Mike
Reviewed in Canada on August 15, 2024
Construction of this rack is probably one of the nicest around. No vibrations while driving which is a huge positive. The bad part is when installed I used the locking pin and when we arrived at the destination. We offloaded the bikes and tried to remove the rack by unlocking the lock pin and when we tried to turn the pin out of the threaded sleeve it sheared off so we couldn't remove during our holiday. I got back and took our Explorer to our mechanic and he had to cut the pin off at both ends to be able to remove from the receiver. Now I need to try and source a new slide bar and locking pin in order to be able to use the rack anymore.
Ginette P
Reviewed in Canada on May 27, 2021
I waited til our road trip was complete to fully review this rack. From my point of view it does not disappoint. Assembly of the hitch itself was a little tedious, and figuring out the placement of the bikes took some trial and error. But after your initial time investment of putting together the hitch and figuring out the bike placement, loading and offloading won’t be a problem for future trips. For us what worked was two youth bikes on the inside and two adult bikes on the outside. The trip was great. I never felt like the bikes were going to fall off. They felt completely secure from the time we loaded them on to the time we arrived at our destination. Based on other reviews, my biggest hesitation with this big purchase was my worry that the hitch would not fold up properly (when bikes were not loaded) as it would touch my bumper. I have a 2016 Honda Pilot and it folded up just fine without any issues, as seen from the attached pics. The only downside is the hitch is a bit heavy, but I don’t mind that if the payoff is a sturdy, secure “fit.” It is also a bit expensive, but at the same time it is a bit less expensive than some of the comparable alternatives. If you’re looking for a good, long-term investment, this is it. In terms of shipping, it arrived earlier than expected in fully protective wrapping. Perfect condition.
Customer
Reviewed in Canada on August 11, 2019
We have a Thule that holds 5 bikes and it jiggles and moves around. It bounced a bike right off the bars that was strapped down. This rack is awesome! No movement, can’t feel it at all, no added bounce to your vehicle. We have a Ford F-150, but I would be comfortable with this on our Mercedes SUV. Happy with our purchase and recommend it highly! Anyone want to buy a Thule brand cheap? Lol
Colin
Reviewed in Canada on September 14, 2017
Having owned a number of hitch mounted bike racks, I feel the Swagman XTC-4 is good match between useability, quality and price.First the pros:-The sliding ratchet system to set the height on the top hook is excellent. It works perfectly, holds snug and is the best design I have seen for the hooks among any bike racks. This will be your favorite feature of this bike rack.-The stretchable bands that go through the wheels are easy to use and also fit snug.-The unit is strong, will hold even the heaviest bike and should provide many years of service.-The rack is angled up and away from the hitch which provides much needed clearance for most vehicles.-The rubber on the top hooks is durable, easy to clean and does not appear to scratch the bikes.-The bikes stay quite stable in place and don't move around too much even on the biggest of bumps.The Cons:-Heavy! Strength comes at a cost. Smaller individuals will have a difficult time installing/removing this from the hitch by themselves.-As convenient as the rubber straps are that go through the tires, they will over time deteriorate and lose their elasticity.-The "lock" that comes with this hitch is more trouble than it is worth. There is really not enough cable to wrap through four bikes and then back to the hitch pin. Plus, bending over to hook up the lock cable under the hitch pin while loaded with bikes is cumbersome and awkward. In the end I just a separate lock to lock my bikes together because I cannot be bothered to drag this burdensome cable around and fight with it to lock up the bikes.-While it will hold four bikes, you will need to be systematic in how you arrange the bikes as there is very little extra room when you have four adult bikes in the rack. (Pedals will likely need to offset to other bikes, seats may need to be lowered etc.)-Assembly. I am a handy capable individual with plenty of tools, and this still took me over an hour to put together. You will need a socket set to put this unit together properly.In short, while there are certainly better bike racks available on Amazon, few will offer this quality for this price. If you can live with the weight of the rack and don't mind a bit of hassle getting bikes on the rack, this may be a good purchase for you.
David Comeau
Reviewed in Canada on June 1, 2017
An excellent rack. The sliding ratcheting frame holder is solid and does not move. Very solid, no movement or sway at highway speeds. Easily holds 4 adult mountain bikes. It folds up for storage if you leave it on the car. We can fold down the center shaft so that we have access to our hatch. It comes with the locking pin and cable as well, so don't order that separately.Beware this is a heavy rack, solid steel. What makes it stable also makes it heavy. It really needs a solid vehicle to use it. I would not recommend it for a compact car.Overall though, this is perfect for us and we are very happy!
Dave Andrews
Reviewed in the United States on June 13, 2014
This was a rather big investment, so I was definitely concerned. However it turned out fantastic.What I like most about it are:1) Very sturdy.2) Was relatively easy to put together - maybe 30 minutes and I thought the instructions were fine.3) I have 2 kids bikes and my wife's bike, so having a rack like this, where I can set the wheels is, was something I really wanted, and it doesn't disappoint.4) Very easy to adjust for bikes. I have not experienced what others have regarding having a challenge getting the bikes on and fitting them in right, at least not yet.5) Fits 4 bikes perfectly. I wouldn't be concerned at all using for 4 adult bikes.6) The locking capability is awesome, and was easily able to lock all my bikes. Now if you want to lock all your front tires and seats the lock won't be long enough.7) Easy to fold up when not using, and looks good.The only downside is expected. It is heavy, so taking on and off isn't my favorite part. Not terrible, just not great. Also, even though it is easy to lower it down to open the trunk, it always seems annoying to me so I rarely do it. And of course even if you do that it will still block access to the trunk. The only other potential downside is I don't think you can get a bike off without having all other bikes behind it off. So if you put on a bike first, then you put on 3 more, if you want that first bike I think you have to take the other 3 off. I only had this happen once, and it didn't seem remotely worth the effort of trying to get it off with taking others off first. But I could be wrong on this. Regardless not something that I expect to happen that often anyway.
Mtb'er
Reviewed in the United States on August 25, 2011
I searched racks, talked to mountain bikers and tried other products. I have a swagman 4 bike carrier. When I purchased a 29" full suspension Camber Elite I could easily see it wasn't going to work on my rack, or most others. Even taking the front tire off and using a crossbar add-on, it barely fit, with the other tire only inches off the ground. I received this rack within 2 days, assembled with my son in about an hour. Very helpful to have rack off the ground, maybe on a couple strong horses to allow access the nuts underneath. The first trip it took a few minutes to arrange the bikes and sliding arms, but once the bikes were on it couldn't have been better. Locking screw pin holds the rack in place. I had 3 bikes on the rack, 2 Camber Elite 29'ers and a Trek hardtail. 3 hours later of highway and Adirondack roads and no issues. It is hefty, but I could handle it myself if I had to. Very helpful to put some bike grease on tongue before sliding into hitch. I thought about pounding it in, but wisely put the grease on and slid right in. Decent price, good quality, much cheaper than the $500+ I would have had to pay for some other racks with additional bike attachments. This does it all, folds up if needed, locks if needed. Highly recommended.
A.D.
Reviewed in the United States on March 17, 2010
5 stars becuase this rack will hold any style bike you have and, once the bike weight is on the rack, you are not worried about anything falling out. So quiet we have to look back to see if it there.We have a Ford Explorer, 1 Mens Mongoose, 1 Ladies Schwin (very odd design), 1 Girls Mongoose, and 1 small boys bike. All fit great. Tips is to work with the layout to see where the bikes fit with the others, adjust the wheel positions for the bikes to accomodate each other and to be centered behind the vehicle, and then use that position each time for the quickest result. Another tip: We reversed positions for every other bike, had to raise the seat on one to make room for the handlebars on the other, and kept note of where to put the diff hook sizes.CONS 1st (yep it has CONS but it gets 5 stars because it stands out):Hitch Pin: The rack comes with with a threaded hitch pin but if you want to add a Master Hitch Lock then you will need to drill out the threads with a 5/8 bit. Home Depot/Lowes only sell up to 1/2 in their sets so the cheapest single bit you can buy is a 5/8 masonry bit - about $7. Once the threads are drilled out then any of the 2 inch receiver locks work great.Release levers: one comment said you need a hammer to release the bikes. You don't need a hammer. The levers can be tight and you need to push down and then grip/squeeze to release the levers. My 8 year old cannot do it. My 13 year old can but it took a few times for her to get a technique. Adults should have no prob.Instructions are small and no pics on the wheel mount positions. The new model we got is not flat. TIP - the wheel mounts are positioned up like a bump, not the other way like a dip.Rack sticks out and can obscure license plate and tailights/turn signals. All racks will do this. Make sure you mark the rack with reflective strips at night for other drivers and the license plate being blocked isn't a ticket in your area. I am looking at a trailer brake/signal combo to attach to it.PROS:Heavy and sturdy and folds up out of the way when not needed. It moves around a little when attached but once the bike weight goes one its good. Bikes are not going anywhere with the ratchet down type of hooks and we can transport any bike size or wierd new model shape without an issue. You can use an all bungi wrapped around all the bikes if you want for added security and peace of mind on trips. Note that the master lock is for the hitch and not the bikes. An additional rope lock for all the bikes might be an option.Once we had this on our vehicle the kids look at everyone else with a bike rack and compare how theirs isn't as good as ours.