How Do I Add Rise to My Hitch to Prevent Scraping of My Yakima RidgeBack?

Published 07/24/2021

Products Featured in This Question

Yakima RidgeBack Bike Rack for 4 Bikes - 1-1/4" and 2" Hitches - Tilting

(228)

$458.95

Hitch Adapter 1-1/4" to 2" Trailer Hitch Receiver with 5" Rise

(550)

$105.16

Roadmaster Dual Hitch Receiver Adapter with 2" or 6" Drop/Rise

(897)

$234.15

Question:

Recently got Yakima Ridgeback bike rack installed on my 2019 Honda Pilot. I have a sloped driveway but not overly steep. At the tail end of the driveway when taking car up or down the bike rack protector scrapes the ground every time by roughly 2-4 mm, it’s only what seems to be a protector extension that scrapes. Is Yakima just incompatible, I should get a different brand or there is another solution I am missing.

asked by: Pratyoosh S

Expert Reply:

I have a solution for you. Given by the looks of your clearance issue on your 2019 Honda Pilot with the Yakima RidgeBack 4 Bike Rack - 1-1/4" and 2" Hitches - Tilting # Y02458, there is a solution that involves a hitch adapter. If you have a 2-inch hitch, the best option is the the Roadmaster Dual Hitch Receiver Adapter, 6" Drop/Rise # RM-077-6. However, with the Roadmaster receiver, it is still possible that there may be scraping against the bottom receiver of the dual adapter. We currently do not have an option that does not involve some kind of extra length on the bottom of the adapter that is comparable to the length of the extension piece on the Ridgeback.

However, if you have a 1-1/4 inch hitch, I recommend using the Hitch Adapter 1-1/4" to 2" Trailer Hitch Receiver with 5" Rise # HT5R and using the 2-inch accessory on the Ridgeback to fit into the adapter. With this hitch adapter, there will be no extra overhang on the bottom of your vehicle while still giving you a 5-inch rise on the hitch. It must be noted that using any kind of hitch adapter will automatically decrease the maximum weight capacity of your hitch by 50%.

With both of these options, you can also avoid some scraping by entering and exiting your driveway at a diagonal instead of straight-on. This can help with avoiding some scraping on the concrete.

expert reply by: Bob C