Receiver Bike Racks

blaczero wrote:
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I have(had) a 5 bike Thule rack that catastrophically failed on my trip to FL. Bikes dragging on the highway behind the RV, fun.

I am currently looking for a rack that is not a rear hitch rack. Don't trust them

Totally understand how you feel there. I had a hitch mounted rack fail on me, also, when going over a large bump several years ago. Did a bunch of damage to the trunk lid on the car it was attached to. Was carrying 4 bikes at the time. I realized afterward that (4 bikes) was just too much for that hitch mounted rack, even though the Thule (hitch mounted) rack was supposedly designed for up to 5.

Now, I wouldn't trust any hitch mounted rack, if I had to carry more than 2 bikes. After the Thule rack failed, I went to Yakima roof mounted racks. Soooo much nicer - Bikes sit on top of the car we tow behind the RV, are held in place by their front wheel, and do not touch each other. Easy to mount them up there and get them down, and they are out of the way, no longer blocking access to the back of the car like old rack did.

Yes, roof mounted racks are a bit more expensive and can be a little more work to set up initially. However, you can save a ton of $$ by getting them used, off of Craigslist or ebay. I saved several hundred by going that way.

I highly recommend you look into roof racks, if such will work for you.