Buy Swagman XP Fold Down 3-Bike Hitch Mount Rack (2-Inch Receiver)

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List Price: $198.00
Sale Price: $173.68
Today's Bonus: 12% Off

This is the third bike rack my wife and I have tried and for once a pleasant surprise. I own a Jeep Liberty with the spare tire mounted on the back. Most hitch mounted bike racks require you to purchase a hitch extension costing between $30 and $70 dollars to clear the spare. The mounting tube on this rack has two pre-drilled positions, one for clearing a spare, and one for bringing the rack closer if you don't have a rear mounted spare. Needless to say I was pleased not having to spend the extra money for the extension.

This is also a well built rack, not flimsy like many similarly priced racks I have seen. There is no need to provide extra stability with straps etc. to keep it from twisting.

This rack provides quite a bit of security as well. A locking pin is provided for attaching the section that swivels to the section mounted to the hitch, and one of the three mounting brackets has a locking knob.

Finally, the single tube design is a lot more adaptable than the racks that have two arms for holding the bike. We bought a Thule spare tire mounted rack for my wife's Jeep, and while it is a nice rack, we had a really rough time getting the frames of our mountain bikes to clear the two support arms. With the Swagman, it is no problem, much easier to load and unload. You can rest assured you will get your money's worth with this rack.

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I have bought this hitch for our dual suspension bikes and I would not recommend it to anyone.

Cradles seemed functional at first but when we took the bikes to the trip to Moab which involved quite a bit of rough dirt roads, fine dust got everywhere, rubber padding started loosing grip and bikes moved in all directions resulting in quite a bit of damage (scratches and worse, cable to rear derailer on one bike got almost destroyed). 'Kraton vinyl cusioning' on both cradles suffered quite a lot of damage and in one case detached from the metal piece.

I would definitely disagree with claims that (1) loading and unloading is very fast [it is not] and (2) rotation allows for greater ground clearance [if you need ground clearance, this hitch is not your best choice because the rack is not all that high at the first place].

I have swapped this rack for another model (XPORT Slipstream 3-Bike Dual-Receiver Hitch Rack) with U shaped fork because two support points and higher ground clearance.

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In searching for an inexpensive bike rack, the Swagman XP seems to be a fair choice. It's not great, but it works.

Pros: You can make it a three-, twoor one-bike rack at your discretion; the finish is very good; the metal parts seem to be substantial; the cradles are adjustable (for both tube size and angle of carriage); and the package wasn't missing any parts.

Cons: The draw bar (the part the fits into the 2" receiver on the vehicle) is undersized, resulting in a very loose fit and lots of wobble, which to me is just unsafe; the one "locking" hand nut does not lock -it can be spun off regardless of lock position; the 1/2" pins and accompanying locking pins scream "barely adequate."

Fixes: I will be buying a hitch tightener / stabilizer to eliminate the wobble and heavier-duty locking pins. Also, I installed a 3-1/2 threaded Grade 8 bolt and nylock nut to the bottom pivot point (the point where the upper rack tilts down) to ensure that the thing won't come apart while driving.

Don't mean to sound so negative, it's not a bad product, it just requires some tweaking.

Honest reviews on Swagman XP Fold Down 3-Bike Hitch Mount Rack (2-Inch Receiver)

The cradles are absolutely terrible, holding only the tiniest of bicycle frames. We had five bikes in our household, and the rack cradles would not fit a single bike. We tried two mountain bikes, a 5-year-old's bike, and a 7-year-old's bike.

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Does not seem to be too bad of a bike hitch.

PROS: Sturdy, assembles easily and versatile.

CONS: Could be a bit heavy/awkward for some women. Pain in the rear for oddly shaped frames such as woman's/girl's style bikes.

I had to rotate the mounts to odd angles (one almost upside down) to be able to fit the bikes securely. Due to the size (for strength/security) of the mounts, it makes it difficult to slide the bike onto the mounts as intended especialy if the bike has an odd shaped frame. The best bikes to use with this hitch would be of a simplistic design that has a strait top tube (Top section of frame that runs from seat post to goose neck) or one that you can frame adapter on.

Overall this seems to be a good quality carrier.