# 1
Thule Hitching Post Pro Bike Rack for 4 Bikes - 1-1/4" and 2" Hitches
The good: I like the way the bikes are held in and the ability to add the upright adapters to the bike frame holders. The straps are quality too. For a jeep with a spare tire, this is the perfect length to clear it. This rack is 5 stars from the bike holders to the base of it. The bad: the 2"receiver adapter and bolt are insufficient. I wish they made this in a solid 2" hitch. The entire setup is held into the receiver by a very short bolt. It only goes about half way into the receiver tube. So your hitch is only "secured" on one side. A hitch pin or bolt should go through the receiver tube completely imo so it can be secured on the other end with a retaining clip or nut. Because this only goes in the one side, the entire weight of the rack plus bikes are held tight to one side of the receiver by the undersized bolt and washer. A few bumps down the road and that bolt loosens. Now instead of distibuting the weight of the rack and bikes on the receiver and post, it's completely up to the bolt to keep you from losing the rack. The bolt threads get damaged too. I took this down a dirt road and nearly lost everything. I had to buy my own bolt with hd fender washers and lock washers to correct this. Thule should've provided this from the start. The current short bolt design where only one side of the receiver secures the rack is unacceptable. This rack is 1 star at best for the connection to the receiver.
Hitch pin broke before I got it. Looks like a poor design for the locking pin, they might want to consider a different design. I got a 3/8 shear pin from Home Depot to replace and it works great. Bike rack is great!
# 2
Swagman XTC4 Bike Rack for 4 Bikes - 2" Hitches - Frame Mount
So far I’ve just assembled it and took a quick test drive around the block. My initial thought is this thing is perfect. It’s super sturdy and easy to use. My only gripe and it’s not fault of the rack, but it’s heavy…
If you've done any research or read any of the other comments on either this rack, or this seller...rest assured they really are as good as everyone says! I ordered my rack on around 4pm est on a Friday afternoon and within an hour I received an email that said they have shipped my product AND upgraded to priority shipping. Can't say enough positive things about the customer service! When the rack arrived, it took me a little over half an hour to get it set up. Probably would e been faster if I were even slightly mechanically inclined (or if didn't I didn't have to borrow a socket wrench from my neighbor). We finally had an opportunity to load up the bikes and head out for a ride today. As others have said, the first time you load up your bikes, it's kind of like a puzzle to get them situated. Took about 15 minutes. This rack is awesome! Very sturdy and the bikes were very secure. Only racks I have had in the past were rooftop fork mount racks. This is so much easier! On e we got to the trail (over an hour drive) getting the bikes off was a piece of cake. Afterwards, it was time to load them back up and it was less than 5 minutes to get them all on and ready to hit the road. There were other 4-bike racks on the website, but this one had enough great reviews that I felt comfortable making the purchase. After the fact, I'm very glad I did! I can't imagine the $800 rack can be that much better than this, and I highly recommend this for anyone looking for a 4-bike platform rack. I will definitely recommend this rack and etrailer.com to everyone I know.
# 3
Hollywood Racks Sport Rider SE Bike Rack for 4 Bikes - 2" Hitches - Frame Mount
Lets be honest, there are better looking racks. But I work at etrailer.com and can use pretty much any bike rack in the world. When it came time to go on an adventure race I chose this rack to get my teams bikes there. When we got home one of my team mates bought one because he was so impressed. When it came time to go on a 12 hour road trip with my family I chose the Hollywood. It is a star. Not a Marilyn Monroe, more of a Sylvester Stallone. The thing is solid and it works really well. It is heavy, but any 4 bike rack is going to be on the heavy side. The option to remove the 2 bike extension is nice because it makes the rack easier to handle when you only need 2 bikes. The antirattle knob snugs the rack up in the hitch super tight. Having the cable lock and hitch lock included and keyed the same makes it easy to lock the bikes up when you stop for dinner. The folding feature uses pins and clips instead of the switches found on some other racks. The pins and holes were a bit tough to get aligned at first. I had to ask my wife to lift up on the end of the rack just a hair to get the pin started. She got chain grease on her and I quickly learned that asking for her help was not a good solution to my pin alignment problem. So I grabbed my drill and a bit that was sized the same as the pin hole and cleaned out the holes. About one minute later the pin was sliding in and out perfectly and my wife will never get greasy again. In a nutshell this rack is not the lightest, not the easiest and not the prettiest, but I love it. It is easy enough to use that it is not a hassle, it locks to keep the bikes safe, is a great price for the features and it is solid, very solid. You can see in the pictures that I have used this rack extensively and it still is working great.
Great bike rack, significantly cheaper than other tray-style mounts. This rack does carry a kids 16" bike (must buy the adapter from e-trailer), which is one of the reasons why we went with the Hollywood Rack. For the adult bike, we used a foam noodle on the top post to prevent damage to the gear cables. There was some paint damage to the rack that I am assuming occurred during shipping that I'll need to touch up with a can of spray-paint, but other than that, I am pleased with the rack!
# 4
Curt Bike Rack for 4 Bikes - 2" Hitches - Tilting
This rack has worked well for us. I fits the Curt hitch perfectly. It is easy to attach bicycles securely. We can get three adult bicycles on this hitch (see photo). There are sufficient means to protect against sway.
After less than one year, and only 5 or 6 uses, the threaded stabilizer--the one just below the spring-loaded, T-shaped handle used for tilting the mast--stripped out the hole it passes through in the body of the rack. Now my rack wobbles like crazy. I'm still within the warranty period, but in order to get it fixed, I have to return the entire bike rack and cover the return shipping . I'll just keep the broken rack and find a way to deal with the issue. Hopefully you have a better experience than me.
What our customers are saying:
"I ordered a trailer hitch and a bike rack carrier the order was shipped with in three days. To put the hitch on only took about 30 mins. only had to drill two 1/2 holes. fit like a glove."