Hitch Comparisons and Thoughts on a Rack

If bicycles are the only thing you are going to haul, stick with a Class One hitch and an aluminum carrier. I just got a Class Two Curt for my CMax because I want to carry more weight with a Draw-tite heavy duty steel 2ftx4ft cargo hauler like camping supplies and possibly a small dirt bike. NOTE: Curt requires straps for anything except towing trailers.



I got everything from E-trailer.com but later found that e-hitch.com has a better price on Curt products. I think they might just be an e-store front for curt manufacturing (just a hunch). I'm impressed with the build quality of the draw-tite carrier. FWIW

 

I went with a Curt hitch () and a SportRack bike rack (). I really love that even with 2 bikes on it, I can still access the hatchback by tilting the rack back. Here are a few pics...

 

I have the Curt and Saris tray mount that holds 3 bikes. The Saris trays have started to bend. My next will be a Kuat.

 

Been looking at bike rack options for my Prius. Does that bike rack fold up or stow out of the way when not in use, or do you have to pull the whole unit off the hitch?

 

This particular model doesn't fold up and store away while on the vehicle. I pull it off the hitch when not in use, which is about a 1 minute process, and hang it on the wall in my garage.

 

I just upgraded from a 3-bike strap-on rack to a 4-bike hitch rack, the hang kind.

It was a nice improvement for long trips... especially multi-day trips when there really isn't a decent place to take the rack off and store it while you are at your destination and still need use of the car. It locks to the car too. It sounds like a better solution for our OP. With bikes that are only 20 pounds and frequent use of the rack, that would definitely be a choice worth consideration.

I got the Curt hitch mentioned above. It's very nice. The rack is Thule's best, with the cushy mounts and the locks for bikes & hitch. MPG penalty with it on and empty was almost undetectable. It's a nice setup.

 

Curt

 

a 4-bike carrier on a class 1 hitch? is that possible?

i'm looking for a 3 bike carrier, preferably tray style. I'm under the impression the 2013 prius can only accept a class 1 hitch, and a class 1 can only carry 2 bikes, even on a 3-4 bike carrier. the weight of 3+ bikes becomes a safety concern.

am i wrong?

 

The number of bikes doesn't matter. It's the total amount of weight the tongue has to support.

200 pounds is the limit.

4 lightweight bikes plus the weight of the rack is realistic.