Recommended Drop Adapter for RockyMounts BackStage Bike Rack on a 2019 Subaru Ascent with OEM Hitch

Updated 04/15/2019 | Published 04/14/2019

Products Featured in This Question

Roadmaster Dual Hitch Receiver Adapter, 2" or 10" Drop/Rise

(901)

$254.78

Gen-Y Adjustable 2-Ball Mount w/ Stacked Receivers - 2" Hitch - 5" Drop/Rise - 10K

(633)

$269.95

Gen-Y Adjustable 2-Ball Mount w/ Stacked Receivers - 2" Hitch - 7-1/2" Drop/Rise - 10K

(633)

$289.95

Gen-Y Adjustable 2-Ball Mount w/ Stacked Receivers - 2" Hitch - 10" Drop/Rise - 10K

(633)

$309.95

RockyMounts BackStage Bike Rack for 2 Bikes - 2" Hitches - Wheel Mount

(153)

$899.99

Question:

Good morning! Weve bought two hitches from you in the last year or so. We bought a brand new Suby Ascent, then paid the dealer to install the genuine Suby hitch. The OEM hitch looks very similar to the Draw-Tite that you carry. It hides behind a plastic cover in the bumper. Then I bought a very expensive Rockymounts Backstage bike carrier. Put it on the Ascent. Put a bike on the rack. The bike is so far up in the air that it wont clear our standard 7 foot tall garage doors! Someone mentioned a dual hitch adapter. I was looking at the Roadmaster 10 inch # RM-077-10. One of the question/answers pointed to the Gen-Y # 325-GH-315. The Gen-Y is way beefier than I need but would consider it if it was the best solution. I want to clear the bumper of course, but dont want any more horizontal extension than necessary. Id like to get about 10 inch of if possible. What would you suggest?

asked by: William B

Expert Reply:

Since the bike rack that you have is the RockyMounts BackStage # RKY10002 that has the swinging arm I recommend using a Gen-Y Hitch over the Roadmaster Dual Hitch Receiver Adapter # RM-077-10. Reason being that the Roadmaster is typically used for applications where a flat towed vehicle is also being used. I'm afraid that putting that much weight out to the side may not be good for the adapter.

We do carry a variety of Gen-Y Hitch adjustable ball mounts that you can choose from. I'm not sure how much drop you need but we have the 5" # 325-GH-313, 7-1/2" # 325-GH-314, and the 10" # 325-GH-315. I recommend making sure that the additional receivers don't cause you to lose too much ground clearance as scraping the ground would be much worse than needing to remove your bike before pulling into your garage.

Please note that the Gen-Y Hitches will also reduce the amount of tongue weight you can use due to how much they weigh, but they won't automatically cut your rating in half. The parts I reference weigh in at about 35 lbs - 40 lbs.