Kuat Add On

notsew · #1 01-20-2021, 01:10 PM

My kids are getting bigger and I need to turn my kuat nv 2.0 two bike into a four bike.

The add-on ain't cheap. I've seen a couple semi-broken two bike units on craigslist and the like, I'm wondering if there is some way I could use them as extensions, but I don't have a great sense of how it all goes together.

Does anyone have any idea if I might be able to pull this off?

Thanks

batman1425 · #2 01-20-2021, 01:51 PM

The add-on is a stand alone unit compared to the 2-bike rack and they are not directly interchangeable but they share many parts - the trays in this case. Really all you need to use the trays from a donor rack to make your own extension is an add-on center beam (https://shop.kuat.com/NV-2.0-Add-On-Center-Beam-Kit). Take the tray arms from the donor rack and bolt them to the center beam and then install as normal to your rack. Depending on how cheap you can find a donor rack for, this could end up being quite a bit cheaper than buying the add-on outright. Just make sure the trays and hooks are in good shape. Oh and make sure to lift with the legs when getting that beast on and off your car. It's 91lbs in the 4 bike configuration. Lastly, you need a 2" receiver model to do this. You can't put the add-on on a 1.25" rack.

bigbill · #3 01-20-2021, 03:06 PM

The add-on is around $500, if your money saving plan fails, will you lose more than $500 worth of bikes or cause an accident that ends up costing >$500? Kuat has gotten really expensive, less than two years ago I paid less than $500 for a NV 2.0 but see they are $700+ now.

Cornfed · #4 01-20-2021, 03:58 PM

Buy a broken one and email Kuat. Replacement parts are cheap and Kuat will often send for free. Great racks and an even better company.

morrisericd · #5 01-20-2021, 04:10 PM

I bought my NV and the add on through Outdoorplay.com. No affiliation, just great guys over there. If you call them, they always seem to be able to swing a 20% discount.

notsew · #6 01-20-2021, 04:13 PM

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notsew · #7 01-20-2021, 04:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by batman1425

The add-on is a stand alone unit compared to the 2-bike rack and they are not directly interchangeable but they share many parts - the trays in this case. Really all you need to use the trays from a donor rack to make your own extension is an add-on center beam (https://shop.kuat.com/NV-2.0-Add-On-Center-Beam-Kit). Take the tray arms from the donor rack and bolt them to the center beam and then install as normal to your rack. Depending on how cheap you can find a donor rack for, this could end up being quite a bit cheaper than buying the add-on outright. Just make sure the trays and hooks are in good shape. Oh and make sure to lift with the legs when getting that beast on and off your car. It's 91lbs in the 4 bike configuration. Lastly, you need a 2" receiver model to do this. You can't put the add-on on a 1.25" rack.

This is very helpful. Thank you.

And agree with the other post that Kuat is good people. I originally bought a 1.25 rack and ordered a 2" lower unit through my bike shop, when it showed up they said it was free, Kuat had just treated it as a warranty. Good stuff.