Best bike rack for hitch

Equipment
62

I had a Yakima fail on me and drop my bike while driving. They gave me absolutely no issues, they had me saw my rack in half, they sent me a higher up model of rack to replace mine, AND they had me take my bike to a bike shop, get a quote of everything that broke, and paid the bike shop to replace everything that broke.

I don’t think customer service can possibly get any better than that.

That being said, I still liked my kuat transfer rack better than both the Yakima racks I had. Just seems better built and sturdier. Never had to use their customer service though so I can’t comment on that.

64

Are you in the US? If so, U-Haul does them. Just make sure you install the correct size for the rack you purchase or you will have to use an adaptor.

67

Not that I know. I’d rather have that option with the ability to size down if needed vs stuck with limits in the smaller size.

68

Definitely get a 2" receiver. I had a 2018 CRV for a bit. The install was pretty affordable and can be done cleanly. My local UHaul didnt have great reviews but there was a place that did truck accessories so they were able to do it easily enough.

69

I’ve gotten a couple hitches from etrailer.com, and they have been good experiences with pretty easy installations.

70

Yup, I have hung two of them on different vehicles. Decent work and plan on an afternoon or full day depending on the vehicle. Some are rather easy while others take a fair bit of messing about. It’s worth checking on existing users install stories to see if that DIY is worth your time.

For my 3rd hitch, I chose the Easy button and U-Haul worked well for my wife’s car. Worth the bit of extra $ for me with my schedule at that time.

71

Some hitch installs require you to cut the bumper. Be sure you’re comfortable with that if you decide to DIY.

Also, the only reason I see not to go 2” is if you already have accessories that mount to a 1 1/4”

72

Valid point. Personally, I’d still buy a 2" receiver and adapters for my current stuff, so I keep the flexibility for later in case I need it.

73

I’d always go 2" - just make sure you don’t be stupid with it and try and tow something above your vehicle’s rating. And if you are hauling a trailer, make sure there’s more weight on the tongue of the trailer, you do NOT want it rear heavy.

When you don’t have a bike rack on the car, being able to use one of the nicer hitch carriers (pakmule) as well as more variety in what you can hitch up / tow makes it worth it. (Bed Extenders that fit in the 2" hitch are nice if you want to stick a kayak or long boards out the back too)

If I had a car where they made one and I wanted to preserve the aesthetics, I’d be looking at a Stealth Hitch (Pretty slick and they make them for Luxury Cars/SUV’s, Teslas, etc.). But, I’ve always driven more rugged SUVs and trucks anyways, and my new truck has a 6.5’ bed, a cap, has a diesel, and can tow almost 10K pounds so I’m not sure there’s much “stealth” about that.