Can I Open My Trucks Tailgate With The Thule ReVert Vertical Bike Rack Tilted Back?  

Question:

Expert Reply:

Hey Wes, thanks for reaching out. Short answer, probably not, at least not fully, and this is one of those “depends on your truck” situations. You can open the tailgate with the ReVert tilted back, but on a Tundra it’s usually not going to drop all the way flat. The rack does tilt specifically for rear access, so you’re not stuck unloading bikes just to get into the bed, but because of how tall that upright mast is and how far the bikes sit back, they still end up pretty close to the truck when it’s in the tilted position.

In real use, most guys with full-size trucks end up with the tailgate opening most of the way, not completely. If the rack is empty or you’ve got smaller bikes, you’ve got a better shot at full clearance. But with full-size bikes loaded, expect “usable access” rather than a full drop. It’ll work, just don’t go into it expecting perfect tailgate clearance every time.

To answer your other questions, it is not recommended to use this rack with a hitch extender. Using an extender will reduce your hitches capacity by half and with a 4-bike rack like this, that reduced capacity can make your setup unstable and unsafe.

Also, you cannot drive with the rack tilted. It should only be tilted for loading and unloading. When driving it has to stay in the upright position.

What kind of bikes do you have? Do you plan to store a lot of stuff in the bed when the bikes are on?

expert reply by: Jesse M

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Thule ReVert Vertical Bike Rack for 4 Bikes - 2" Hitches - Tilting
(click to enlarge)