bike carrier

Swagman XC Cross-Country 2-Bike Hitch Mount Rack (1/1/4 and 2-Inch Receiver)

Personally I use a 1up USA with one or two bikes, and I added some D-Ring tie down anchors at each side of the rear window to stabilize the bike rack with straps, and prevent it from bouncing at all. Solid.

Multiple trips and no issues, best part is the rack comes out of the 1-1/4" R-Pod receiver, then coverts to 2 inch receiver and gets put in my SUV.

Originally posted by HuronSailor D-ring tie downs you say? Any pictures?

Outside and Inside pictures . Silicone Caulk to keep water out (rushed the job before a weekend trip, I will clean and re-caulk someday), Carriage bolts through the frame structure, using fender washers to distribute the clamping force. I haven't cut the bolts down yet, since they aren't in my way . Eventually will cut them shorter, and install a nice crown nut.

If I wasn't so lazy, I would install the rack, my bike, and the bungees and straps , maybe next trip I'll remember to take some pics. The bike does NOT bounce. The welds of the receiver are holding up fine, and there are NO cracks in the fiberglass wall structure or water intrusion from the holes are at the windows seal. I have used this setup for 4 trips now.

They came inside very close to the curtain track (didn't expect that) but I take function over form.

I only worried about the square steel cross-member that is welded from frame to frame. It is not a large square tube, the welds are not large, and there is very little gusseting to keep it from twisting. The cyclical bouncing motion from an accessory mounted into the receiver can certainly eventually break those welds. My mountain bike cost $6300 new. I do not want that dragging on the road. Also, I hate roof mounted racks, even though I have one, I have a terrible time getting my bike on and off the SUV (I am 5'5"). I don't want the bike on my roof or in any vehicle when traveling if it's wet and muddy either. Best place for a bike is on the back in a hitch mounted bike rack.

I looked into getting the R-Pod receiver "beefed up" at a welding shop that makes landscaping trailers, but the price was crazy (over $500) for an extra load carrying cross-member and gusseting. I also explored the possibly of simply cutting out the R-Pod receiver, and having a real, frame mounted 2 inch receiver welded between the R-Pod frame rails instead. It was also an expensive option after all is done, but this would be the ideal solution, because it would have a very high load rating. If done right, then as long as the balance of the tongue weight is not made to light, I would be able to mount almost any accessory back there (Travel Box, generator, 4 bike rack, etc.)

I wouldn't chance it.  Even if you stay within the weight rating of the hitch, there will be 2 problems.  First, the cargo carrier will take up a good percentage of that rating.  Second, you are dealing with dynamic loads going down the road, and the cargo carrier will apply a much larger dynamic load because of its leverage (since it sticks out much farther than the bike rack or tire carrier).  A static load of let's say 100 pounds gets amplified with leverage and all the bouncing going down the road, and may actually apply several times that to the hitch.