Trying To Figure Out How To Calculate Total Tongue Weight For My 2019 Honda CRV With 4 Bikes

Updated 01/28/2026 | Published 01/22/2026

Products Featured in This Question

etrailer Trailer Hitch Receiver - Custom Fit - Matte Black Finish - Class III - 2"

(980)

$163.13

Thule T2 Pro XTR Bike Rack for 4 Bikes - 2" Hitches - Wheel Mount

(164)

$1549.90

Question:

Hello, I purchased this hitch for my 2019 Honda CRV and have a Thule T2 ProX hitchrack and the Thule 2 ProX extension to carry a total of 4 bikes. I am hoping for some help calculating how to account for the lever arm of the weight further back from the car on how it affects the tongue weight rating of the rack and if there are any considerations for the car having a lower tongue weight rating than the rack. The way I am thinking about it is that the rack can handle 525 lb right at the tongue, but that is really a moment of ~ 350 ft-lb at the bolts securing it to the car and then I need to add up all the moments of the bikes and rack components. Am I over thinking this? Is there a better way to think about how to evaluate the allowable load?

asked by: Kevin

Expert Reply:

Hey Kevin,

You are not overthinking it, tongue weight is always tricky! Everything you use on the etrailer hitch # e98848 with your vehicle is limited to your vehicles capacity. I took a look and your 2019 Honda CRV's vehicle tongue weight capacity is 350lbs. So even thought the after market hitch is rated for up to 525lbs you are limited to only 350lbs.

With your Thule T2 Pro XTR # TH69TX bike rack with the extension for 4 bikes you have a bike rack with a total weight capacity of 160lbs. When you add everything together you have plenty of capacity for what you are wanting to do. The rack itself is 96lbs, plus the 160lbs for bikes (depending on how much yours weight) and you are at 256lbs which is perfect for your setup.

I hope that helped make it more understandable. Do you know how much your 4 bikes would weigh in total?

expert reply by: Nick S

O'neil

1/23/2026

Hey Kevin, listen I mounted the hitch cause I was towing some stuff like a 5 x 8 trailer and a four x 8 trailer and it runs smooth dude on a CRVCRV‘s are built to last dude

Pat B.

1/24/2026

Well, we bought the hitch pretty much to put a deer rack on the back of the car and we know the deer rack can handle 500 pounds and I would have to say we probably put it to the test with three deer and we’ve had no issues whatsoever the hitch did exactly what we needed to do