A review of RockyMounts Backstage Swingaway Hitch mount bike platform rack. Focused around the Jeep Wrangler and transporting heavier eBikes such as the Rad Rover
You could always just throw your spare wheel in the back of the vehicle whenever you want to attach the rocky mounts rack. Anyway I have recently purchased one of these racks myself and overall I think it is pure genius. It fits to my Ford Ranger no problem and certainly doesn’t need a hitch extension. The only gripe I do have is the fiddly process to tighten the bolt in the tow hitch which requires you to almost crawl under your vehicle to tighten it up. Thanks for sharing 👍😎
Excellent video. I will be buying one of these soon for my JKU and I was very surprised to hear you could get the rack on with no extension! Your tires look like stock JEEP so it looks like it will work for me. My concern with an extension was the decreased load capability on the rack, but Im also not hauling 2 heavy eBikes! I wont be leaving hitch on permanently, just for biking trips. Happy Biking!
Just bought one and WOW. This is a precision device. Very well made and perfectly engineered. Agreed the instructions are lame but just go slow and you can do it.
I’ve got a high clearance bumper on my Tacoma which moves the receiver much higher. I’m worried the tailgate might contact the rack when it’s down, do you have a measurement from the top of the hitch insert to the highest point on the swing out when open?
have you experienced that the bike inclined towards to your spare tyre when you driving on rough road ? it happened to me and bend Prado back door slightly
uuuummm... so far the first 2 moans you have about the product....well... seems like the extension that was recommended in the first place.... might fix them!
Nice. Going to get one. Do you think it is sturdy enough to hold a Rad Mini and a Rover? I believe they are about $599 on Amazon and etrailer. I’d probably go with etrailer in case I run into a snag in assembly although it looks like Rocky Mount is good also for support. Good video. Thank you.
Yes, have both myself and have done it. Be sure to unload the bikes of batteries and bags to keep them as light as possible. But I had no issues. Highway and local roads, light off road.
Did you decide to buy the 4" Hitch Extension? I have a toyota rav4 that has a tire on the back and I am hoping that I do not need a hitch extension either. Can you tell me the measurement from the hitch pins to the closest part on the rack to the vehicle/spare tire when it is in the folded up position? Thank you so much!
It's 9.75" from the hitch bolt to where the frame rises up. The problem is depending on where your spare tire sits, how you mounted the bike trays, and what position the locking arms for the bikes are in, you may not be able to fold the rack up against the spare tire. Now that I've gone through it, I can admit it's hard to figure out without the rack being in front of you and testing it out. If you have a hard cover on your rav's spare tire, I suspect that is going to make things worse, as some parts pass into my tire rim when folding. I originally bought a 7" which was too big. I'm only getting the 4" if I feel necessary and for now I'm good. If I change the rims on my wrangler, I may have to go with an extension as I suspect my bike pedal will interfere. I purchased at REI specifically for the option to return because I was unsure of these exact things. But if you feel a hitch extension would work, I'm sure that will be fine. It also depends how far you are going, how heavy are the bikes, etc.
From experience: Get some trailer rear trailer lights mounted on that rack. No one can see your taillights with the bikes mounted and you will be ticketed when the police see it.
You could always just throw your spare wheel in the back of the vehicle whenever you want to attach the rocky mounts rack. Anyway I have recently purchased one of these racks myself and overall I think it is pure genius. It fits to my Ford Ranger no problem and certainly doesn’t need a hitch extension. The only gripe I do have is the fiddly process to tighten the bolt in the tow hitch which requires you to almost crawl under your vehicle to tighten it up. Thanks for sharing 👍😎
Thanks for posting, very helpful.
GREAT PRESENTATION I OWN A SUZUKI XL7 WITH A REAR TIRE & THIS WILL WORK PERFECTLY 👍👍👍
Excellent video. I will be buying one of these soon for my JKU and I was very surprised to hear you could get the rack on with no extension! Your tires look like stock JEEP so it looks like it will work for me. My concern with an extension was the decreased load capability on the rack, but Im also not hauling 2 heavy eBikes! I wont be leaving hitch on permanently, just for biking trips. Happy Biking!
Just bought one and WOW. This is a precision device. Very well made and perfectly engineered. Agreed the instructions are lame but just go slow and you can do it.
I wonder if the Thule would work. It does have a swing adaptor.
Excellent review. Looks like i'll be picking one of these up. Hows the riding in Massachusetts?
Paint the handles to match your Jeep.
I’ve got a high clearance bumper on my Tacoma which moves the receiver much higher. I’m worried the tailgate might contact the rack when it’s down, do you have a measurement from the top of the hitch insert to the highest point on the swing out when open?
How is the rack 3 years later?
have you experienced that the bike inclined towards to your spare tyre when you driving on rough road ? it happened to me and bend Prado back door slightly
uuuummm... so far the first 2 moans you have about the product....well... seems like the extension that was recommended in the first place.... might fix them!
Nice. Going to get one. Do you think it is sturdy enough to hold a Rad Mini and a Rover? I believe they are about $599 on Amazon and etrailer. I’d probably go with etrailer in case I run into a snag in assembly although it looks like Rocky Mount is good also for support. Good video. Thank you.
Yes, have both myself and have done it. Be sure to unload the bikes of batteries and bags to keep them as light as possible. But I had no issues. Highway and local roads, light off road.
Did you decide to buy the 4" Hitch Extension? I have a toyota rav4 that has a tire on the back and I am hoping that I do not need a hitch extension either. Can you tell me the measurement from the hitch pins to the closest part on the rack to the vehicle/spare tire when it is in the folded up position? Thank you so much!
It's 9.75" from the hitch bolt to where the frame rises up. The problem is depending on where your spare tire sits, how you mounted the bike trays, and what position the locking arms for the bikes are in, you may not be able to fold the rack up against the spare tire.
Now that I've gone through it, I can admit it's hard to figure out without the rack being in front of you and testing it out. If you have a hard cover on your rav's spare tire, I suspect that is going to make things worse, as some parts pass into my tire rim when folding.
I originally bought a 7" which was too big. I'm only getting the 4" if I feel necessary and for now I'm good. If I change the rims on my wrangler, I may have to go with an extension as I suspect my bike pedal will interfere.
I purchased at REI specifically for the option to return because I was unsure of these exact things. But if you feel a hitch extension would work, I'm sure that will be fine. It also depends how far you are going, how heavy are the bikes, etc.
Any issues with the bolt that goes through the hitch rusting or having difficulty taking the rack off after being on for an extended period of time ?
No issue. The bolt works really easy and I've been very happy with the overall performance.
Bartlett Blog great! Thank you:)
Is the license plate visible, when there are no bikes on the rack, and the rack is folded. Or does the rack block the license plate?
Plate is visible with no bike and even with bikes, I don't recall having an issue.
Thank you sir. This is what I wanted to hear.
racks nice, but what in gods name is that thing on the bike rack...??? :)
You sound exactly like someone that would ride an E-bike... >*.*
Lose the music.
From experience:
Get some trailer rear trailer lights mounted on that rack. No one can see your taillights with the bikes mounted and you will be ticketed when the police see it.