Thule Hitch Bike Racks Review - 2012 Ford Edge

Review of the Thule Hitch Bike Racks on a 2012 Ford Edge

Today on our 2012 Ford Edge, we're going to be test fitting the Thule Vertex 4-Bike Rack, part number TH9029XT. As you can see we already have a bike installed on our rack. Let's go ahead and get in closer, take a look at some of the features. How the bike is actually attached to the rack, there's three points of contact to your bike's frame. You have the two straps up here, and the one off to the side. The one off to the side is the anti-sway strap, which keeps it moving back and forth, possibly crashing into the bike rack or into the bike in front of it, maybe damaging it. Let's go ahead and take that off. It's always good practice to go ahead and re-install the straps once you take them off, just so they're not flapping around while you're driving, and so that you don't lose them while your driving. Next, I'm going to give you some measurements that will help you with knowing the distance it's going to add to your vehicle once it's installed.

I'll be measuring from the bumper. It looks to be right about 36 inches. Next I'll give you the ground clearance. It should be right about 9 1/2 inches. The next is the closest point to the bumper, which will be this portion here.

That's about three inches. These arms do fold down for close quarter situations such as parking. All you do is lift up this latch here, then when you hear the click, it's locked into place, and only one measurement has changed, which is the distance added. That is right at 11 inches. This bike rack also does fold away from the vehicle to gain access to your rear hatch. That's this latch here. You lift up.

When you hear that click, it's locked into place, and then you can get into the rear cargo area. Now you have full access with plenty of room on both sides to get whatever you need. Now, let's lift this back up. Once again, you lift up this latch and push up until you hear that click, and it's locked back into place. You can use this with 2 inch and 1 1/4 inch hitches, and it does come with an anti-rattle bolt, which will keep it from shaking around while you're driving. And there you have it for the Thule Vertex 4-Bike Rack, part number TH9029XT, on our 2012 Ford Edge. Here it is on our test course. We'll start by going through the slalom.

This is going to show us the side-to-side action, which simulates turning corners or evasive maneuvers. Next, we're at the alternating speed bumps, in which we'll see the twisting action. This will simulate hitting a curb, or pothole, or driving over uneven pavement. Finally, we have the full speed bumps where we'll see the up and down action, which is just like driving out of a parking lot, garage or driveway.