Customer Reviews

SportRack A30902 4EZ Hitch Platform 4 Bike Rack

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Pros: this rack carries 4 bikes without any of them touching, and they are supported exactly the way they are designed to be supported. The carrier appears indestructible. If you have a lift back, the hatch can be opened when the carrier is mounted (but not when the bikes are on the rack). Any size or shape bike can be carried. When driving, the bikes are secure and silent.

Cons: weight -- the disadvantage to indestructibility is that a lot of steel was used to build the rack, and that makes it heavy (about 60 lbs without bikes). This weight only comes into play when putting the carrier on your car, or taking it off. loading -- If you have a lift-back, you need to get into it before the bikes are loaded. The upright bars can be tilted away from the back of the car far enough to open the back. length -- you have to remember that this carrier is sticking out a few feet behind your car. Storage -- even folded up it takes a lot of room in your garage.

We need to carry several bikes at a time: road, hybrid and "step-through" (ladies) -- and sometimes a mountain bike.

The wheels fit in lower channels, which may be adjusted for wheel length and to avoid interfering with the next bike's pedals. Then the "hold down" hook keeps the bike firmly in the channels, and the hooks are well padded. You can leave your frame pump on the bike if you want (although a rough road may vibrate it off if it's not secured). Finally, Velcro straps across the tires ... well, I'm not sure what these are for, but we use them. Once on, the bikes don't sway or bounce relative to the car, and any shocks are delivered through the tires -- where the bikes are meant to receive shocks.

A 2 inch receiver will allow for 350lbs -- or more -- of tongue weight. A 60 lb rack and 4 40 lb bikes will only be 220 lbs, well within the limits of the receiver. If you've got the hitch, you can handle the weight.

The assembly is not straightforward: it took me about an hour, and I had leftover pieces. After it was assembled I realized that I mounted the "hold-down" bars in reverse (the long one has to be in before the short one). Assembly is a one-time event, and, while difficult, should not dissuade you from getting the rack.

Tilting the upright bars, or shrinking the carrier from four to two bikes is done by moving cotter pins. The receiver has a screw-in bolt to keep it mounted to the car. Adjusting the wheel wells or hold-down hooks is done using handles that screw in or out.

Once the rack is adjusted for your bike, getting the bikes on and off is quick and simple.

For us, this is exactly the rack we need to carry 3 or four bikes at a time for any distance.

I bought this rack for a trip to Moab as we needed to put four bikes with non-standard geometries on the car. This rack served the purpose but if I had to use it on a regular basis I would definitely not buy this rack. I would spend more money for a better rack. The bike mounts had to be adjusted to get the bikes on the first time. Once we got them adjusted we always put them in the same place and it was fine. I thought the rack folded up against the car but it does not (that is my fault for not reading the details). It sticks out pretty far and as a result is not something you would leave on without bikes. Since the rack is heavy and needs a wrench to attach/detach this could be a real show-stopper. Putting on bikes will limit the visibility of your cars tail/brake lights and would be a little concerned about being rear-ended. I would suggest some reflective material to enhance visibility.

The bottom line - buy a better rack! The first priority is to get one that folds up against your car so you don't have to take it on and off all the time! The second is one that it easier to adjust.

I was looking for a platform style rack for a while and the I saw this on amazon on sale. So far I am extremely happy with the rack. It functions as advertised.
Pros: 1) Well Built
2) Able to put two adult mountain bikes, One 20", and one 16" bike. For 16" I had to play with the location of top C-clamps. Put smaller one below the larger one...even though instruction say otherwise.
3) Very sturdy

Cons: Not many but it is heavy..but comes with the sturdy/well built
2) I would have loved if it can be converted to two rack (by removing last two platforms)

Overall very happy and would recommend it.

Bought the 4 bike carrier and it works fine. It's a little hard to squeeze the first bike in (the one closest to the car). Also, I can't get the hook/latch to go down far enough to secure my daughter's 16" bike. Also, the velcro straps that secure the tires could be designed better. The price was fine, but there are some compromises like not being able to tilt it to get access to your cargo.

Good 4 bike carrier for the price, but has some significant compromises compared to the high end (and high cost) ones from Thule, Yakima and Raxter.

I bought this because of price, free shipping, and reviews. I agree that it is a well made (heavy) carrier. But beware when assembling that the hardened bolts are threaded into soft square nuts that are held in place with plastic inserts. The directions leave a lot to be desired but they say to install hand tight and not use mechanical devices. I got out my combination wrench and proceeded to tighten the bolts after I had assembled and snugged up everything. I am an above normal size guy and with the bolts being hardened metric bolts I thought they would stand tightened as tight as I could get them with a wrench. The first bolt I tightened, I stripped the soft square nut in the insert. I need the carrier for this weekend so sending back was not a good option. I ended up grinding off this hardened bolt which took about two hours and then drilled through the framework with a 7/16 hole on my drillpress to install hardened bolts and nuts through the framework and not use the inserts. When I had to do one I went ahead and did all 6 connections. I would have worried that the thing would fall apart while driving down the road. I installed on vehicle and my son and I put our bikes on carrier and drove to the store for a short trial. With these modifications I am pleased with the rack and I think it will be very functional. In the for what its worth catagory, the carrier is made in Tiawan. I like to know where things are made.

Bought this item and received it like requested. It was missing 2 hooks on it. Called the company and got INCREDIBLE service! The person on the phone was professional and quick to answer and fix this issue. Parts took 2 days to arrive.

For the product, it is a great product! Easy to install and use. I used all kinds of bike rack and the platform one is best to my knowledge.

We bought this rack since our family is at the stage where we each ride a different style and size of bike: my adult men's bike, my wife's adult women's bike, my son medium sized, and my daughter's small bike. All fit and are held firmly in the rack. Yes, it is heavy, but solid. Yes, the instructions are less than complete, but you can figure it out. Note that it is highly recommended that you buy the locks, items A32020 and A32022, to lock the rack to the car and the bikes to the frame. If you don't, you may return to your car to find your bikes and rack missing.

This bike rack is everything it is advertised to be. With this rack you don't have to worry about potholes in the road because the bicycles are supported by their tires. The bicycle absorbs shock where it was designed to, not in frame members that weren't. This rack also accommodates any type of bicycle; road, mountain, etc. Even my wife's Giant Revive can be secured with no problem. The only concern is weight. The 2" version for four bikes is a little heavy so make sure your vehicle can handle it.

We purchased this bike rack over a year ago and we loved it from the first day we used it. It's very user friendly for making adjustments to fit the bikes. We have had four adult bikes on this rack and not one of them has ever touched each other even on an 8 hour trip. We love that the bikes are not hanging but rather supported by the wheels of the bike. The rack is easy to mount and unmount from your vehicle. However, the rack is a little on the heavy side for a women to mount by her self. For storage the rack folds up and can be placed against your garage wall. We highly recommend this bike rack.

Bought this bikerack from Amazon as new. Used the bike rack several times and works fine. The only problem was the sliding adjustments for the bike wheels. They were a bear to slide even with the handles completely off. I sprayed silicon spray on the rails and it was still hard, Finally, I had to bend out the flanges a tad to get them to slide, but once it was adjusted to our bikes it was fine. Also, fits in the car's 2 inch receiver fine. Aligning the bolt hole is a process because the bike rack is heavy. It should be on the video, which it isn't. We only use the rack for 2 bikes. I have removed the cradles for the additional 2 bikes for now since we don't use them. Not as heavy. Also, easy to follow instructions, mostly pics. SportRack 4EZ Hitch Platform 4 Bike Rack