Bike rack suggestions requested..

[willald]

We've always carried our bikes inside a vehicle. When we had a truck and TT, bikes all fit in back of our tow vehicle (Ford Excursion). Now, with the MH, bikes fit in the back of our towed vehicle (minivan).

However, things are changing, and our 'towed' vehicle will now be a sedan most of the time (Ford Fusion), not the minivan. Bikes won't fit inside the Fusion like they did in the van, so looking at options for a bike rack of some kind.

Was going to use dual receiver and bike rack on back of MH. That is, until I realized that would mean we couldn't take the bikes with us in/on the 'toad'. Really want to be able to do that, so now looking at installing a hitch receiver on the back of Ford Fusion, and using a bike rack on it. Already located a Class II 1.25" hitch receiver for the Fusion, going to order that soon and install it.

Any suggestions, recommendations, hints, etc. on what bike rack I should buy for this? It needs to fit in a 1.25" hitch receiver, and carry 4 bikes of various sizes - Two adult (mountain) bikes, and 2 smaller children's bikes (that will eventually 'grow' into adult bikes as kids get bigger).

Any and all suggestions welcome, but would prefer something I can purchase in a store (not online), as want to be able to take it home and test it out briefly, and be able to return it easily if it doesn't fit or doesn't work for whatever reason.

[willald]

super_camper wrote:
I've never seen the strap you're describing, it may not have been available when I bought my rack. Where does it attach?

It attaches to the the front 'lip' of your trunk. A picture is worth a thousand words, so here's a link to the strap I'm talking about: Curt bike rack stabilizer strap

Supposedly, Curt (hitch receiver company) recommends this strap any time you're using a bike rack with one of their 1.25" hitch receivers.

I've bought all of my racks off eBay, I actually had 5 king cobras and cross bars and locks on my popup and loved that setup, I think the retail cost was well of $1500 but of course actually affordable if you're selective on eBay - the trick is to find something without shipping, especially with heavy items like bike racks.

I kinda stayed away from eBay and things like that when getting this rack, because I knew it was impossible to know for certain if all our bikes would fit on it or not until I had the rack and could try it. Because of that, I needed to get it from places I could easily take it back/exchange for another if it didn't work (hence the reason I bought from Dick's Sporting Goods). 'Tis a good thing I took that approach, because I tried 2 other racks that wouldn't work before settling on the Thule that does.

Will

[super_camper]

willald wrote:

super_camper wrote:
I have tried just about every combination of bike racks over the years and have settled on a Yakima 4 bike rack that fits a 1 1/4" receiver and has an adapter for a 2" receiver. I can put the rack on my MH, toad, or use a dual receiver.

I've had the Yakima rack for about 5 years and it still looks like new. I had a Ford Edge with the 1/4" receiver for the first 3 years and replaced that car with a Flex with the 2" receiver.

There are many comments in this thread regarding the 4 bike racks and a 1 1/4" receiver. I actually took my bikes and rack to a local guy that weighed it and confirmed no problem with weights. I had a class II hitch that was rated for 3500 lbs trailer weight and 300lbs tongue weight.

My advice would be to make sure the hitch you install is a class II and not a class I. Also the 4 bikes PLUS rack will weigh more than the 150 lbs you mentioned. The thule bike rack you referenced above isn't as nice as the yakima in my opinion. I like the Yakima tie downs much better.

Yes, it is a Class II hitch I had installed, rated at 3500 lbs towing, 350 lbs tongue weight. That was/is the only thing available for the Fusion. Would not have done this if it was not.

I admit, I was estimating that 150 lbs. No doubt it may be more than that, but it will not come anywhere even remotely close to the 350 lb limit of the hitch receiver. Also, as noted above, I use a stabilizer strap that goes from the trunk to the top of the bike rack. That takes some of the stress off of the hitch receiver.

The Thule I have has the adapter to let it fit in either a 2" receiver or 1.25". And, like I alluded to above, I have used it in both - 2" receiver on MH and DW's minivan, and 1.25" on the Fusion. Works great in either case, realy like the versatility that gives you.

I looked at several Yakima racks as well, super_camper. They look very nice also, may well be nicer than the Thule I have. However, at nearly TWICE the price, I just was not convinced the Yakima was THAT much better (not to mention, the Thule was a bit more readily available here). 🙂

Will

I've never seen the strap you're describing, it may not have been available when I bought my rack. Where does it attach? I agree on the weight, more than 150 but definitely less than 350 even if the bikes are heavy. At the time I bought my rack Yakima actually had a 5 bike rack with an 1 1/4" receiver.

I've bought all of my racks off eBay, I actually had 5 king cobras and cross bars and locks on my popup and loved that setup, I think the retail cost was well of $1500 but of course actually affordable if you're selective on eBay - the trick is to find something without shipping, especially with heavy items like bike racks.

[willald]

super_camper wrote:
I have tried just about every combination of bike racks over the years and have settled on a Yakima 4 bike rack that fits a 1 1/4" receiver and has an adapter for a 2" receiver. I can put the rack on my MH, toad, or use a dual receiver.

I've had the Yakima rack for about 5 years and it still looks like new. I had a Ford Edge with the 1/4" receiver for the first 3 years and replaced that car with a Flex with the 2" receiver.

There are many comments in this thread regarding the 4 bike racks and a 1 1/4" receiver. I actually took my bikes and rack to a local guy that weighed it and confirmed no problem with weights. I had a class II hitch that was rated for 3500 lbs trailer weight and 300lbs tongue weight.

My advice would be to make sure the hitch you install is a class II and not a class I. Also the 4 bikes PLUS rack will weigh more than the 150 lbs you mentioned. The thule bike rack you referenced above isn't as nice as the yakima in my opinion. I like the Yakima tie downs much better.

Yes, it is a Class II hitch I had installed, rated at 3500 lbs towing, 350 lbs tongue weight. That was/is the only thing available for the Fusion. Would not have done this if it was not.

I admit, I was estimating that 150 lbs. No doubt it may be more than that, but it will not come anywhere even remotely close to the 350 lb limit of the hitch receiver. Also, as noted above, I use a stabilizer strap that goes from the trunk to the top of the bike rack. That takes some of the stress off of the hitch receiver.

The Thule I have has the adapter to let it fit in either a 2" receiver or 1.25". And, like I alluded to above, I have used it in both - 2" receiver on MH and DW's minivan, and 1.25" on the Fusion. Works great in either case, realy like the versatility that gives you.

I looked at several Yakima racks as well, super_camper. They look very nice also, may well be nicer than the Thule I have. However, at nearly TWICE the price, I just was not convinced the Yakima was THAT much better (not to mention, the Thule was a bit more readily available here). 🙂

Will

[super_camper]

willald wrote:
Update: Hitch receiver (for the Fusion) is on the way (ordered from Uhaul), supposed to be here Wednesday, at which time UHaul will install it. Or, I may install myself, the installation looks pretty simple.

Was still 'thinking' on which bike rack to get, when one that was at the top of my short list went on sale today. Soo, I went ahead and ordered this Thule 4 bike rack today from Dick's Sporting Goods. Won't be here until next week, we'll see then how the bikes fit on it, etc.

Now, to address some of the specific, recent comments:

Before you buy any bike rack it is IMPORTANT to make sure your Ford can handle the weight of the rack plus 4 bikes. Your owners manual may give you that information

Owner's manual says nothing about that, just says that the hybrid drive train is not designed for towing, so towing a trailer is not an option (already knew that, and don't ever plan to). However, I'm not seeing why a Class II hitch receiver with a 350 lb tongue rating designed specifically for a Ford Fusion, shouldnt be able to handle a bike rack and 4 bikes that weigh a total of around 150 lbs?

Two of the bikes are adult bikes, two are children's bikes (much smaller). As noted above, the weight of the bikes plus the rack, will be nowhere near the tongue weight limit of the hitch receiver itself.

I would agree that 4 bikes on an 1 1/4" hitch is going to be a problem even tho Swagmen sells them.

..Not just Swagman, but Yakima, and Thule also make them, and they are two of the most well known, respected brands that make bike racks. If it was a 'problem', I seriously doubt Yakima or Thule would be making, selling them. 🙂

Another thing you may consider is to take your Fusion to a shop that installs trailer hitches

I did, U-Haul. They're installing the hitch, and they said it would work fine, when I explained what I was going to do with it. Told me towing would be a bad idea, but as I said previously, already knew that. 🙂

How about a 2" receiver on the front of the MH then you could take the bikes with/without the car?

..That presents the same issue I had with using a dual receiver and putting bike rack on back of MH: No way to take bikes with us, when we want to go somewhere with the toad that we can't or don't want to bring the MH. I doubt you'd be able to mount a receiver on the front of the MH, anyway.

I have tried just about every combination of bike racks over the years and have settled on a Yakima 4 bike rack that fits a 1 1/4" receiver and has an adapter for a 2" receiver. I can put the rack on my MH, toad, or use a dual receiver.

I've had the Yakima rack for about 5 years and it still looks like new. I had a Ford Edge with the 1/4" receiver for the first 3 years and replaced that car with a Flex with the 2" receiver.

There are many comments in this thread regarding the 4 bike racks and a 1 1/4" receiver. I actually took my bikes and rack to a local guy that weighed it and confirmed no problem with weights. I had a class II hitch that was rated for 3500 lbs trailer weight and 300lbs tongue weight.

My advice would be to make sure the hitch you install is a class II and not a class I. Also the 4 bikes PLUS rack will weigh more than the 150 lbs you mentioned. The thule bike rack you referenced above isn't as nice as the yakima in my opinion. I like the Yakima tie downs much better.

[willald]

westend wrote:
Post back in a year or so and let us know how that worked out for you.

...Hasn't been a year yet, but here's an update:

Been on several trips carrying the bikes. Sometimes on the back of the Fusion (towing and driving), one trip carrying them on DW's minivan, and one carrying them on back of the MH. It works perfectly, we are very happy with this arrangement. This Thule rack, like I mentioned before, holds the bikes rock solid. There is very little movement back there at all, whether driving the Fusion or towing it behind the MH.

Really like the versatility the hitch mounted rack provides - we can (and have) carried the bikes on either the back of the MH (when not towing a car), back of the Fusion, or the back of DW's minivan. Rack works great, regardless.

I know some have implied a Class II hitch could be bad news with the weight of 4 bikes on it. I think the hitch stabilizer strap I got (noted in a previous post) really helps. It takes some of the weight, stress off of the receiver.

Only complaint I have, and it is very minor: Putting the rack on and off the receiver is a bit more tedious than I'd like, due to the screw-in bolt you use instead of a regular hitch pin. The Fusion's receiver being so low and back behind the bumper adds to that. Still, my fat self needs the exercise, so thats OK. 🙂

Soooo, anyway, lesson learned for anyone reading this in the future: There is absolutely no reason why a 4 bike rack, in a 1.25" receiver, won't work just fine on a 'toad' being towed behind a MH. WOrks just fine for us. Provided, that is, that you do your homework, get the right receiver, a good rack, stabilizer strap, etc.

[willald]

..Small update: The Thule bike rack came last week, as did the stabilizer strap. Much ealier than expected, which was nice.

Sunday, we were going to visit DW's family for the day (a 45 minute drive), and kids really wanted to bring their bikes, so we gave the new bike rack setup a test run, and carried the kid's (20") bikes on the new rack on the Fusion for the first time, for the 45 minute drive to/from DW's family yesterday.

Although this was only 2 bikes and not 4 (yet), this rack setup works great, I am very happy with it! Bikes were rock solid back there, did not move hardly at all. Vehicle handling was not affected at all, either. I think the stabilizer strap helps a lot, in eliminating the bouncing you frequently get on hitch mounted bike racks.

Only one complaint - Having bikes back there really has an adverse affect on the Fusion hybrids normally incredible mileage! Mileage went from the 47-48 we've normally been getting, down to 37 when carrying the bikes!! It appears the bikes being back there really messes up the Fusion's aerodynamic profile and creates a lot of wind resistance. We could not run in EV (electric) mode much at all when on the highway like we normally can. Of course, even with 37 mpg...How many other vehicles can carry 5 people, 4 bikes, and do better than 37 mpg? I'm betting, not many. 🙂

Mileage doesn't really matter, anyway, as 90% of the time when the bikes are on the back of the Fusion will be when the MH is towing the Fusion. And in that case, fuel mileage is in the toilet no matter what, hahahaha!

Sooo, anyway, bottom line is that it looks like this setup is going to work great. 🙂

[willald]

~DJ~ wrote:
Sounds like you have it all figured out. If you found a hitch rated for 350# then I think it should work fine for the bikes.

Those are my thoughts as well, DJ.

Even if you de-rate the tongue weight rating by 50% since so much of the weight will be protruding out a little ways, we're still within the limit.

..And just to be even more sure: I just ordered one of these stabilization straps from etrailer, that are designed/recommended to be used when you use a bike rack with a class I or II hitch receiver. Will use that as well.

As suggested earlier, I will definitely post back after a while, dredge this topic back up, and let everyone know how it works out.

Will

[_DJ_1]

Sounds like you have it all figured out. If you found a hitch rated for 350# then I think it should work fine for the bikes.

[westend]

Post back in a year or so and let us know how that worked out for you.

[willald]

Update: Hitch receiver (for the Fusion) is on the way (ordered from Uhaul), supposed to be here Wednesday, at which time UHaul will install it. Or, I may install myself, the installation looks pretty simple.

Was still 'thinking' on which bike rack to get, when one that was at the top of my short list went on sale today. Soo, I went ahead and ordered this Thule 4 bike rack today from Dick's Sporting Goods. Won't be here until next week, we'll see then how the bikes fit on it, etc.

Now, to address some of the specific, recent comments:

Before you buy any bike rack it is IMPORTANT to make sure your Ford can handle the weight of the rack plus 4 bikes. Your owners manual may give you that information

Owner's manual says nothing about that, just says that the hybrid drive train is not designed for towing, so towing a trailer is not an option (already knew that, and don't ever plan to). However, I'm not seeing why a Class II hitch receiver with a 350 lb tongue rating designed specifically for a Ford Fusion, shouldnt be able to handle a bike rack and 4 bikes that weigh a total of around 150 lbs?

Two of the bikes are adult bikes, two are children's bikes (much smaller). As noted above, the weight of the bikes plus the rack, will be nowhere near the tongue weight limit of the hitch receiver itself.

I would agree that 4 bikes on an 1 1/4" hitch is going to be a problem even tho Swagmen sells them.

..Not just Swagman, but Yakima, and Thule also make them, and they are two of the most well known, respected brands that make bike racks. If it was a 'problem', I seriously doubt Yakima or Thule would be making, selling them. 🙂

Another thing you may consider is to take your Fusion to a shop that installs trailer hitches

I did, U-Haul. They're installing the hitch, and they said it would work fine, when I explained what I was going to do with it. Told me towing would be a bad idea, but as I said previously, already knew that. 🙂

How about a 2" receiver on the front of the MH then you could take the bikes with/without the car?

..That presents the same issue I had with using a dual receiver and putting bike rack on back of MH: No way to take bikes with us, when we want to go somewhere with the toad that we can't or don't want to bring the MH. I doubt you'd be able to mount a receiver on the front of the MH, anyway.

[_DJ_1]

I would agree that 4 bikes on an 1 1/4" hitch is going to be a problem even tho Swagmen sells them.

How about a 2" receiver on the front of the MH then you could take the bikes with/without the car?

[Geobiker]

Before you buy any bike rack it is IMPORTANT to make sure your Ford can handle the weight of the rack plus 4 bikes. Your owners manual may give you that information. I agree with others, carrying 4 bikes on an 1 1/4" class I or II bike rack is NOT a good idea. We have a 1 1/4" class II receiver and carry 2 mountain bikes on a Thule T2 917XTR platform bike rack and love it.

As others have suggested go to your local bike shop for ideas. Or check out www.etrailer.com/hitch-bike-racks. This was a great site when researching what we needed. Another thing you may consider is to take your Fusion to a shop that installs trailer hitches. They may also have some good ideas for you. Good luck

[willald]

mgirardo wrote:

dodge guy wrote:
the bikes should stay put on the back of the Fusion! just like they would if you were just going to go someplace to go for a ride.

The hitch mounted bike rack we have actually uses a threaded hitch pin with lock washer and cotter pin. Bolted down tightly enough, the bike rack shouldn't move at all.

Yes, most racks I've looked at have that threaded hitch pin. Definitely understand why its needed for a bike rack mounted this way, but it has one drawback as well, I think: Taking off and putting the bike rack on is a bit more tedious, since you have to have a wrench and screw in (or out) that threaded hitch pin.

I'm wondering if a better solution would be to use a regular hitch pin, and use a hitch immobilizer? Well, I guess the immobilizer would create the same drawback, of making putting on and taking the rack off more tedious.

Will

[mgirardo]

dodge guy wrote:
the bikes should stay put on the back of the Fusion! just like they would if you were just going to go someplace to go for a ride.

The hitch mounted bike rack we have actually uses a threaded hitch pin with lock washer and cotter pin. Bolted down tightly enough, the bike rack shouldn't move at all.

-Michael