Bike Hitch Rack Recommendations Please

[holdmybeer]

I've owned two 1UP racks for almost 10 years. Heavy or Super Duty or whatever they called that variation at the time. One is configured for tandem and the other for a pair of single bikes. They can move between car, Grenadier, motorhome. No regrets. 100% metal, maintainable, repairable. I keep meaning to look into a cargo platform to maybe convert one of the 1UP racks to use because it's such a confident and properly built system.

For the Grenadier I had to add a Rocky Mounts 8" Anti-Wobble Hitch Extension to clear the spare tire.

 

[HereinDaRockies]

I've owned two 1UP racks for almost 10 years. Heavy or Super Duty or whatever they called that variation at the time. One is configured for tandem and the other for a pair of single bikes. They can move between car, Grenadier, motorhome. No regrets. 100% metal, maintainable, repairable. I keep meaning to look into a cargo platform to maybe convert one of the 1UP racks to use because it's such a confident and properly built system.

For the Grenadier I had to add a Rocky Mounts 8" Anti-Wobble Hitch Extension to clear the spare tire.

Without a swing arm, are you able to open the rear doors with the 1up rack attached?

 

[holdmybeer]

Without a swing arm, are you able to open the rear doors with the 1up rack attached?

I think it clears my empty single tray (for the tandem) but, nope, the double blocks it so I just hinge it down. I remove the bikes first. Which is easy enough with the 1UP system.

 

[NorthShale+1]

Following up…
Thanks to the great advice given here we went ahead and outfitted our Fieldmaster with what seems to be an excellent solution for carrying our two 50lb e-bikes. The setup made its debut for a 600 mile road trip and performed flawlessly. Here’s what we went with…

As we do not have the tow package installed we needed a hitch receiver and purchased one from @Oscar3rd from this forum ($375). It’s a quality piece and installation was simple with the included hardware. Our only note is that the receiver is quite tight and it would not have been possible to insert the hitch extension without lubrication. Perhaps this will ease up over time and better to be snug than a bit too loose.

For the hitch extension we went with the KUAT Pivot V2 Swing Away Bike Rack Extension - the version that swings to the passenger’s side ($449). It’s a serious piece of kit and the quality and r&d that went into it are immediately evident. There’s minimal, easy assembly and it works brilliantly to allow for easy access to the rear of the Grenadier with little effort even with the bikes mounted.

For the rack we went with the 1UP Heavy Duty ($850). Again, a small and simple bit of assembly with the included tools. Its reputation as a an excellent, well constructed rack is well deserved. As it’s our first rack of this type we did not anticipate the “wobble” of the mounted bikes which was unnerving at first. One quick search and you learn that it’s perfectly normal for the bikes to sway a bit. There was definitely that feeling of, “how the heck do these bikes stay on?” with such a simple design but you quickly realize that everything is completely secure.

It all performed perfectly on this first trip. Another 900 mile test run next week. Thanks again to all who provided suggestions!

 

[chrsbe]

Does anyone have the bikes mounted vertically on the ladder?

 

[avidtest]

I have the same two components as @NorthShale+1.

The Kuat Pivot V2 was a game changer. It's awesome. Much cheaper than the 1Up swing arm. Heavy duty too. And w/ Amazon Prime, free shipping, unlike w/ the 1Up swing arm.

 

[Todd]

Does anyone have the bikes mounted vertically on the ladder?

I do...

amazon pipe clams and a freedom coast fork mount.
A small bungee on longer trips to keep the rear from moving around too much.

 

[HereinDaRockies]

Following up…
Thanks to the great advice given here we went ahead and outfitted our Fieldmaster with what seems to be an excellent solution for carrying our two 50lb e-bikes. The setup made its debut for a 600 mile road trip and performed flawlessly. Here’s what we went with…

As we do not have the tow package installed we needed a hitch receiver and purchased one from @Oscar3rd from this forum ($375). It’s a quality piece and installation was simple with the included hardware. Our only note is that the receiver is quite tight and it would not have been possible to insert the hitch extension without lubrication. Perhaps this will ease up over time and better to be snug than a bit too loose.
View attachment 7881765

For the hitch extension we went with the KUAT Pivot V2 Swing Away Bike Rack Extension - the version that swings to the passenger’s side ($449). It’s a serious piece of kit and the quality and r&d that went into it are immediately evident. There’s minimal, easy assembly and it works brilliantly to allow for easy access to the rear of the Grenadier with little effort even with the bikes mounted.
View attachment 7881766
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For the rack we went with the 1UP Heavy Duty ($850). Again, a small and simple bit of assembly with the included tools. Its reputation as a an excellent, well constructed rack is well deserved. As it’s our first rack of this type we did not anticipate the “wobble” of the mounted bikes which was unnerving at first. One quick search and you learn that it’s perfectly normal for the bikes to sway a bit. There was definitely that feeling of, “how the heck do these bikes stay on?” with such a simple design but you quickly realize that everything is completely secure.
View attachment 7881769
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It all performed perfectly on this first trip. Another 900 mile test run next week. Thanks again to all who provided suggestions!

Nice! I am considering the just pivot v2. however it’s poor review on REI’s website is giving me pause. How much have you used it so far?

 

[NorthShale+1]

Nice! I am considering the just pivot v2. however it’s poor review on REI’s website is giving me pause. How much have you used it so far?

We looked at a lot of reviews but did not read anything on REI. We are 1,000 miles into a 1,500 mile roadtrip for which we purchased and installed our bike rack setup and everything, Pivot included, has performed flawlessly. Can't imagine what issues might present given how incredibly well it's constructed. We couldn't be more pleased at this point.