Recommendations on a hitch & bike rack

[BobC]

Looking to put hitches on both my '17 Outback & my wife's '17 Odyssey. Not looking to do this myself but a shop/dealership
- Any recommendations on the best place to go to have this done?
- Any recommendations on a hitch bike rack? It will be a mix of my road bike & my sons MTBs?

Cheers, BobC

[AngryScientist]

first pertinent question is how many bikes will you need to carry at a time, maximum?

it may sound slightly intimidating, but installing a hitch on a modern vehicle is really very easy DIY job. i have the same Odyssey as you, and it was literally a 10 minute job by myself in the driveway.

buy from etrailer.com

[vav]

Uhaul

[nublar]

Curt Hitch, 1upusa rack

[p nut]

Uhaul. 45 minutes and it was done. I did the one on the minivan myself but on the Outback, I didn’t want to spend any more time out in the garage on my back, in the cold. Price wasn’t really much different. $150 for the van to get the hitch from etrailer. $170 from Uhaul, including labor and lifetime warranty.

Rack: Kuat NV. No wobble and integrated lock and integrated work stand.

[ToonaBP]

Curt hitch on my FJ Cruiser... had my neighbor hold it in place while I tightened the bolts... 1upUSA rack.. can't get much easier to install or use... after 5 years it still looks new.

[joosttx]

Originally Posted by vav

Uhaul

I had Uhaul do a car of mine. No problems at all. 1Up are the best hitch racks IMO.

[Spdntrxi]

Originally Posted by vav

Uhaul

yes...

if you don't mind doing it yourself.. I'm very happy with hiddenhitch.com and my Kuat rack.

[trener1]

I also had mine done at uhaul and was very with it.
Kuat seems to be great.

[bigbill]

I have a Kuat NV 2.0, mostly due to the wheelbase of my ginormous 29r. It is solid, very well made and can be expanded to 4 bikes. I have an Expedition and the tilt feature allows me to tilt the bikes to around 45 degrees to open the hatch. It folds up nicely when you don't need it. I like that it came with a locking pin and built-in cable locks, all using the same key.

[ORMojo]

Another vote for Uhaul and 1Up.

[fmradio516]

Look up the installation for your vehicle. If you can do it yourself, itll save you a bunch.

I did it myself on my 04 Grand Cherokee but man, it was a lot harder than it should have been. I think mainly because the bolt holes were filled with crud. Needed to have my mechanic buddy come over with his high powered impact wrench come by

Edit: and my setup is a Curt hitch and a Kuat NV 2.0

[jimcav]

best rack ever for me, folds flat to my truck when up, allows access to tailgate. So well made and solid. Only downside was the price--i watched craigslist for about 3 years to get mine. If I'd known how much of an improvement it was over various other racks I had over the years, I'd have bought it new.

as for hitches our last 5 cars had factory hitches done. back in 1998 I think we went to uhaul

[Hellgate]

Curt hitch and Kuat Sherpa 2 fills my bill well. Rock solid.

[josephr]

Originally Posted by Hellgate

Curt hitch and Kuat Sherpa 2 fills my bill well. Rock solid.

Curt hitch + Kuat Sherpa for me also...installation in my garage on my CX5 took me 30 minutes.