Go Back  Bike Forums > Bike Forums > Recreational & Family
Reload this Page >

4 Bikes on Class 1 Hitch?

Notices
Recreational & Family Ride just to ride? Have a family and want to get them into cycling? Drop in here to discuss recreational and family cycling issues.

4 Bikes on Class 1 Hitch?

Old 07-31-18, 06:51 PM
  #1  
ntrainer
Newbie
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Jul 2018
Posts: 1
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
4 Bikes on Class 1 Hitch?

Our goal is to transport all four of our family's bikes -- road bikes, nothing too heavy -- on a single bike rack, using our 2014 Acura TSX Sport Wagon. The car is compatible with a Class 1 hitch, Curt's C11085. The Thule Apex 4 (TH9025) is compatible with a Class 1 hitch. But then here's the, um, hitch: I'm seeing all kinds of information online that a Class 1 hitch should only be hauling 2 bikes, max.

Is this true?? The capacity of the hitch is 200 lbs. "torque weight". The rack itself is approximately 42 lbs. and the 4 bikes total just under 100 lbs. So I'm towing 142 lbs. and somehow this isn't OK?

I'm looking for some real-world experience, perhaps, rather than what manufacturers recommend. (I saw a post on another forum which said manufacturers recommend you never do anything to or with their products at any time... that's kind of how it seems to me in the research I've done on this subject.) So: Has anyone used a Class 1 hitch to haul 4 bikes? We're just trying to get to and from the trails, 15-20 minute drives, nothin' fancy.
ntrainer is offline  
Old 08-13-18, 03:44 AM
  #2  
KeithMcPherson
Newbie
 
KeithMcPherson's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2018
Posts: 10
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 2 Times in 1 Post
Your Class I hitch has a 2,000 lb gross weight capacity but only a 200 lb tongue weight capacity. The difference between these two capacities is that gross weight capacity refers to how heavy of a trailer you could tow, whereas the tongue weight capacity refers to how much vertical weight you could put on the hitch. Tongue weight is the relevant capacity when it comes to bike racks because they put a vertical load on the hitch. Another thing you have to consider with bike racks is leverage. As you put more bikes on a rack you end up with the weight of the additional bikes being farther and farther away from the hitch. Which if you have ever used a cheater bar to break loose a bar you know that the longer the bolt the more torque you can apply. So that is why you can not carry more than two bikes on a Class I hitch. Its lower capacity can not handle the additional weight so far away from the hitch. If you need to transport 4 bikes on a vehicle with a Class I hitch your best option would be to carry 2 of the bikes on a hitch mounted bike rack and then carry the other 2 bikes on a roof mounted bike racks.
KeithMcPherson is offline  
Likes For KeithMcPherson:
Old 01-07-19, 06:45 AM
  #3  
Big Blu
Pop,Pop
 
Big Blu's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Saint Augustine, Fl.
Posts: 22

Bikes: Firestone sting ray, Free Spirit 10 speed, Raleigh SC-30

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time in 1 Post
That's what I do
Big Blu is offline  
Old 01-07-19, 07:19 AM
  #4  
kingston 
Jedi Master
 
kingston's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Lake Forest, IL
Posts: 3,724

Bikes: https://stinkston.blogspot.com/p/my-bikes.html

Mentioned: 42 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1759 Post(s)
Liked 488 Times in 313 Posts
I'd do it. You're way under the weight limit, and you have a nice rack that doesn't stick out too far so there shouldn't be any problem. The hitch attaches to the frame with just 2 bolts, but It's not like 142 pounds is going to rip the hitch off the frame on a 20 minute drive to the trail. Crawl under the car and check it every once in a while if you're worried about it. If it doesn't work then you're only out a hundred bucks or so for the hitch vs. whatever it costs these days for a nice roof rack.

If I went to the trouble of getting a roof rack, I'd put all four bikes up there and not mess around with the hitch rack.
kingston is offline  
Old 01-07-19, 09:49 AM
  #5  
jimincalif
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: Meridian, ID
Posts: 2,331

Bikes: '96 Trek 850, '08 Specialized Roubaix Comp, '18 Niner RLT RDO

Mentioned: 56 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 569 Post(s)
Liked 123 Times in 83 Posts
You can probably get away with it in the short run. It’s not the dead weight load, but I imagine the leverage of bikes 3 & 4 and the inevitable bouncing while driving would cause a fatigue failure somewhere in the hitch system - eventually. You could probably mitigate this with some straps pulled tight from the rack to the top of the hatch. As Dirty Harry asked, do you feel lucky?
jimincalif is offline  
Old 01-10-19, 01:06 PM
  #6  
fietsbob
Banned
 
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: NW,Oregon Coast
Posts: 43,598

Bikes: 8

Mentioned: 197 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 7607 Post(s)
Liked 1,354 Times in 861 Posts
A number of years ago , riding my bicycle, I had to stop and drag a bike rack off the bridge causeway that had fallen off a passing tourist's trailer rig.

it had the whole family's bikes bundled up on the rack, the rack fell off because the welding gave way.

another guy driving caught up to the family car, and told them what had happened , so they U turned and came back to get it all..
fietsbob is offline  
Old 01-10-19, 01:11 PM
  #7  
Marcus_Ti
FLIR Kitten to 0.05C
 
Marcus_Ti's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Lincoln, Nebraska
Posts: 5,331

Bikes: Roadie: Seven Axiom Race Ti w/Chorus 11s. CX/Adventure: Carver Gravel Grinder w/ Di2

Mentioned: 30 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2349 Post(s)
Liked 406 Times in 254 Posts
Hopefully in 6 months the OP figured it out...
Marcus_Ti is offline  
Old 02-24-19, 07:52 PM
  #8  
Kaze6
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2016
Posts: 135
Mentioned: 6 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 358 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Originally Posted by Marcus_Ti
Hopefully in 6 months the OP figured it out...
Anybody who hasn't figured it out, a big bike rack on a Class I receiver is a BAD IDEA.

Trailer hitches are designed to PULL in the direction of the strongest structure, and tongue-weight ratings assume forces being applied and removed in fairly smooth actions, as the trailer rocks.

Loading a bike rack puts most force perpendicular to the strongest structure, and as the rack and bikes rock back and forth, they are putting a lot of lateral G loading and twisting onto the receiver, which it wasn't designed to take.

When you look at the cost of a quality receiver-mount bike rack which will handle 4 bikes, you're into the price range of a small utility trailer, which is the way that I would go.
Kaze6 is offline  
Old 03-22-19, 08:58 PM
  #9  
MikeDD
Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2018
Posts: 36
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 7 Post(s)
Liked 3 Times in 3 Posts
This guy only posted one time. Did he really want an answer?
MikeDD is offline  
Old 03-26-19, 01:28 PM
  #10  
rumrunn6
Senior Member
 
rumrunn6's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: 25 miles northwest of Boston
Posts: 29,527

Bikes: Bottecchia Sprint, GT Timberline 29r, Marin Muirwoods 29er, Trek FX Alpha 7.0

Mentioned: 112 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 5218 Post(s)
Liked 3,564 Times in 2,331 Posts
old thread but worth contributing. like #2 wrote, you can put 2 on the hitch & the other 2 on something else. my Subaru Forester had a Class I hitch. I tried 4 bikes but it was nutz. I did a test ride out of our condo complex & heard some really weird sounds that were just not right, as I went over the speed bumps. wound up using an SUV rack I had. the kind that rests on the rear bumper, in addition to the hitch rack



not acceptable


acceptable


I've since upgraded to a vehicle with a class II hitch (& a beefier rear suspension). I also use 3 stabilizer straps so there is ZERO bounce, rattle or sway

rumrunn6 is offline  
Old 04-14-19, 12:35 AM
  #11  
Doc_Wui
Senior Member
 
Doc_Wui's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: Chicago Suburbs
Posts: 1,395

Bikes: GT Transeo & a half dozen ebike conversions.

Mentioned: 5 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 339 Post(s)
Liked 268 Times in 189 Posts
Downsized from a Jeep Grand Cherokee with its Class II to a VW Wagon with a Class I. Next car will have a Class II again. Maybe a Forester.

I was driving last year on I-88 to downtown Chicago for Bike-The-Drive, when I looked in my mirror and didn't see any bikes on my platform rack.Yikes. I immediately pulled over to the shoulder.

Turns out I had not pinned the center post on my Swagman, and it tilted to the side. That let both bikes tip horizontal. They were only held at the tires by the rubber straps holding them to the tire baskets. I had looped a chain around the frames to keep kids from grabbing them off the back. That was stretched and was all I had keeping the bikes from dragging on the pavement. And all these drivers passed me and no one honked to warn me. They must hate cyclists,
Doc_Wui is offline  
Likes For Doc_Wui:
Old 11-22-19, 02:01 PM
  #12  
rumrunn6
Senior Member
 
rumrunn6's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: 25 miles northwest of Boston
Posts: 29,527

Bikes: Bottecchia Sprint, GT Timberline 29r, Marin Muirwoods 29er, Trek FX Alpha 7.0

Mentioned: 112 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 5218 Post(s)
Liked 3,564 Times in 2,331 Posts
Originally Posted by Doc_Wui
Maybe a Forester
loved my forester, except for a cpl things, one of which was it's saggy bottom when over loaded. 4 ppl, camping gear, a week's worth of summer vacation stuff, 4 bikes & gear for 4 bikes. that pic above has no ppl in it. once we got it in, it was borderline ... we made it to the camp site 3 hrs away but I was glad to get into a Jeep Cherokee which does not have that problem. maybe they upgraded the Forester suspension since 2011?





but I was glad to get into a Jeep Cherokee which does not have that problem. maybe they upgraded the Forester suspension since 2011?

less gear on roof but 5th person inside

Last edited by rumrunn6; 11-22-19 at 02:12 PM.
rumrunn6 is offline  
Old 07-10-21, 01:38 PM
  #13  
rumrunn6
Senior Member
 
rumrunn6's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: 25 miles northwest of Boston
Posts: 29,527

Bikes: Bottecchia Sprint, GT Timberline 29r, Marin Muirwoods 29er, Trek FX Alpha 7.0

Mentioned: 112 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 5218 Post(s)
Liked 3,564 Times in 2,331 Posts
Originally Posted by rumrunn6
was glad to get into a Jeep Cherokee
taking 2 cars this year (side benefit of adult children) but the Jeep & it's class II hitch will take all 4 bikes. don't need the roof basket but thought I'd chuck the bike bag on the roof. 4 helmets, 4 water bottles, 4 bike trunks, 4 cable locks. should be fine for the 2 hr drive. got them all nestled in together. used some foam bits to protect a cpl contact points. no shifters or detailers have any contact. used all 3 stability straps





Last edited by rumrunn6; 07-10-21 at 01:42 PM.
rumrunn6 is offline  
Related Topics
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
murrellington
Mountain Biking
17
05-19-15 05:59 PM
fourknees
General Cycling Discussion
11
10-08-14 01:08 PM
dl7631
General Cycling Discussion
9
10-07-14 09:08 PM
rumrunn6
Recreational & Family
20
07-23-13 09:35 AM
New Daddy
Recreational & Family
21
06-04-13 07:05 AM

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off


Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.