Most Popular Swagman for 2002 Subaru Outback Wagon

The Swagman XTC 2 bike platform carrier was mounted on a 2010 Subaru Outback equipped with a 2" receiver. I will also use the bike carrier on a 2008 Saturn Vue. Ordering from etrailer was straight forward, shipping was fast with continuous texts from etrailer as to shipping status. Impressive. The bike rack works perfect for my wife's extended wheel base-pedal forward Townie bike and my Giant Sequoia trail bike. Bike positioning is important, but not difficult. Retaining hooks ratchet into place easily, and rubber straps secure the wheels. The anti-rattle receiver mount with threaded locking hitch pin works well. No slop there. The only concern we have is the flexing of the receiver bar. With no bikes on board and the carrier arms in the vertical positing, you can watch the minor 'dancing' of the vertical members. Put 2 bikes on the carrier and you can see a little more wobble of the bikes. I suspect the receiver arm of the carrier needs to be sturdier to eliminate this movement. When you read the warranty, you will notice Swagman will void the warranty if the bikes are carried on a 5th wheel trailer or on a vehicle that is taken off road. That tells me they know the receiver arm needs beefing up. Oh well, it works for my interstate transport. I would recommend this carrier for normal day to day transport of 2 bikes.

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Delivery from etrailer was super fast and the price was very competetive. First the PROS: Basic assembly of this carrier was easy and quick. It does carry both our bikes within the width of the car (barely). The carrier is fairly light and attaches easily to the receiver. Mounting the bikes is easy. The latch release can be locked with small padlock, but I would lock both. The squared frame on my hybrid bike can be securely latched down with no marking. Now the CONS: Jiggly! My old Reese carrier was rock solid but this one really sways alot. The wheel carriers are not welded correctly and do not allow folding up to the latch point. Teeth on the hold down bar could be deeper. Getting our 2 bikes to sit within vehicle width took alot of initial finagling. Reflective surfaces were limited so i added my own tape for safety. Purchase of a bike post quick clamp was necessary to fit the 2 bikes on the carrier. And did i say jiggly! Oh, yeah. I don't know how long the rubber wheel straps or the hold down teeth will hold up. I can live with it not folding up as i use the rubber stap to grab the other side wheel hoop. ( i did call e-trailer support about this issue, CSR asked politely if i put it together correctly. Yes, i’m an engineer of 37 years senority). But the jiggling about really bothers me, and evidently, drivers behind as they do not tailgate anymore. So the jury is still out on the value of this product.

Great product. Worked great for taking the boys bike down to the beach. Also great around town going to the bike trail.

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I purchaced two of the swagman upright roof mounted racks the day before I left for a camping trip. They were easy to install on the existing cross bars of my 2009 Subaru Outback. The factory bars are slightly curved so I plan to shim one side of each rack to level them out. I mounted two full suspension mountain bikes on these racks. The jaws have trouble opening up wide enough to fit the beefy downtubes of these bikes but after a bit of force and unscrewing the jaws all the way, they fit in. (Bikes were a Specialized Stumpjumper FSR and a Trek Remedy) Once tightened, the racks held the bikes well and we had no issues with anything comming loose or shaking during the 6+ hour round trip. The tightening wheel locks with a key but it would have been nice if both racks (ordered at the same time) were keyed with the same lock. Not a big deal, just have to remember which key goes to which rack each time. There are better racks out there but this one does the job even for larger mountain bikes if you dont mind fighting the jaws a little. Great rack for the price.

Solid craftsmanship. Bikes are secure, easy placement in holders. Nice option of pulling a pin, allowing carrier to tilt, to access hatchback of a Subaru Outback wagon. Slight "side to side" movement when driving down the road however; maintains solid attachment to trailer hitch.

Just installed the rack & took the bike on a little ride... all worked great! Installation instructions could have been a little bit clearer, but I've seen worse.

Goes together quickly, appears that it will fit my needs in terms of being cross-compatible on a variety of vehicles. Fit on a Subaru Outback factory crossbar and transported bike locally with no issues when I got it out to set up and test (not quite warm enough to ride much yet where I live). Instructions are not super, but the assembly is pretty straightforward so that is not a problem. At the price point, if this rack indeed holds up to swapping onto multiple vehicles and lasts me a few years, I'll be thrilled with the purchase.

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The rack was pretty much as should be expected at this price point. It works, but not great quality. For one, the paint easily chips off. Another, the rails are a bit flimsy and twist when you tighten the rear wheel firmly. The directions don't explain a number of small items (which make for a better installation) such as make sure the lever is positioned on the outside for easier installation of the bike, why is there one different bolt, whether the bikes should be mounted forward, backward or it doesn't matter, the rails have a right (and less right) way of going together, the strap for the rear tire "will" fall off of the rack if you forget to reinsert it after taking the bike off of the car. Despite these shortcomings, the rack works well at an inexpensive price...I think a pretty good value