The hitch-mounted bike racks is one variety of bike racks that can easily slide into the receiver of the trailer hitch on an automobile or truck. With this sort of rack, you have some blessing over the trunk-mounted and roof bike racks:
- Available in many different models
- Easy to load and also unload the bikes.
- More mechanics than other kinds of racks.
- Eliminates overhead clearance issues with your garage doors as compared to the roof-mounted bike racks.
- Available with a lot of capability than the most trunk-mounted racks.
- They offer more security than the usual truck-mounted bike racks.
- It is compatible with models than the other bike racks.
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Different Racks for various varieties of Bikes
Bike racks are available in a spread of designs – some work better than others for carrying specific kinds of bikes. You’ll even find racks that are designed to suit specialized bikes like tandems and recumbents. Regardless of which type of motorcycle you’ve got, there’s a hitch-mounted bike rack that will carry it.
Various types of Hitch Bike Racks
Hitch bike racks usually fall under one of the two major groups – hanging or platform style racks. A couple of racks are designed for holding non-traditional bikes, like tandems, recumbents, trikes, or some other specialty bikes.
Hanging style
- Hold up to a maximum of two to five bikes.
- They weigh very little than the platform-style racks.
- You will need a sway control device to get control over the bike.
- They are cheaper than platform racks.
- You will need an adapter bar for an alternative-framed bike.
- Contact frame is required
- Fit 1-1/4 inches X 1-1/4 inches and 2 inches X 2 inches hitches.
Hanging style bike racks
The frame is used as a support in most of the hanging bikes so that the bike hangs from its prime tube. Some bike racks can hold bikes with the help of wheels so that there is no contact with the frame of the bike. These racks will simply accommodate bikes with various frames.
Bikes with different frames won’t droop level on a suspension rack. If you have a motorbike with AN alternate frame, and it does not droop level, AN adapter bar will facilitate. AN adapter bar clamps onto the seat post and head tube of your bike and provides support that rests on the bike rack’s arms.
Bike Rack with Anti-Sway Cradles
Bikes will sway on hanging racks, creating contact with alternative bikes or alongside your vehicle. To stop sway, several racks accompany the anti-sway cradles, and they grasp the bikes by their frames to stop them from swinging.
Platform bike racks
These racks support bikes by their wheels. The bikes adjust one of the upper parts of the rack while the tires are resting in the cradles. For the platform bikes, the adjustable wheel holders allow suiting a good range of bikes, no matter size, frame, suspension, or wheel size. You’ll easily load bikes on this sort of rack.
Size of hitches
Before you purchase a hitch-mounted bike rack, you will need to understand if it’ll fit the hitch on your vehicle.
Most hitches have a 2 inches X 2 inches or 1-1/4 inches X 1-1/4 inches receiver gap. If the gap of your vehicle’s hitch is 2 inches X 2 inches, any bike rack created for this gap size can match. If the hitch measures 1-1/4 inches X 1-1/4 inches, you will need to understand its class for making sure that you simply find a motorcycle rack that fits well. Hitches with 1 ¼ inch X 1 ¼ inches measurements are Class 1 or Class 2. Class 2 hitches are capable of carrying more weight when compared to Class 1. It can assist in preventing overloading of the 1st category hitch, and some manufacturers make sure that their Class 1 hitches won’t fit into the class 2 accessories. If you’ve got a category 1 hitch, you will have to ensure that any bike’s rack you think about fits a Class 1 hitch. If you’ve got a category 2 hitch, you’ll use a motorcycle rack that matches Class 1 and sophistication 2.
If you do not know the category of the hitch, you ought to be ready to determine the class or category supported by the hitch, and then you can find out easily. The capacity is found with the help of the stamp or a sticker on the hitch. Most Class 1 hitches have a tongue weight capacity of 200 lbs, and most Class 2 hitches have a tongue weight capability of 350 lbs.
Don’t have a hitch? No worry
If the vehicle doesn’t have a hitch, you’ll install one. To put in most hitches, you do not need tons of mechanical skill – you only got to have a couple of basic hand tools.
If the vehicle comes with rear-mounted spare, you need to ensure that the bike rack will be able to clear it when the installation of bike rack is done. See the way to measure, below, to see for clearance.
- Measure the space to the outermost fringe of the love handle, from the middle of the hitch pin hole on the hitch receiver.
- Check the space from the middle of the hitch pin hole within the shank to the closest part of the upright mast of a dangling rack or to the closest wheel cradle of a platform rack.
- To ensure adequate clearance, the measure of the bike rack ought to be larger than the measure taken on your vehicle.
- It is easy to measure for the bumper clearance – just measure starting with the middle of the hitch pin hole to the outermost fringe of the bumper rather than measuring to the love handle.
You can add an extension to your hitch to offer you more clearance, but remember that an extension will reduce the load capacity of your hitch by half.
Bike rack capabilities
Typical hitch bike racks area unit on the market to hold from two to five bikes depending on other factors. Racks for specialty bikes, like recumbent and trikes, could solely be ready to carry one bike. Once you are considering a hitch bike rack, ensure that it fits your vehicle’s hitch properly.
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