# 1
Yakima EXO Swing Away 2 Bike Rack w/ Enclosed Cargo Carrier - 2" Hitches
Easy to install very strong and high quality. Kate at etrailer said I would find it fantastic. And she was right.
Installed on 2017 Transit 350HD. First order on etrailer and the experience was great; really fast shipping and great communication. I was surprised to see it picked and shipped so quick so late in the day, especially for how big this is. It comes in 4 boxes; one giant one and 3 moderately huge ones. The Yakima EXO system is top notch, great construction. Excellent fit and finish, and pretty easy to assemble. Read the instructions and follow each step and you'll have no issues. I have a bad back and was able to assemble myself, the heaviest part is the swing away hitch - if you can lift about 40-50 pounds it is going to be easy to assemble without any help. I went slow and it only took me about 30-45 minutes. Tips - the bike rack portion it's not super clear that the rails should not be tight when you put the upper bike rack on. Just set everything in place and it will make getting the bolts through easier. Pros - it's as advertised. Super sturdy, no shaking/rocking, easy to use. The people who designed this system should be high fiving themselves, it's great. Cons - none really other than one minor customer experience gripe - you're given enough lock centers to re-key multiple Yakima EXO accessories, I think 4 are included...but it does not come with a master key for removing the lock center. You'll need to buy this separately or do like I did and make your own. Considering they put the effort into including replacement lock centers and give you every tool you'd need, it's a weird oversight. That being said once you replace the lock center on the cargo carrier you only need 1 key for all of the locks on the system which is awesome. Ford Transit specific issue I ran into: When the swing away is open there is a safety latch that holds it open so it will not fall closed on you. This gets in the way of the passenger door opening. But if you remove this (at your risk) you can open the passenger door fully and if you rotate the upper shelf you can even open the door entirely against the side of the van. Also it will 100% block your camera and license plate if it's door mounted. Absolutely stoked on this system. The cargo box is awesome with internal tie downs and taking it apart to store it in the garage only takes a minute or two. I love how easy the cargo box indexes in place. Every aspect of it has been super satisfying to play with.
# 2
Yakima HangOver Bike Rack for 6 Mountain Bikes - 2" Hitches - Tilting
The Yakima Hangover 6 made it about 2 months before a rubber strap broke that holds the bike from flying off the rack. I discovered the tear after a 250 mile trip and was thankful I didn't lose a bike. I inspected the other 5 and contacted Yakima. The wait time for my warranty issue to be addressed was ridiculous. I ordered a new strap from etrailer as my hopes for Yakima to come through were not high. 6 months later, Yakima responded to my claim and did sent 6 complete strap assemblies. However, the assembly included bolts that were too small? So to utilize a new rubber strap, I have to disassemble both assemblies and reassemble. The rack does the job. I use a device to stop it from swaying on the hitch as much as it does. There are better designs out there and sort of wish I spent some more money for a better design.
I would strongly recommend NOT dealing with this company. My bike rack arrived very late and after delivery I realized it was not compatible with my bikes. I was looking for a six bike rack that could hold my family's bikes (2 adult + 4 small children's bikes) and this rack is very specific for ADULT MOUNTAIN BIKES ONLY. I did not realize this and called the customer service to initiate a return after having a hitch put onto my car. I was told I could not return. I was out over $1k and ended up giving this rack away on my local free cycle as it was NO value to me and took up space in my garage. I am not a bike expert just a mom with 4 small kiddos looking for ways to enable them to play outdoors, I would have appreciated a better product explanation up front so I understood this would not be a fit for my needs. I would have benefitted from better customer service. Suggest passing on this product/company.
# 3
Yakima HangOver Bike Rack for 4 Mountain Bikes - 2" Hitches - Tilting
The rack is almost great, but there are some silly issues that I didn't expect for the price point. The rubber straps that hold your fork securely to the mounts were complete trash. It was difficult to secure them and get them out of the way for loading, and after a single road trip two had split open. I ended up buying some cheap generic bike rack straps and those have worked fine, but I should not have had to. I highly recommend putting a tie-down strap (included by e-trailer) from the rack handle to your roof rack to take up any slack in the system. I would also recommend securing your front wheels with a bungie or similar for longer trips. The wheels spin in the wind and cause the bikes to want to shift, due to physics that I have no business explaining. Also, as mentioned by e-trailer, this is not a convenient system for short people, my wife at 5'4" is NOT a fan, so I'm usually on load/unload duty.
Our first time using it was on a 1500 mile trip. Had to stop 7 times in the first hour because one of the bikes kept falling off the bracket. Followed instructions to the T. Total nightmare until we improvised the placement on the bracket and strapped it to the bracket, itself. After that, no issues.
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."