# 1
Swagman XTC4 Bike Rack for 4 Bikes - 2" Hitches - Frame Mount
Overall this is a very sturdy bike rack. Made from thick steel so I don't see how it'll break anytime soon. One flaw is that the bike placers/clamps, one of them does not work like its extremely difficult to slide up and down but the other three work perfectly fine. Also, you might need like 2 people to set it up it's quite heavy.
After reading several reviews I went with the Swagman for my 2014 Ford Explorer. It worked best for my family, as we have varying sizes of bicycles. Being able to adjust the wheel holders is nice and keeps the bikes secure on the rack. Let me say this is one of the easiest racks to load. Although my kids bikes have the foot pegs on front and back wheels we were still able to load all 4 bikes (2 adults/2 kids) with not much trouble. We did have to put the kids bikes on the outmost mounts due to the foot pegs, but other than that it was no trouble. I have a family of 6 so, we still had to rent two beach bikes when we reached out destination. The bike shop owner commented on the rack and said it was the easiest he had seen to load and unload. Now this is a guy that rents more than 200 bikes out at a time, so he has probably seen his share of bike racks. Overall I would give this rack 5 stars for ease of loading and unloading. If getting in and out of the back of your SUV is must with bikes loaded then this is NOT the rack for you. However, once the bikes are unloaded it is easy to raise and lower the rack to get access to the back hatch. etrailer.com did a great job delivering the rack and answer my questions. I would give them 5 stars!!
What our customers are saying:
"Sent out an e-mail to you earlier this week asking which hitch woudld be the best choice for installing on a 2000 Venture van for hauling a bike rack with two bikes. You suggested the one that would be easiest to install..received in a matter of days..installation went great ..very well thought out instructions. Everything went smooothly and the hitch is up nice and snug..doesn't stick out..looks great."