Swagman XTC-2 2-Bike Platform Rack for 1-1/4" and 2" Trailer Hitches

by: Lindylou05/31/2019

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 650626

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! 671699

I agree with all the other reviews I read about the bike rack (arrived at my house in a timely manner, well packaged [the boxed rack in a bigger box and still packaged in a bigger box]. PS, the grand kids had fun playing in the boxes while I put the rack together. That was the easy part. It took some planning how and where to place the two bicycles on the rack so they fit together. First, my panniers had to be removed. They do not fit. My wife's bicycle has it's shifting cable and break cables on the top of the frame and the stabilizing bar pushes down onto them so there is only one place I can put her bicycle to keep them from being crushed into her bike frame without adding a pipe insulation to cushion them. So with her bicycle in place, I have to place mine to the side to balance the rack which puts my tire beyond the side of the vehicle, but within reason. Lastly, I can not open the door to the cap on the back of the pickup without removing her bicycle or modifying the bicycle every time I put it on the rack. OVERALL, the rack does what I want it to do. easy on and easy off and secure without adding extra tie downs to keep the bicycles from swinging on long trips. The rack is well made, and light so I will be able to use it on my Toyota Yaras (when I get a 1 1/4 inch hitch) and I will be able to use the trunk ;-) 88334

Other than the annoyance of not being able to get in the cap on the back of the pickup when the bikes are in place, I love the bicycle rack. I have yet to use it on the Toyota Yaras even though the reese hitch has been installed for quite some time now.

Rodrick - 08/13/2014

by: Clark d.10/03/2017

Great product. So easy to install and u se! 438875

Both products are performing flawlessly.

Clark d - 10/03/2018

Nice product, again the video shows all the features accurately. The illustrations with the included instructions are pretty bad and instructions a little thin, but there's really not much to assembly. A few notes: Be sure to stagger the wheel holders or you will be stuck with one long bike and one short bike... Also there is a top and bottom hold-down hooks be sure to put them on in order. If you don't it will be obvious and easy to correct. One tricky part is is bolting thru the trailer hitch. The 2" square rack insert (can remove part of this insert and use on a smaller 1.25" hitch) has a sliding inner core with a threaded hole for the included bolt/lock washer. You may have to use a small screwdriver or pick to slide the core slightly so that the threaded hold aligns with the holes on the insert/hitch. Not sure but I think if you use a different bolt (like the J-pin 63201) that threads all the way thru the hitch, you would need to slide the core all the way out of the way and not use the threaded hole in the core. I ordered J-pin 63201 so I'll update when I try it out. Oh and if you want the locking J-pin order it at the same time or you will get dinged for an additional $5 shipping if ordered separately (i.e. <$100). I'm using this rack with the Draw-Tite 75235 2" hitch on a 2017 Rav4 Hybrid - works great! 514772

Really happy with this product we use it a lot and it is very easy to install and remove the rack from the hitch, and also mounting/removing the bikes from the rack. Highly recommend this product!

Andy - 05/31/2019

I have a 2009 Toyota RAV 4 XLE. Ordered the hitch along with a Bike rack recommended by ETrailer... the Swagman XTC-2-2 (Part # S64670). The product arrived very quickly. I watched one of the several videos available for Toyota RAV 4 models 2007 and 2010. I did not have a torque wrench and was able to get one at Harbor Freight on sale. I got the largest 1/2 inch version they had and was glad I did as I appreciated the extra leverage needed to torque the hitch bolts down to the recommended setting. Installation once you have all of the right tools is a snap. If you are doing this at home, recommend you have a blanket or a rubber mat to set the hitch on before lifting it up to the frame as you may need a couple of tried to get it maneuvered into place. My wife helped me get the bolts started, once that was done, it was a breeze. I would note that my vehicle had black circular tape over the bolt holes that needed to be removed. Picked those off with a fingernail and found that the holes underneath were clean and ready for installation. If you have those on the frame of your RAV, you probably won't need the nylon brush. I just sprayed the holes and bolts with WD-40 and tested each hole with the bolts before trying to lift the hitch up into place. Everything went smoothly and can't be happier with the whole process. The bike carrier assembly afterward also went without problem. The bike carrier portion extends far enough away so as to clear the spare tire, though would recommend covering the pedal with a sock on the bike you mount closest to the tire to avoid scratching or marring the surface of the paint on tire covering. I don't usually write reviews on a product but this experience has been worth of my time. Great product Etrailer!!! 441680

This rack is being used on a VW EOS convertible with a Draw-Tite hitch. Overall my experience is fairly positive given the price. Pros: - Easy to assemble, reasonably light, easy to adjust. The ratcheting hooks work well, and the rubber straps are easy to attach/remove. - When the rack is attached to the hitch but not in use, you can either lock both side arms folded up, or lock the center arm down to either side. The latter feature is useful if you have a convertible where the trunklid opens up from the front to stow the top, as otherwise it would hit the rack. Of course, leaving the rack in this position, you'd better remember it's there, as you're not going to see it in your rear-view mirror when parking and it sticks out a bit from the back of the car. - It's trivially easy to individually remove/reinstall the wheel holders and hooks, so if you only need to transport one bike you can remove the extra set for a cleaner look. - The locking hitch pin & cable (ordered separately) seem to work as advertised, and is a reasonably convenient solution for locking the car/rack/bikes together. - Holds the bikes securely and seems fairly solid (although not as solid as some higher end racks I've seen). Cons: - The welds on the wheel holders are pretty ugly. I have no reason to believe they won't hold, but it doesn't inspire confidence. - There is very little clearance between the pedal of the inboard bike and the trunklid. I would be very worried that this is going to scratch the trunklid. This might be specific to the combo of car/hitch/rack/bike. - I've had to retighten the set screws to eliminate some wiggle. Not sure if this will be a recurring issue. - The rack is mounted on a 1-1/4" hitch, so I had to remove the Allen bolt holding the spacers for a 2" hitch. That bolt was on _really_ tight. I literally bent two cheap hex wrenches before I got out my ratchet wrench and a high quality hex head and got it removed. - The hook locks down on the frame rather than the front wheel. In retrospect, this probably isn't as good as some of the other systems that grab onto only the front wheel (although to be fair, those are somewhat more expensive). 54074

The Swagman XTC-2 platform bike carrier arrived very quickly from etrailer and in good shape, the actual carrier box is inside another shipper box, which I'm sure helped with its condition. Assembly was relatively quick and painless, even though the instructions could be a little more thorough. Installing the carrier on the back of our Jeep Patriot also was quick, it helps to have an extra ratchet & 3/4" socket laying around for just this purpose. Installing the bikes takes a little patience and trial and error the first time you try and put them on the carrier. It's easy enough to adjust the wheel holders to fit the wheelbase of your bikes, but for us at least, the challenge was trying to swing the vertical support bar up into position after putting on the first bike (closest to the Jeep). We couldn't angle the bike enough toward the Jeep to have the bar clear the bike. We learned that the easiest way to secure the first bike was to remove the ratcheting frame hooks altogether, put the bike in the carrier, swing up the vertical support bar, put in the pin, and then slide one of the frame hooks down on the bar. The outside bike is much easier because you can set the bike in the carrier at whatever angle you need, not being limited by the back of the vehicle. One thing we did to protect the bike frames was to use some foam pipe insulation as cushion between the frame hook and the frame (see pictures). Once you get a system for installing the bikes, it is very quick to load/unload them. The rack seems to be well made and doesn't wiggle excessively when traveling. All in all a good product for a good price, would definitely recommend it for anyone looking for a platform bike carrier. 137937

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For very low step through frames like your women's Townie bike, an adapter bar is the best option to use, even for platform bike racks with the center frame post. I recommend the Swagman # 64005. This bar will connect between the handlebar gooseneck and the seat post, providing a bar that the center frame hook will secure around. This will keep you from pinching the chain guard. It is easily removable, and will only be needed during transport, leaving your the step through frame functional.

-- Rachael H - 7/28/2014

I own a 2009 VW GTI 4 door. The fact that I have a 4 door GTI may be significant to the 2 door GTI drivers out there because I tend to need to access my rear hatch less frequently since I just put things in the back seat. I did not want the standard hanging bike rack because my bike got scratched up badly, my brake cables became loose, and my bike pump cage got broken when using a 4 bike hanging rack with my brother and his family. I also do not like the idea of the weight of my bike resting on top of my bike cables in the hanging bike rack cradles. However, if you are frequently putting different types of bikes on your rack like my brother does, a hanging rack may work better for you. The platform racks need to have the wheel holders adjusted for different bikes. Not hard, but it is a little more cumbersome. I had been using Yakima roof mounted racks for 17 years on 5 different vehicles...until one of the roof clips popped loose on the interstate and my road bike did a wheelie and dented the roof of my GTI. Could not get my Yakima roof clip to lock in place again after that, so I moved to a hitch mount. I bought the Curt Hitch #11074 and can be seen in the photos. Not really noticeable, but I think it looks better than the Draw-Tite and Hidden Hitch designs. For platform racks, I looked at several designs with the following criteria in mind. - Ease of use - Ability to access the rear hatch - Extension from bumper I naturally started with Yakima, but found that their racks seemed overly cumbersome and extended far behind the car. The Thule racks seemed the same, and both brands were over $300. They did offer the ability to tilt the rack up when not in use, but this still blocks my access to the rear hatch. The Swagman rack has a simple, minimalist design. First is that it is very narrow, only one row of support arms to carry two bikes. Thule and Yakima have two support arms, one for each bike, which causes the rack to extend farther behind the bumper. The Swagman seems plenty beefy to handle two bikes. The support beams are easy to tilt up and down. Maybe not quite as easy to tilt up as Yakima and Thule, but still pretty easy. But until I watched the eTrailer video before buying this product (WATCH THE VIDEO!), I did not realize that the center upright also folds out of the way if you need access to the rear. This is what sold me. The ratcheting upright supports are easy to use and work as shown in the etrailer video. The rubber straps do their job just fine. The other manufacturers seem to have an easier method to move the rack out of the way of the rear hatch, but as I mentioned, I have a 4 door GTI, so this was less of a concern for me. The main selling points were: simple design, easy to use, fit a GTI, upright moves to access hatch, etrailer video, lots of good etrailer customer reviews with pictures, and of course...price. 141045

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by: Greg07/22/2018

Product works great, dragged our two bikes all the way from Minnesota to Florida (and back) with absolutely no issues. We did use the "CURT 18050 Bike Rack Support Strap" to help stop the bike rack from bouncing around too much. It works quite well. 544752

I LOVE my new bike rack! Extremely easy to assemble, store, install, and remove. A friend has a similar model, but clearly the Swagman is a better built model. Dont be fooled by a look alike :-) I drive a 2004 Acura TL. It even looked good! I considered a decklid/trunk model, soooo glad i went with a platform. Only sorry i didnt take any photos. and btw, friend will probably be ordering soon. 132559

A Year later, only confirms..the above statements. Extremely happy with my purchase.

Cathy - 05/27/2015

This bike rack is sturdy and pretty easy to use, once you get accustomed to it. I had trouble initially with removing the spacer from the arm that goes into the trailer hitch. I mangled an Allen wrench and injured my hand trying to take off the Allen bolt that holds the spacer on. I had to take the whole rack to a bike shop to get them to remove the spacer, which they did in a matter of seconds. Once that was done, getting the rack loaded onto the trailer hitch was pretty simple. I had to make a lot of adjustments with the set screws (the instructions did not include inserting the washers for those screws, and the rack is really wobbly without the washers) but once I figured out how everything is supposed to go together, the rack worked beautifully. I love being able to open and close the hatch on my CRV while the rack is attached to the car. Awesome feature. And the bikes were quite stable on our initial trek with them. One thing I would suggest is buying locks for the ratcheting hooks that go over the top bars on the bikes. I think those locks should just be included with the rack. They are not essential for using the rack, but they make the journey a lot more secure. I would highly recommend this rack to people but if you are a single woman trying to put this together without a decent set of Allen wrenches, I strongly suggest adding a set to your toolbox. The one that is included in the kit works great on the set screws, but if you have to remove the spacer bar you are on your own. 218180

We love the bike rack! My daughters and I have been on a lot of biking adventures since we purchased that rack and we found the rack easy to use, convenient, and very reliable. This week we are moving to Albania so we took the bikes to my dad’s house in Texas to store for the year. We used the bike rack to transport them the 1200 miles from my apartment in Los Angeles to his house in Texas. And the rack was perfect. There was no damage to the bikes or the rack when we arrived, despite the fact that there was a lot of construction and bumpy, uneven roads on the freeways. I was concerned about what I would find at the end of the trip, and then I was really impressed when we got there. And I am so glad that I bought that particular rack!Thanks for checking in with us.

Angela - 08/17/2016

We got the XTC2 to replace an old school rack. It was easy to put together and feels sturdy and well made. We will be using it on a 2016 Civic, 1999 4x4 Tacoma and a Casita Trailer. Looking forward to using it when the weather warms up. 442032

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Ive had no issues with the bike rack. Works great on camp trailer and two other vehicles.

Paul E - 10/12/2018

by: Bernard03/02/2018

It’s functional but not great The biggest problem is a design flaw related to the paint on the attachment rod that attaches to the hitch They put on a gummy tacky paint like coating that peels ever so slightly. It catches when I try and mount it on the hitch making it extremely difficult to slide it in correctly. It catches and then it trying to slide it so I can alighn the safety bolt becomes extremely difficult. I’ve tried to remove it with sandpaper and even a metal file. It’s next to impossible to remove. So every time I put it on the car it takes another 10 minutes of agony. Hope the maker is reading this because otherwise I’d give it 3.5 stars. Simply not putting any coating on the hitch mount (duh!) would earn you a star and a half. If you were doing any product testing this would be obvious to see. If they are going for a best in category rating they could also make the sliding wheel rest carriages sleeves more durable. It’s currently made of plastic. If they made it out of stronger metal instead with a wider diameter piston like screw to sinch it down this would easily be strong enough to accommodate heavier eBikes’s. The steel frame is strong and well designed (copied I suspect). The weakest link are the plastic sleeves. Make them with metal with a well designed sinch and this would be 4 stars Last improvement idea would be a some sort Of shock absorber so when I roll over a bump it’s not magnified by the springy steel frame. That would put this at a full 5 stars Overall it’s functional. It’s got one serious design flaw I identified that would be easy to remedy. Don’t paint the hitch mount. If you could make the platform sleeves stronger you could market this as an outstanding ebike carrier. It’s basic structure is better then the more expensive Thule and Yakima hitch mount racks because it’s more compact and folds. I hate bulky things. This improvement idea is unnecessary for regular roadbikes and even mountain bikes. But ebikes are heavier. Those are my thoughts hope this is useful 480454

I ordered on a Sunday evening and my rack arrived Tuesday afternoon. Assembly was minor and required only 3 to 5 minutes. I used the rack 2 days later to bring home a new bike from a dealer 30 miles away. Tie-In for the bike was fast and secure.The rack is finished nicer and is somewhat sturdier than the pictures convey. Over-all "bang-for-the-buck" from etrailer and Swagman is excellent. I highly recommend both the XTC-2 and etrailer. 89183

One year later and I find no negatives about my rack. As quick and safe transportation for my bikes, it would be my 1st choice and recommendation again.

Donald W - 07/16/2014

quick delivery, super easy to put together, works as expected 559498

Easy to assemble. This carrier will be used on a 2012 Nissan Sentra using the Draw Tite 24794 hitch. After the installation on that hitch, there is about 2 inches clearance between the rearmost projection of the rear bumper to the frontmost portion of the wheel carrier of the rack. It is easy to put the bikes into the rack. The trunk lid cannot be opened with the bikes mounted on the rack. The rack seems to be stable and doesn't wobble or bounce much. 26666

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by: HeyJude.Oregon09/25/2017

Easy to assemble, easy t take on and off. The most time-consuming part is just securing it, which is also a breeze. I am in my sixties and can attest to the east of use. We have it on a Honda Fit, no weight worries. My only concern is how "bouncy" the bikes seem to be on the road, but they have never moved, the rack just seems to use the road conditions to adjust to keep it secure. 436240

its great, we use it all the time. We have one heavier eBike and one regular bike on our Honda Fit. The rack is simple to use and works perfectly.

HeyJude.Oregon - 09/25/2018

Please keep in mind the Swagman bike rack part # S64670 has a weight capacity of 35 lbs per bike. If your ebike weighs over 35 lbs it is a good idea to remove the battery from the ebike to make it under the weight capacity of the rack.

-- Heather A - 9/26/2018

Very pleased with this Swagman hitch bike rack! Easy to install, lightweight, held two bikes very securely. I'm 5'2" and I'm glad Zachary O. at etrailer recommended a platform bike rack for me! Using this rack on a 2014 Jeep Compass with a 2" hitch. Being able to lower the center post to access the back of the Jeep is great. Ground clearance was more than adequate. This rack holds my ladies bike securely - I did not need to buy an adapter. The only negative... this is my first bike rack and the instructions were inadequate. Thankfully my boyfriend has had several different kinds of bike racks and was able to put it together very quickly. Would definitely recommend this platform bike rack! 131385

Have been using this bike rack for a year now and I have no complaints! I have used it weekly. It is easy for me to load my bike and it holds it securely. Would still definitely recommend this platform bike rack!

Rosemary A - 06/03/2015

I have a 2015 GTI and have been challenged to haul my 29er and additionally a kids 24" bike. I was looking for a rack that was form fitting not extend too far beyond the car to keep the weight closer to the car to assist the Class 1 trailer hitch i mounted. I ended up going with the Curt C1142 Class 1 trailer hitch for the GTI and the Swagman XTC-2 bike rack. I think it was good solution for price, quality and fit for my requirements. The Rack is not heavy at all. It's very quick to put on and i leave my 29er closer to the car with the outer rails fixed for it. The other rails i put the smaller bikes further on the rack since they would be lighter. There is little movement when driving. On longer distances or with two bikes use the Curt trailer Strap and that helps in movement. The clearance is what i was really worried about. I needed a rack that would promptly start rising upon exiting the hitch pin. The Swagman rack does just that. It immediately ramps upward to 3" at its peak giving me more clearance to avoid the virgina roadkill. I do wish that etrailer would give the profiles of the bike racks as that would been way easier than countless hours spent on the internet looking at other's pictures for a best fit for my car. My other choice was the Kuat Transfer 2. it also has a rapid rise giving 6" maximum. However, it also extends about 12" in the back of the car which i was worried the longer run of the rack was going to have clearance issues on some driveways. In the end, the Swagman was $100 less than the Kuat transfer and i think for my purpose it's a better fit for this little car. 442622

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I LOVE this bike rack! It was easy to assemble and is made of top quality materials. The adjustable top hooks are perfect for securing my women's frame mountain bike. E trailer received and shipped my order within 24 hours! I received my bike rack within three business days and e trailer reached out to me the same day my shipment arrived to ensure I was a satisfied customer! 114125

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by: Vicki05/24/2017

I purchased the Swagman two-bike carrier, the long version, for carrying my recumbent bicycle. In the majority, the carrier works well, but I have an issue that makes the carrier almost unusable and a pain in the neck. I do like that my Tour Easy long wheelbase recumbent bike fits, although I have to use a small wheel to keep it from sticking out too far on the sides. I used a shim at the hitch attachment to try to help with movement. I also purchased straps to attach to the car to help prevent sway. I do feel that my bike is safe when mounted on the rack. The bike will not fit inside my current vehicle and the rack is the only way I can carry it. This rack is good value for the money. It was easy to set the rack up to fit the bike and I feel confident that the bike is safe. I did put some reflective tape on the rack as people who walked close to my car barked their shins on it and I heard a man comment that the thing should be folded up, which is not possible. I believe the tape helped and I haven't hit my shins. The issue I have that is quite problematic is that the pins that have to be removed and replaced in order to stand the center support upright and lay it back down are not durable or are even defective. Before I could use the rack, I had to get one replaced. etrailer was not able to provide the replacement part, but did help me contact the manufacturer. The second time I used the rack I almost could not remove one of the pins. The button was stuck and I could not sink it back in to remove it. Finally, after about 45 minutes, I was able to remove it. It is tethered to the rack and I left it hanging. Fortunately, I had another pin that fit and was able to use the rack. I have no idea why these pins are an issue. I have never had a problem with them on other devices, even the ones that the buttons can be a little hard to push in. I hope that a pin failure doesn't happen at a critical time. I have tried to think of an alternative to the pins but have not come up with anything yet that I would feel safe entrusting my bike to. I am going to look into pins that do not have a button to see if that would be easier to use. In the photo, you can see the three pins. They have all given me fits, but it is the center one that is critical to use of the rack. 384366

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I installed the bike rack today, here are the photos. 47298

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As Joe stated he did not need an adapter bar, but depending on the configuration of the alternative bike frame, an adapter bar may be needed. This is depending on where the ratcheting bike hook will make contact with the frame. If this point of contact is very low, or has a severe slope to it, a bike adapter bar might be needed to both protect the finish of the bike, and provide a more stable attachment point for bike hook.

-- Rachael H - 9/22/2014

Quick Overview I bought the hitch recently and very satisfied with what I got. I bought it to carry a bike rack and it works just fine. The hitch looks solid and reliable. I'm sure there are no any issues with pulling a small trailer too. I just don't think Hyundai Accent is a right car for pulling :) I ordered both - the hitch and the bike rack. Both came in time, packed well. No issues with the delivery. The installation procedure is very easy too - 4 screws and that's it. I did it by myself, no assistance. I had to use my kid's small stool for supporting one side while I was working on the other side. Of course, it could be easier if there is another pair of hands holding a hitch while you are working with the screws. Sorry for my English, but I think the idea is clear. Regards, Sergey. 3 4952

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by: Mike B10/04/2018

This is a very good, easy to use bike rack. It's the first hitch bike rack I've owned, having used roof racks and hatchback racks previously. We got tired of lifting the bike to the roof and making sure a bike wasn't going to hit the hatch. We use it with our Prius V and it's exceptionally easy to put on and take off the car. I like the design of the folding center arm and the wheel trays are easily adjusted for different wheelbase dimensions. What can be a little tricky is figuring how to lock the hook arm tight against the top tube of each bike, when the geometry of the bikes are such that even when they are facing opposite directions, the hooks are at roughly the same level on the upright arm. All in all a good lightweight rack. 571562

Given that the bike frames have similar geometries, using a frame adapter bar like part # 64005
Swagman Deluxe Bike Frame Adapter Bar for Women's, Children's, and Alternative Frame Bikes
$28.44 would provide a solution for you. The bar spans the distance between the seat post and the handlebar gooseneck, and would provide an attachment point for the hook that would be at a higher elevation that the top tube of the other bike.

-- Mike L - 10/04/2018

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