Curt Clamp-On 3 Bike Rack for 2" Ball Mounts - Towing

by: William Butler06/23/2022

Needed a bike rack for our cross country RV trip last year for three bikes. I did not want to put anything on the car we were towing and the Curt clamp on bike rack fit our situation perfectly. The rack was easy to install and the bikes were safely carried 5956 miles over 25 days with no problems.1316094

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This is the best product online. I had to do a few adjustments to make room for the clamp on the trailer hitch. The particular ball hitch I had had a reinforcement welded to the ball which I had to have a piece taken off. Once it was filed down the clamp worked like a champ. Now I have a $200 bike rack that I purchased a year ago that is obsolete. The product arrived early and in good shape. I would definitely buy this bike rack and use this company again!410656

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Thank you for your review. It looks like you have a draw-tite ball mount with a high rise. I cannot tell exactly how many inches of a rise your ball mount has from the provided photo but manufacturers like draw-tite will weld a reinforcement on the underside of ball mounts with a lot of rise. We do not recommend to trim these pieces because it can affect the structural integrity of the ball mount. However, we do have options for ball mounts without the welded reinforcements that will allow the curt bike rack part # C18013 to clamp around them. Draw-tite part # 40332
Draw-Tite Ball Mount for 2" Hitches - 5" Rise, 6" Drop - 10-1/4" Long - 16K
$66.18 provides a 5 inch rise and is rated up to 16k of towing weight. If you need more rise, Anderson ball mount part #A M3511 has a 9 inch rise but only allows for up to 8k in towing weight. Both of these ball mounts will work with this bike rack.

-- Heather A - 01/19/2018

33397

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Easy to use, and gets out of the way when you don't need it. Plus, you can still pull a trailer, use utility shelf, whatever as it clamps to the receiver. I feel for the folk I see driving around with these huge contraptions on the back of their vehicles when they could have gotten this one for about a quarter of the price. Don't worry about the angle of my Trek bike in the photo. It's got a crazy frame with no top tube and that's just they way that bike fits. My older bike went on and was totally horizontal.1436603

by: Frederick11/24/2021

Initially, I was reluctant to clamp it on, as it did require a lot of pressure, but once on, I just slide the whole assembly on & off. I do have to remove one of the Giant bike's wheels to keep it from dragging, over bumps, but overall I have been happy with this product.1210209

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by: Amy 07/07/2022

This seems to be working for us but finding the right hitch/ball/extender combo has been a challenge. We have a 2017 Toyota Sienna and a popup. We need an extender because the hitch is too short to attach the bike rack. But the whole system just sits too low for our comfort. We will keep looking for that magic piece that does it all!1321480

I am a 60 year old woman and I could handle installing and setting up this Curt Clamp-On 3 Bike Rack for 2" Ball Mounts! It worked really well and I did not hurt my hands installing it or removing it from the ball mount. I watched the etrailer.com video and that really helped too. This bike rack is solid and performed well when I test drove it around the neighborhood and over bumps. It stores in a compact fashion and I can see that I will be using this rack all the time to transport my bikes to the rail trail and when using my small pop up trailer too! It's perfect!1082759

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by: BrianZ09/13/2020

Great product that has served us well for over a year now mounted on a Draw-Tite 4285 draw bar with Curt A-90 ball, all purchased here. We can carry two bikes with this setup while pulling our small [email protected] travel trailer; not three due to limited clearance of our trailer's tongue jack, but that's all we need. It's fairly quick to setup & take down, though caution is required before releasing the tension when removing (I can mitigate the snapping together of the V supports by standing between the two horizontal support arms & keeping my own arms away from them). The only reason I did not give 5 stars is because I wish it was a few inches taller for better clearance between bikes & hitch coupler. It mounts very solidly though, and the sturdy rubber straps keep bikes secure. A hitch tightener can make it even more solid if the drawbar is loose. We've not had any problems after a dozen trips over the last year.880212

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etrailer's customer service was EXCELLENT. CURT company needs to get their act together. The rack itself is fine. The instructions are terrible. The "handle", which turned out to be unnecessary, broke on the second use and when my replacement hitch arrived, it came with a broken handle. Since the handle turned out to be unnecessary, I kept the hitch and like it very much.1274592

Just want to say that this is my first bike rack and wasn't looking to spend a lot. I also wanted the hitch ball free so I can pull a trailer if I wanted to. Rack is a bit tight for 3 bikes but once you do it a few times you figure out the best way to get them on and it's pretty quick afterwards. Took it on my longest trip this weekend, a 5 hour drive and no issues. Pretty steady and got the job done. Thought the price was great. Storage is also great, I actually keep it in the trunk at all times.610134

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I bought this due to decent reviews. Shipping was rather quick, within 4 days of ordering. Loading all 3 bikes was very tight with two adult bikes and one child bike, but I made it work. As another person posted, the rack is pretty difficult to push down and secure. It takes a lot of force I don't think my wife could have done it. The first time when I tested installing, when I tried to release the rack, it released hard and hit my knuckles. The second time, the spring loaded pin broke (pictures attached) and, once again, my knuckles got hit. Caution really needs to be taken if you have this product. I am giving two stars for this due to the safety concern and the plastic handle breaking. I will be returning for a refund.529145

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by: Donn10/23/2018

I've had the Curt Clamp-On Bike Rack for about a year now and overall I am happy with it.

Plus Side
. The mechanism that secures the rack to the hitch works well and along with the two stabilizing straps (these attach to my truck's tailgate) makes for a secure platform for hauling bicycles around
. I've used it many times to haul 2 bikes without any issues
. The rack attaches and detaches to/from my truck very quickly
. I can now haul bikes and pull a trailer at the same time
. A very good value

Minus Side
. The 6 rubber cradles that secure the bike to the rack are too small for many large diameter mountain bike style top tubes
. Securing the rubber cradle straps to the rectangular nubs can be a bit difficult
. One of the cradle straps is beginning to wear out


576731

One Year Later: A year ago, I gave the Curt Clamp-on Bike Rack 3 stars, after another year of extensive almost daily use, I would elevate that rating to 4 stars. While I still feel that the rubber cradles are harder to use than need be, they have worn better than it seemed they were going to, and I have learned how to attach the bike to them with less effort I am a slow learner. Overall it is a very good product and I would buy it again

Donn - 10/23/2019

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by: Jacqueline06/14/2022

I love this item. Makes life so much easier transporting from place to place1312860

by: Devin03/16/2022

Can’t use this too much because the hitch is too far under the bumper so there’s not enough space to attach it.1273374

You mentioned that you were not able to use the bike rack as much as you wanted due to clearance issues. I wanted to ask if you had thought about a longer ball mount? How much clearance do you need to clear the bumper from the center of the hitch pin hole out?

-- Jenny N - 03/25/2022

135375

Hi, got my problem straightened out! Thank you tho!

-- comment by: Devin - 03/25/2022

135376

This worked out great! Exactly what I needed. My RV trailer doesn't have a long enough tongue to use for a bike rake and I have ability to put a rake on the back of the trailer. I do agree with other posters that the front tire should be removed. I had no issue removing or installing the rack. I recommend this if you have limited options while towing a travel-trailer.1169450

I investigated the Curt Clamp-On Bike Rack as an alternative to mounting my bikes on the rear of our 16' Fiberglass "egg" camper. We have a trusty old Thule version that has worked well, but I have become increasingly concerned with the risk of sway in having that much cargo to the rear of the trailer. So now we have one roof-mounted rack for one bike (leaving room also for a canoe) on our tow vehicle (Toyota Highlander), and will on future trips mount the other bike behind the tv on the new clamp-on rack. I see it as a simpler alternative to using a hitch adapter. The rack is sturdy, very well designed and built. At first when I unwrapped and examined it I thought, "Oh no, it's going to be a pain having to take off the hitch mount to insert it through the grips on the bike rack," but on further inspection I realized that it is (brilliantly) designed to open up far enough to fit over the 2" square shank, then close and lock in place. I tried it on the car just to see how it goes on and off, and it seems simple. We just got 4" of snow (a rarity in suburban Philadelphia), so we are doing whatever x-country skiing and winter hiking we can, but the arrival of this Curt Clamp-On rack gives me dreams and hopes for happy trails to come!924940

This bike rack really is the most handy rack I've owned. It is extremely well made. My wife and I travel with a fifth wheel camper. I wanted something that I could use after getting to a campground, to load our bikes and travel to a trail head. And I wanted something I could remove easily after getting there, so someone would not steal it while we were riding. This rack hits the mark. I would recommend it to anyone wanting something handy, compact, and well constructed. 546485

Excellent! It is still the best rack I have owned!

William C - 07/27/2019

58310

I was very impressed at how fast I received the CURT, Clamp-On Bike Rack in 2 days. Very easy to put on. Works perfectly on hitch/receiver, will work well for our trip to the East Coast, Nova Scotia & New Brunswick in July. 763566

It’s been working out great. Hoping to get some more use of it this coming summer.

Bob H - 03/06/2021

109597

Strong build, very easy to put together, and disassemble for storage. The only downside is the metal loop is too short, so I use a strap to pull it up in order to not injure my hands. So far I drive 400 miles and the bike didn't even move.436410

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by: Debra 08/25/2022

Works perfectly 1374738

Extremely fast shipping. Awesome customer service. Products was as described and good quality! Easy to install and very sturdy. Would recommend.276203

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by: Ken C10/11/2017

The main reason that I purchased the C18013 bike carrier was that I had just also purchased the trailer hitch to mount it to. I was pleased with the quality and heavy gauge of the steel. It is very easy to mount the unit to the hitch bar. The clamp has a built in lock pin to insure it does not come loose. Be sure to use the trunk or hatch back straps to keep it from rocking left to right.

The only concern is the shipping box they use. Since the bike carrier is heavy gauge, it caused the box to split open a little. No real problem, since everything was still there. I'm very satisfied with the purchase.441678

I purchased this along with a 16" hitch mount (#80232 ) to carry 3 bikes on the back of my truck while towing a camper. Installed fine (definitely requires some muscle to clamp it). But this mount slams together REALLY hard when removing it from the hitch, which bruised my hand very badly. (I'd recommend using a short 2x4 at a distance to release the tension bar to keep all your fingers). I saw other reviewers had this issue--it's serious and reason enough for me to return the product.

Also, the cradle straps are extremely difficult to secure. I watched etrailer's product video and I can't figure out how the guy was able to secure the straps so easily---that's definitely not the case. Also, I wish it held the bikes 6" higher to get the handlebars above my truck's tailgate, which would also create more distance from the trailer and prevent the handlebars from rubbing the tailgate. Even with the longer hitch I purchased, it didn't give me enough distance between the truck/trailer for 3 bikes for tight turns. Two bikes would be okay, but even so, my bikes didn't sit well on this mount, even with additional adapters. The bikes slide down at weird angles which places the wheels in the way of the hitch mount.

Overall, good in concept. Seemed secure and sturdy. But I couldn't use it for 3 bikes and would need adapters and better straps to make it work, and risk bad injury to my hand. Will be returning. I'd recommend finding it if you can find it a local store to test for yourself to avoid shipping costs.676807

Rack fits tightly on hitch with more than enough strap length to reach the sides of the rear door on a 09 Yukon. The rubber cradles grip the bikes well. The unit doesn't move or shake.

I will have to remove the front tires from the bikes to give enough clearance for the trailer to connect to the hitch but otherwise I believe it will work perfectly for a vacation trip towing the boat.268267

Bike rack arrived in a timely manner and was securely packaged. The rack appears to be sturdily built. Rack requires a lot of downward force to attach it to the hitch bar. Someone taller and stronger might have better luck. Probably good because it attached very securely. The side straps for attachment to the trunk are a good stabilizing feature although their attachment to the rack was not well thought out. The rubber straps for attaching the bikes to the rack are very sturdy and stiff and again difficult to attach but were secure. Loaded 2 women's bikes with cross bar accessory and the rack bars were almost too wide for the accessory application. I removed the bike front wheels and turned the handlebars so they aligned with the bikes so the bikes could be placed closer together. Space for three regular or large frame bikes may be inadequate but ok for 2. The pin that secures the rack in the open position is spring loaded and there is an adjacent hole where an auxillary pin can be inserted for extra security. I will definitely get one and use it. Last but not least, make certain you release the spring loaded pin and lift up on the ring handle while standing to the side of the rack. The rack releases with the same force required to secure it. This rack allows me haul two bikes and a cargo carrier at the same time. 273057

Bike rack worked perfectly!! Used with camper, hitch extension and extended trailer lights and chains. Able to remove at campsite to gain full access to tailgate and rear of truck yet simple and quick to reinstall. Highly recommend this product!578842