent quality finish, easy to use.

Still performing excellently after 1 year.