Best Hitch Mounted Bike Racks for 2019

The Yakima SwingDaddy is a hitch mounted bike carrier that swings away to allow access to your vehicles hatch. It has a carrying capacity of up to four bikes. It features anti-sway fasteners that all but eliminate bike to bike contact.

The rack can easily be collapsed by clicking a single button and allowing it to fold down. It not only comes with a built in cable lock to secure your bikes to the bike rack, but also a lock that secures the rack to your vehicle.

• Bike carrying capacity: 4
• Weight capacity: 160 lbs
• Hitch receiver: Class 2 - 2 inch
• Hatch access: Swing away

The Thule Vertex Swing is a swing away hitch mounted bike rack that swings to one side to allow access to your vehicle’s hatch. The rack can also be locked in place to prevent it accidentally swinging back and causing damage to the bike of vehicle.

The anti sway cradles are ribbed to accommodate any cables that run underneath the bike frame. It has an integrated cable lock to secure the bikes to the rack.

Hide-away, heavy-duty integrated cable lock allows you to lock the bikes to the rack and stores inside hitch rack when not in use.

Even though the Vertex has a stated carrying capacity of 4 bikes, some users have noted it difficult to load more than three bikes at a time, especially mountain bikes.

If you have a bicycle with a non-conventional frame, such as a woman's, child's, or full-suspension bike, you may need a frame adapter to carry your bike on a hanging-style rear mount bike rack. The Thule frame adapter part number is: 982XT

• Bike carrying capacity: 4
• Weight capacity: 140 lbs
• Hitch receiver: Class 2 - 2 inch
• Hatch access: Swing away

The Thule T2 Classic is a tray style, hitch mounted bike carrier with a 2 bike capacity. Bikes are secured to this carrier using a wheel clamp for the front wheel and a ratchet strap for the rear wheel. This means that there is no frame contact once the bikes are loaded and secured.

The T2 Classic can be tilted backward to give access to the hatch of the vehicle. This can be done even while fully loaded. This bike rack is not recommended for vehicles with a side opening tailgate as there is not enough clearance to open the tailgate even when the rack is tilted.

The wheel clamps has space for locks to be installed that will secure your bikes to the rack. There is also a lockable pin that prevents the rack to be removed from the vehicle. When not in use this bike carrier can be flipped up for easier storage.

• Bike carrying capacity: 2
• Weight capacity: 120 lbs
• Hitch receiver: Class 2 - 2 inch
• Hatch access: Tilt away

• Bike carrying capacity: 4
• Weight capacity: 180 lbs
• Hitch receiver: Class 1-2 - 1.25 inch - 2 inch
• Hatch access: Tilt away

Advantages:

• Easy to Load Bikes: Tray style racks typically have a simple and accessible design for loading and unloading bikes. You don't need to lift your bike very high, which can be especially helpful for heavier or electric bikes.
• Minimal Frame Contact: These racks often hold the bikes by their wheels, minimizing contact with the bike's frame. This reduces the risk of damage to the frame's finish or structure.
• Minimal Swaying: Tray style racks tend to provide more stability for bikes during transit, resulting in less swaying or movement while driving.

Disadvantages

• Large Size: These racks can be relatively large and may extend far from the rear of your vehicle. This could limit your ability to park in tight spaces or navigate narrow roads.

• Storage Space: When not in use, tray style racks can take up a significant amount of storage space in your garage or home.

Advantages

• Foldable: Many mast style racks are designed to fold down when not in use, which can make them more convenient for parking and storing your vehicle.
• Easy to Store: Due to their foldable design, mast style racks are often easier to store when not in use compared to tray style racks.

Disadvantages

• Bike Sway: Bikes on mast style racks can sway or wobble more than those on tray style racks, especially when driving at high speeds or on rough terrain.
• Secured Through Frame Contact: Most mast style racks secure bikes by clamping onto the bike's frame. This can lead to potential frame scratches or damage, especially on bikes with delicate or non-traditional frame designs.

Hatch access

Easy hatch access is an important consideration when choosing a hitch mounted bike rack. There are generally two designs to accommodate hatch access: Swing away and Tilt away designs.

The swing away design, as the name suggest, enables the whole bike rack, including bikes, to swing away to one side and allows access to the rear hatch or tailgate of the car. This solution most available on mast style racks.

The tilt away design allows the whole bike rack to simply tilt backwards allowing the hatch to be opened. It is important to note that this design does not accommodate rear hatches that fold down or open sideways.