How to install a hitch bike rack

The price will also change if you need to hire a professional to install the hitch receiver or if you can do it yourself. This generally speaking is more than it is worth for many people, as their bike may not even cost that much. However for those that really do take bicycling seriously as a sport, nothing is easier to put your bike on, or off than a hitch mounted bike rack, making this additional cost highly worth it.

Some people are concerned that installing a hitch receiver will damage their car. The only way this type of damage could occur is if the installer drilled too far into the metal of your vehicle.

This would be extremely unlikely unless you did not follow instructions provided by experts or read them yourself beforehand. This can also happen if you use poor-quality hardware for your hitch receiver. A complete review of the type of hardware that should be used for your car is beyond the scope of this article.

However, you should consult with a professional before deciding what kind of hardware to purchase for your installation. In summary, the cost to install a hitch receiver for a bike rack varies depending upon a variety of factors. A receiver hitch is a type of trailer hitch that bolts onto the underside of a vehicle, at the rear, and provides a tube for attaching a ball mount or other hitch accessory. Receiver hitches generally have a vehicle-specific design, a standard receiver tube size and fall within one of five hitch classes.

Vehicle Compatibility Trunk-mounted bike racks work on many different kinds of vehicles. In fact, most racks adjust so they can adapt to fit different vehicles. Trunk-mounted bike racks fit most cars, vans, and SUVs. CURT multi-fit hitches are designed to be a universal trailer hitch option, providing a dependable alternative to a custom fit. Each multi-fit universal hitch is made to fit a wide variety of vehicle applications, and most require little or no drilling for installation.

The convenience and easy of this rack is great. The bike is very secure and does not move. This rack is a little heavy but built solid. The biggest reason why roof racks are expensive are because of the high-quality designs. Not specifically included in this list is a trailer hitch lock , which is very much recommended as an additional layer of security to avoid theft.

These locks do exactly what they say: locking the receiver hitch to the vehicle so only you can take it and everything attached to it off. But back to the parts actually included in a trailer hitch kit. There is a decision to make, that affects the price as well as the number of purposes you can get out of the whole hitch.

The question is…. This is where your intended use makes a tangible difference in what parts you need and what the price will be. You are generally able to choose between 3 hitch types:. If you are mainly interested in mounting bike racks, the basic receiver ball is what you are looking for.

This one is set up at the back of a car and sticks out from below the rear bumper. It is probably the most familiar to you. The fifth-wheel or gooseneck are not relevant in this context. They are set up on truck beds and are usually used to tow big trailers. Now that we have discussed the part of the hitch, that your future bike rack or trailer will actually attach to, we still need the part that attaches it all to the back of your vehicle.

This part is called a hitch and is bolted to the vehicle chassis from below. This is the unseen hero that allows trailer hitches to carry incredible amounts of loads. And it is where there are several classes with varying load capacities and prices to choose from. While each has its own characteristics and strengths, looking for a hitch to mainly carry bike racks is pretty easy.

For this specific purpose the factors to keep in mind are:. As you can see, all 6 classes of hitches allow for bike transportation using a hitch-mounted rack. Just for e-bikers class 1 may not be suitable in most cases as it quickly reaches its limits.

The same goes for bike capacity. At the end of the day, a tow hitch is also able to tow stuff. For classes 1 and 2, the ability to do so just is not that great. If your vehicle allows it and it is at all a possibility that trailer towing is in your future, I would opt for a class 3 hitch.

This way you are not limited in what your new hitch can do in the future. And you can carry more than enough e- bikes. With all the variables in the whole process, this one you have no influence over. The amount it takes to mount the hitch to the chassis of a vehicle largely depends on the vehicle rather than the hitch.