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The Apex Swing XT solves one of the biggest hassles of traveling with bikes. Its hinged base lets the entire rack swing out and away, giving you full access to your rear cargo area while the bikes stay loaded. Just loosen the hand knob, pull the T-handle, and pivot the rack aside—gear, groceries, or pets can come and go freely. Closing it is just as simple with the self-locking T-handle and tightening knob that secure it back in place.
Bikes stay secure and separated with HideAway cradles that hold each frame at three points—two on the top tube and one at the seat post or downtube. Soft rubber surfaces cradle each tube and rotate to fit different frame shapes, while built-in grooves keep brake and shift cables safe from pinching. When loading, the lower straps fold up to make sliding bikes on easy. The 28" dual arms give plenty of spacing and stability for four bikes up to 37.5 lbs each.
The rack installs tool-free in any 2" x 2" hitch receiver. Turn the integrated knob to tighten—the SnugTite system expands inside the hitch to lock the rack in place and eliminate rattle. Once locked, the knob spins freely so it can’t be removed. It’s a fast, clean setup that stays firm over rough pavement and long hauls.
Security is handled right out of the box. A One-Key System secures both the rack and the bikes. The integrated cable threads through the frames and locks into the end of the arm, while the hitch knob lock keeps the rack on the vehicle. Both locks are keyed alike for convenience, and the cable stores inside the mast when not in use.
When the ride’s done, the Apex folds down small. Pull the HitchSwitch lever and the arms collapse against the mast, leaving a slim profile for garage parking or storage. The black powder-coated steel frame resists rust and keeps the 42-lb rack looking sharp through years of use.
Customer Satisfaction Score:
92% were satisfied with this product
8% of customers were not satisfied
Ratings & Reviews
Assembled the rack today. I haven't used it for any trips yet. It is very difficult to get the two major pieces to align so the bolt can be installed. I was finally able to get it to work.
Hard to manipulate with 4 bikes on,but otherwise worked well on 800 mile trip. Very sturdy.
I ordered this carrier during the pandemic - so it was a hot item and it took a while to get it - but it was worth it. It connected easily and carried the 4 bikes (2 adult, 2 kids) really well. I haven't gone on any really long road trips with it yet - but from the performance thus far would recommend this product.
Fantastic product! Instruction manual could be more descriptive.
Bike rake is easy to use and perfect for 4 bikes
Easy assembly. Solid product. You get what you pay for. Easy operation. Great seller, fast shipping.
The hitch did not fit tight the way it should because the bolt holes did not match up. Clearly a defect. Was so heavy that it remains a piece of trash that is unusable in my basement.
Amazing service and guidance... this works amazing for a large SUV and a family of 4. The swing out function is genius because u can still open and close back of suv.
Great purchase
Excellent design and robust construction. Assembly took about 30 minutes, perfect fit on my Grand Cherokee. Put a bike on, actuated the swing and drove around a bit, no vibration, no interference with backup camera. First impressions very positive and I'm very pleased I chose this brand and model.
This rack is working great. I love the swing away arm. Makes very easy to get luggage in and out or more often the dogs in and out the back of my SUV when on the road.
Regardless of received the wrong item at first time. I notified etrailer and they sent the free return label for returning the wrong item and they shipped the correct item the next day. For a quick response and for this reason I gave it a 4 1/2 stars for customer services. I would recommended etrailer and I would shop at etrailer again in the future.
Thank you for taking care of this matter so quickly.
I just love my Thule Swing Apex rack. Was able to install it in 10 minutes. It fully swings out more than far enough to
accommodate my Ford F-150 tailgate which was my main reason for purchasing. Great product!
As for etrailer.com, they were simply wonderful to deal with. The first rack I ordered was not able to be delivered quick enough so they gave me a nicer rack for the same price. Then they shipped it out within a couple of days. Great service!
Very happy with this bike rack. We've put well over 1,000 miles on so far with three full sized bikes on the rack and no issues. Really appreciate that all the installation and adjustments are tool free, making this very user friendly to install and use. My only concern is around the long term durability of the straps to hold the bikes. They do not feel as robust as the rubber straps on my old Thule rack that has lasted me now over 15 years. Only time will tell long term if these straps will be as durable. Everything else seems quite solid and robust.
It is heavy, but if you want all of the options that this provides (4 bikes, swing away rack) it's great.
Saumil
2/27/2023
Still love it.
Purchased this so we could access rear of our minivan with bikes on the rack. The bar is very hard to swing open and get closed and turning the bolt to secure the swing arm is very difficult given the space between the bumper of the car and hitch. The plastic casing around the hitch broke on day one.
The rack is pretty inconvenient when it comes to loading our families bikes. There’s lots of negotiating around how to put them on as we have adapters for kids bikes and it’s just an all around pain. Plus my husbands bike and mine don’t like being near either and it a real hassle getting them on! Also the screw to lock the rack in place has now been stripped so we can’t take the rack off till the end of bike season. It’s not the best product, but it at least gets us from home to the local trails.
It’s nice and sturdy rack that is great for jeeps or trucks to be able to maintain full use of the tailgate. What I dislike is that it cannot possibly hold 4 bikes. My wife and I both have gravel bikes with drop down handlebars. And this rack can only accommodate those two bikes plus our 5 year olds small bike with 18” wheels. There’s no way we can even fit 3 adult sized bikes. So that’s very disappointing for the price. I don’t know why they couldn’t have made the horizontal bars that the bikes rest on longer so there would be enough room for 4 bikes.
Katrina B.
8/16/2022
When mounting the bikes to the rack, you will need to make sure that the bikes are facing in the opposite directions. For example, you would have the first bike handlebars facing the drivers side, while having the second bikes handlebars facing the passenger side. Then for the pedals, you will want to make sure that they are on opposite sides of each other as well. Four bikes will be snug on the rack, but they will fit on this rack.
Best bike ever. Safe, secure, flexible.
This by far the strongest bike rack I've ever used. Its heavy mind you and can be a little tough to attach and detach, but that being said is easy to lock into the hitch and tighten, reverse also an easy process. I love the ability to swing the arm and gain full access to the hatch on my Highlander and then simply swing it back in place, even with 4 bikes attached, this alone makes this rack well worth the money.
Jason
7/12/2022
One year in and this has been a great investment for us. The rack remains in great shape despite heavy use and now when I see other similar racks out there I always compare them and there is no comparison to this Thule rack, very happy we bought this and well worth it.
I've been using the Thule Apex XT Swing with my 2018 Toyota 4Runner, and I couldn’t be happier with it. The setup was incredibly easy, and the swing-out feature is a total game-changer. Unlike traditional hitch racks that require unloading bikes to access the trunk, this rack swings out effortlessly, allowing me to pop the hatch anytime—even when fully loaded. The swing arm mechanism feels solid and secure, even when loaded with four bikes on gravel or dirt roads. There's no excessive movement or wobbling, and the anti-sway cradles do a great job of keeping the bikes stable.
Happy to find it in stock. It took a couple of hours to assemble both the rack and the tram. Looking forward to many years of use!
Francis
7/26/2021
Still working well!
It came dirt/dusty all over the parts. When I pay for a new product, I kind of expect it to be clean. But no big deal. It works great and seems very sturdy. Most of all, I love the swing-away function.
Excellent swing rack! I can open both rear doors of my 2019 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 2500. I couldn’t be happier.
Strong, sturdy, & allows access to trun k!
Received the product in good condition and install was quite straightforward. The rack is solid and the fact that all critical points allow for adjustment and tightening via knob vs needing tools is indeed a plus. It fits snugly in my receiver and tightens down for zero movement on our Subaru Ascent. I’ve yet to load bikes but I can already tell its much better than our previous Saris rack.
There was only one install issue - make certain you place the right locking mechanism into the proper lock. I don’t know why but it uses two separate keys - and the single key lock is the one that goes into the hitch receiver knob - and the instructions were slightly ambiguous on cautioning for that.
Overall it’s heavy duty and should last year’s.
Condition: Badly Dinged
Notes: The plastic cap on the end is cracked. Part is also missing a washer and nut. Otherwise unused.
Info for this part was:
At etrailer we provide the best information available about the products we sell. We take the quality of our information seriously so that you can get the right part the first time.
Sierra K.
7/22/2022
This bike rack has two different holes to accommodate different bumpers. You can choose which length you want and then add item # e98942, so next time you go to put it on, it will stop where you want it without trying to fumble around to find the correct spot.
Helpful Links
Hitch-Alignersetrailere98942.html