Recommendations Hitch Bike Rack

[6zfshdb]

I need to carry four ebikes, all with fenders. (Three Pedego Interceptors and one Pedego City Commuter.) Thoughts?

Carrying 4 relatively heavy ebikes on a single rack is a tall order. A pickup truck would be a possibility. I carry 4 bikes in mine using the rack mentioned in this post:

https://electricbikereview.com/foru...oad-pickup-truck-bike-rack.24496/#post-153487

Once 2 bikes are loaded in the bed, I put the other two on my Thule hitch rack:

https://www.thule.com/en-us/us/bike-rack/hitch-bike-racks/thule-t2-classic-2---2-_-1689772

Thule makes an add on for the above rack increasing the capacity to four 60 lb. bikes.

https://www.thule.com/en-us/us/bike-rack/accessories/thule-t2-classic-add-on-_-9046

Yakima makes a similar product:

https://www.yakima.com/holdup-evo

And

https://www.yakima.com/holdup-evo-2-1

The Yakima limits the bike weight to 50 lbs each though

Both require a 2" receiver on your vehicle.

Bike carrying trailers such as:

(Link Removed - No Longer Exists)

are another possibility but they are expensive, awkward to maneuver and require licensing.

What vehicle do you plan to use?

 

[Saratoga Dave]

My wife’s City Commuter weighs about 62 pounds, so without the battery it’s maybe 56 or so, assuming nothing attached to it. I believe the Interceptors are every bit as heavy. I can’t imagine four of them hanging off the back of a vehicle safely on any rack, even the 1 Up racks... when something breaks that’s going to be a twelve thousand dollar pile of rubble in the street and who knows what kind of liability nightmare if someone gets hurt. How about a smallish utility trailer - you can even rent them from U Haul - for trips that require all four?

 

[ebikemom]

Carrying 4 relatively heavy ebikes on a single rack is a tall order. A pickup truck would be a possibility. I carry 4 bikes in mine using the rack mentioned in this post:

https://electricbikereview.com/foru...oad-pickup-truck-bike-rack.24496/#post-153487

Once 2 bikes are loaded in the bed, I put the other two on my Thule hitch rack:

https://www.thule.com/en-us/us/bike-rack/hitch-bike-racks/thule-t2-classic-2---2-_-1689772

Thule makes an add on for the above rack increasing the capacity to four 60 lb. bikes.

https://www.thule.com/en-us/us/bike-rack/accessories/thule-t2-classic-add-on-_-9046

Yakima makes a similar product:

https://www.yakima.com/holdup-evo

And

https://www.yakima.com/holdup-evo-2-1

The Yakima limits the bike weight to 50 lbs each though

Both require a 2" receiver on your vehicle.

Bike carrying trailers such as:

(Link Removed - No Longer Exists)

are another possibility but they are expensive, awkward to maneuver and require licensing.

What vehicle do you plan to use?

I called Thule, and their t2 classic rack will not hold four 60 pound bikes. The 2-bike rack DOEs hold two 60 pound bikes, but for four bikes, the max weight is 160 pounds (I telephoned to get this info since it wasn't on the web page. First she said "well, 60 pounds per bike, so 240 pounds." I said, "would you send me documentation that says that since I can't find it on the web page?" And, as she searched, she said the written documentation says 160 pounds maximum.

We will use a Toyota Highlander with a 2" hitch. We have a hollywood rack that is rated 50lbs per bike, and have a 2 bike extension. In correspondence with them to see if it is rated for 200 pounds--if so, my H thinks we can lighten each bike by removing seats to make it work. The hollywood rack is wonderful because it has hooks to go over the bike frames that work for step-thru or staight bar frames, so does not have any problem with fenders. We'll see what they say in response to our query.

Thank you for this wealth of information! I will look through the links you sent, and see what I find out, and post results here.

 

[Alaskan]

I called Thule, and their t2 classic rack will not hold four 60 pound bikes. The 2-bike rack DOEs hold two 60 pound bikes, but for four bikes, the max weight is 160 pounds (I telephoned to get this info since it wasn't on the web page. First she said "well, 60 pounds per bike, so 240 pounds." I said, "would you send me documentation that says that since I can't find it on the web page?" And, as she searched, she said the written documentation says 160 pounds maximum.

We will use a Toyota Highlander with a 2" hitch. We have a hollywood rack that is rated 50lbs per bike, and have a 2 bike extension. In correspondence with them to see if it is rated for 200 pounds--if so, my H thinks we can lighten each bike by removing seats to make it work. The hollywood rack is wonderful because it has hooks to go over the bike frames that work for step-thru or staight bar frames, so does not have any problem with fenders. We'll see what they say in response to our query.

Thank you for this wealth of information! I will look through the links you sent, and see what I find out, and post results here.

I would definitely be looking at a four-bike trailer to tow around 4 heavy ebikes rather than a rack to carry them. A rack, cantilevered off the back of a mid-sized SUV, poses some real concern to me. The leverage of such an arrangement would significantly unweight the front wheels, reducing the effectiveness of the front brakes. This would put the vehicle and everyone in it at risk. I realize a trailer is more expensive but it would also be far safer.

 

[Alaskan]

That rack appears inadequate to the service you are asking of it. Carrying 4 ebikes on such a lightweight rack is asking for problems. More importantly, that much weight will compromise the steering and braking of your vehicle. There are real safety concerns here.

The only way I would take four bikes along with a Highlander and that rack is two bikes on the rack and two, with the wheels removed, in the back of the vehicle with the middle seats turned down. There is no way to safely transport four people and four bikes with a Highlander, except for putting the bikes on a trailer.

 

[Ravi Kempaiah]

I called Thule, and their t2 classic rack will not hold four 60 pound bikes. The 2-bike rack DOEs hold two 60 pound bikes, but for four bikes, the max weight is 160 pounds (I telephoned to get this info since it wasn't on the web page. First she said "well, 60 pounds per bike, so 240 pounds." I said, "would you send me documentation that says that since I can't find it on the web page?" And, as she searched, she said the written documentation says 160 pounds maximum.

We will use a Toyota Highlander with a 2" hitch. We have a hollywood rack that is rated 50lbs per bike, and have a 2 bike extension. In correspondence with them to see if it is rated for 200 pounds--if so, my H thinks we can lighten each bike by removing seats to make it work. The hollywood rack is wonderful because it has hooks to go over the bike frames that work for step-thru or staight bar frames, so does not have any problem with fenders. We'll see what they say in response to our query.

Thank you for this wealth of information! I will look through the links you sent, and see what I find out, and post results here.

It is possible to carry 4 E-bikes using a 2" hitch+rack combo. Kuat NV is a popular model that many of friends have and they routinely carry 2 heavy E-bikes without even removing the battery. There is even a pic of this setup on a highlander: https://www.stoorz.com/i/combo-kuat-nv-20-gray

@Chris Nolte used to have this Kuat 4 bike setup when his shop was in Long Island. In this pic, he has 4 heavy bikes.
@ebikemom It would certainly help if you remove the battery and seatpost before loading them up. Also, traveling at 70+ mph may not be advisable while carrying 4 E-bikes.

Check out this detailed review:

 

[CodyDog]

That rack appears inadequate to the service you are asking of it. Carrying 4 ebikes on such a lightweight rack is asking for problems. More importantly, that much weight will compromise the steering and braking of your vehicle. There are real safety concerns here.

The only way I would take four bikes along with a Highlander and that rack is two bikes on the rack and two, with the wheels removed, in the back of the vehicle with the middle seats turned down. There is no way to safely transport four people and four bikes with a Highlander, except for putting the bikes on a trailer.

Most folks don't realize how additional weight can effect the way a vehicle drives and reacts in less than good circumstances.

Additionally, not only added weight (as mentioned) but poorly distributed can change steering and braking drastically.

I wouldn't recommend hanging 4 ebikes off the back of a midsize (or smaller) SUV. All is good until you throw in a sudden stop or sudden turn at 60mph. In my humble opinion, doing so is pretty irresponsible.

 

[MikeDD]

That rack appears inadequate to the service you are asking of it. Carrying 4 ebikes on such a lightweight rack is asking for problems. More importantly, that much weight will compromise the steering and braking of your vehicle. There are real safety concerns here.

The only way I would take four bikes along with a Highlander and that rack is two bikes on the rack and two, with the wheels removed, in the back of the vehicle with the middle seats turned down. There is no way to safely transport four people and four bikes with a Highlander, except for putting the bikes on a trailer.

We haul and e-bike and e-trike, a trailer was the only way to go. We bought a used 4 x 6 enclosed trailer for $1100. We do not worry about weather or security. Fortunately, we have the room to store the trailer.

 

[ebikemom]

It is possible to carry 4 E-bikes using a 2" hitch+rack combo. Kuat NV is a popular model that many of friends have and they routinely carry 2 heavy E-bikes without even removing the battery. There is even a pic of this setup on a highlander: https://www.stoorz.com/i/combo-kuat-nv-20-gray

@Chris Nolte used to have this Kuat 4 bike setup when his shop was in Long Island. In this pic, he has 4 heavy bikes.
@ebikemom It would certainly help if you remove the battery and seatpost before loading them up. Also, traveling at 70+ mph may not be advisable while carrying 4 E-bikes.

View attachment 24112


Check out this detailed review:

Hey thanks for the tip! I went to their website and read the documentation for the four bike Kuat setup. The maximum weight is 160 pounds. No go for for Pedegos. The Kuat rack has a capacity of 60 pounds per bike space for the first two bikes. But, when there are four bikes the capacity drops to 40 pounds per bike space, or 160 pounds max. This is the same as the capacity of the Hollywood racks that hold four bikes (Hollywood, like Kuat, also makes a 2-bike rack that would be great for ebikes.

I ended up choosing the totem rack. Court Reviewed it – it’s a vertical rack. It can hold any kind of bike, including trikes, ebikes, a mixture of kid and adult bikes, etc. up to six conventional bikes. I talked to one of the owners and he said that four Pedegos is no problem.

The recommended maximum weight for the Totem rack is 200 pounds. We can get very close to that by removing batteries, seats etc. he said the rack is over built so going a bit over on weight is no problem. I think this rack is the best fit for our needs after looking at many racks, reading all of the specs, calling companies to ask about total load for racks with extensions, etc. In second place was the 1UP super duty rack, which is a high quality, reinforced (as compared to their "heavy duty" rack) platform rack with a 240 pound capacity that can carry four bikes, but it does poorly with fenders. I telephoned 1UP and had a good talk with their tech guy who said that they supply various things to use with fenders, and customers try various things, but fender deformity and denting is a problem.

We are careful drivers and are not going to be driving fast and whipping around curves with 200 pounds of bikes on the back of the car, never fear. For those who think it is unwise to put four ebikes on the back of a Highlander, well, the Highlander weighs 4500 pounds, so I don't think a 200 pound rack is going to cause us a problem. We will, of course, drive with consciousness of the precious cargo in the rear, as well as the precious lives inside.

 

[AdminUC78]

Have you used the loading ramp? I thought I read somewhere the ramp was flimsy and difficult to use. I have 4 inch fat tires. Will they fit on the ramp? Also, I believe Thule saids not to use behind a trailer.

Have you used the loading ramp? I thought I read somewhere the ramp was flimsy and difficult to use. I have 4 inch fat tires. Will they fit on the ramp? Also, I believe Thule saids not to use behind a trailer.

Have had the Thule Easyfold XT2 for about 2 years now. Now issues. Transports my Specialized Turbo Vado and Turbo Como effortlessly. The ramp is a tad bit flimsy, but definitely usable as long as you are patient and remember to use the walk mode. 4 inch tires could be challenging, but again use the walk mode. Always good to find a nice level area to park your car/suv. Finding a surface which is slightly more elevated than your rack, makes using the ramp much easier. Of course if there are two of you you can probably just ummph the bike onto the rack, or if you are able, just "stair step" the bike front tire first and then hoist the rear tire onto the rack. The Thule has excellent locking mechanisms for both the arms and the hitch. No problem finding a space on the frame to grip and lock the arms. I like how it folds and stores into a relatively compact "box" totally out of the way in my garage. So far, a great rack for heavy ebikes.