Heavy duty steel construction and a locking top plate secures up to four bikes. It also swings out for complete access to cargo areas and pivots to keep bikes parallel with the vehicle.
Features:
Specs:
Display of swinging bike rack
Base of bike carrier
The two pictured knobs allow only the cradle to pivot
Average Customer Rating: 3.0 out of 5 stars (1 Customer Reviews)
Heavy duty steel construction and a locking top plate secures up to four bikes. It also swings out for complete access to cargo areas and pivots to keep bikes parallel with the vehicle.mostly good
pro's:
easy to install.
easy to open the swing bar.
Heavy duty construction
cons:
no receiver pin... nor does description indicate this
needed a pin that reduces movement of the hitch as well as locks the hitch. We handled this with the anti-rattle trailer hitch.
takes a long time to mount and dismount the bikes due to lots of turning the knobs.
mount is mediocre at best for our high end road bikes which do not have consistent thickness on the frame. We handled this by wrapping a thin piece of cloth around the skinnier section of the bike frame.
Lock: I doubt it is secure. I imagine I can get a hammer and bash it into the key hole of the lock and easily turn the knob to release the bikes... If it is to be used as security, the lock should be a higher quality. Probably OK to use while going to a bathroom at a gas station, but not much more.
All in all, the only thing that I would definitely recommend the manufacturer change is a mounting system that is faster and more flexible for bikes with non-regular frame diameters...
Review from a similar XP in Hitch Bike Racks
Once again, etrailer's service was superb. The hitch arrived very quickly, packaging was in good shape when it arrived.
I chose this bike rack because it was one of only a few that are rated for a hitch on the back of a fifth wheel trailer. It is very sturdy and was easy to assemble. As reported in other reviews, the only issue was the threaded clamp knob that secures the bikes to the rack. The one with the lock on it came through with a defective lock mechanism that does not allow the knob to engage. That meant it could not be tightened. Swagman might need to re-evaluate this feature.
I like the idea of the lock, but it is probably better to use the regular knobs without the lock to mount the bikes and then use a bike cable lock to secure them to the vehicle.
I have no concerns about the racks strength or durability.
Review from a similar XP in Hitch Bike Racks
TERRIBLE!!!!! Absolutely terrible!!! First off, the main support does not fit well into the hitch sleeve. The threaded hitch pin does not secure against any movement whatsoever. I had to hammer shims into the gap so the unit would not rock back and forth inside the female hitch port. Without the shims you get to watch your bikes in the Furrion camera rock back and forth for 400 miles at a time. The clamp sleeve just barley secures even the most basic bike frame construction. Most current bikes do not fit in the 4 clamps. I had to modify the top slots where the "T" nut swings into place and bend them down to use the threaded hand wheels. Not to mention that the "T" slot bolts are way too short. Prepare for frame and paint damage on your bikes. Good luck placing the bikes back the same way after securing them. Full on engineering disaster! It will take you 45 mins to load up all 4 bikes each time. If you have a quick 1 day stop you can forget taking the bikes off. Told my kids it was too much trouble undoing the puzzle. All the bikes are pointed all over the place like crooked teeth!! Total and complete piece of junk!!!! If I could give this no stars I would. Avoid at all costs.
Review from a similar XP in Hitch Bike Racks
So far, so good. I just received this last week and installed it on the back of my fifth wheel. We have four bikes (2 adult bikes and two kids bikes), and fitting all four of the bikes on the racks took some creativity but it was possible. The rack seems very sturdy, but we will see if it stands the test of time as we are full-time RVers who travel about 6,000 miles per year. Our last bike rack (Swagman XTC4) was completely worn out after about 14,000 miles of use on the back of our fifth wheel.
Review from a similar XP in Hitch Bike Racks
After several uses this bike rack has held up very well. I like it's versatility, you can adjust the clamps to work for any style of bike. My only complaint is the locking clamp. When it is locked it can still be unscrewed and when it is unlocked it is difficult to unscrew.
Review from a similar XP in Hitch Bike Racks
Well built, holds two bikes well. Would like to see a threaded locking bolt at the receiver end to lock to hitch.
Review from a similar XP in Hitch Bike Racks
Great rack--very solid and great for a variety of bike sizes/shapes. I had to grind a bevel on the end of some of the pins to make it easier to insert them, and I had to chop one of the mounts down (see pic) to allow mounting of our tiniest bike (a Woom 3), and to allow our second-tiniest bike (a Cleary 20") to go over the mount to be mounted in the second position in.
There's no other rack I'm aware of that would allow us to haul these five bikes around--this has been great for us, and I'd absolutely recommend it.
-1 star for the directions with pictures so small that there might as well not be pictures at all--it's absolutely impossible to tell what's happening in the diagrams, which fortunately doesn't matter much, as it's all fairly obvious. Except for the threaded 1/2" pin--I still have no idea what that's for . . . maybe some cars have threaded trailer mounts.
Review from a similar XP in Hitch Bike Racks
This was the only bike rack that I could find where my daughter's bike could fit on it securely and without adding a bar. The rack is very stable and is easy to put on and off of my car as needed. I'd like to add that my neighbors have owned this same rack (just an older version) and their rave reviews caused up to research the Swagmann brand. Additionally, e-trailer has been great with communication. Very pleased.
Review from a similar XP in Hitch Bike Racks
The service from etrailer was awesome.
I ordered on a weekend and yet by Sunday night I had an email saying the product was shipped. On top of that the shipping was upgraded at the same cost.... FREE!
The Bike Rack is great. Went together easily and is very heavy duty.
The only problem I have and it was anticipated is that my bike frame is not round, it is oval shaped and it barely fits into the gripper. But as I said I expected it to be close from the product description.
This rack should give me many years of service and I highly recommend it and etrailer!!
Review from a similar XP in Hitch Bike Racks
No way to put 4 bikes on it without completely stripping them down will not fit most of our kids bikes on them
Review from a similar XP in Hitch Bike Racks
Pretty good product. We still have trouble with the locking mechanism, but it might be user error. Also, I thought it would be sturdier, but it seems to sway quite a bit when we are driving.
Review from a similar XP in Hitch Bike Racks
Purchased this after reading some of the other reviews and Q&A on etrailer - i hadn't thought about the fact that how the crossbars on the bike are configured makes a difference - 3 of our 5 bikes wouldn't have fit on a two bar bike rack because the openings are two small (I ended up measuring them before selecting a rack). I still ended up having to use the adapter for one of them which works great. Installation was easy (I had uhaul put a receiver hitch on my 2012 odyssey the week before) - you do have to pull a pin on the bottom of the rack when you tilt it, which some might consider an inconvenience compared to some of the other brands that just have release levers, but i view it as less stuff to break compared to those racks. If you're going to have it on a lot and park in a garage, consider the fact that it doesn't collapse because it does add significant length to the vehicle. 5 bikes are definitely doable if you set it up correctly. I think its the most versatile rack you can get based on the way it holds the bikes and would definitely recommend.
Review from a similar XP in Hitch Bike Racks
After researching the multitude of bike racks available, Pat at etrailer spent over 30 minutes with me on the phone answering my questions about which would be the best rack for our SUV and our particular bike styles. We settled on the Swagman XP 4-bike rack. The cradles are adjustable and be rotated so that the wheels of any bike can be kept parallel to the ground regardless of the angle of the bike frame. It worked as advertised, and I can 100% recommend etrailer as a very reliable source. The people there are interested in helping you, and they deliver. Great company!
Review from a similar XP in Hitch Bike Racks
Works great for older kids or adult bikes. Does not hold the younger kids bikes, as their frames are closer together.
Review from a similar XP in Hitch Bike Racks
This is very well made and strong.it Holds bikes very securely.USE: This is on my 5th wheel hitch had no issues. The only Con: is it wont fit most if the beach cruiser thick middle tube framed bikes..and/or the female low curved frames. Very good product. Etrailer also kept me informed on delivery status every step of the way-well done etrailer.
Review from a similar XP in Hitch Bike Racks
Overall (structurally) it is very well made and appears very sound. However, have 2 comments regarding potential improvements; i.e.:
1) Recommend having the anti-rattle nut feature for the 2" hitch attachment being included at both holes (as shown in the assembly directions included with our bike rack). The one that we got, only has the threaded attachment (anti-rattle feature) at the outer most hole on the 2" square tube. To use this feature, you don't get much hitch engagement, but if you use the inner hole (with more hitch engagement), you have a standard 5/8" pin with lots of play (excessive vibration).
2) Do not recommend the Locking Knob as currently provided. During assembly, we tested it by tightening it down, but could not remove it (even with the key). We needed needle nose pliers to remove, and when disassembled found that the internal locking spindle can lose contact with locking portion when tightened. Since we cannot trust this locking feature, we have ordered two new non-locking knobs; i.e. one for replacement and one as a spare. We also ordered a better locking design to avoid this problem in the future.
Review from a similar XP in Hitch Bike Racks
I've never been so frustrated with a bike rack until now. I have 5 kids bikes, none of them can fit on this thing. Either the bars on the bikes are to fat and you can't close the clamp or the frame is to small to fit over the bottom bracket. I bought the deal that clamps on the handle bars and bike seat for kids bikes, that thing doesn't work either.
It's not just kids bike, my beach cruiser won't fit on the thing, the frame bars are apparently to big to get the clamp closed.
So much wasted time spent on this thing..
Review from a similar XP in Hitch Bike Racks
Bought this to take the bikes for my family of four on vacation and I have only used it three times in the last 12 months, the most recent just a week ago. I remain completely happy with my purchase. The ability to angle the brackets allows me to easily fit our 4 bikes (adult male, adult female, 12 yr male, 10 yr female). My wife's bike fits okay without an adapter, but my daughter's bike required a bar adapter since the space between her frame would not fit over the brackets.
One thing to note, to get my wife and sons bikes on, I have to remove the brackets for the bikes in front of them. Don't be stubborn, just do this. I scratched the frames putting them on the first time without removing the other brackets, and it ended up taking longer fighting them on. This is because of the way her bike frame is built and his is simply smaller. I am considering buying the bar adapters for them as well just to avoid having to remove the brackets, but we don't really use it enough yet to purchase them. My bike, with the wider frame, goes on quickly and easily.
Tip: Take a picture of how you fit the bikes on! It will save you having to figure it out again the next time.
Review from a similar XP in Hitch Bike Racks
Product is fantastic, fast delivery. Outstanding support prior to sale by Julie M. prior to the sale. Had a unique situation as I was hanging my folding bikes so the frame configuration was a bit different. I was able to put them on and they are very secure, and everything is good on the back of my Casita travel trailer.
Review from a similar XP in Hitch Bike Racks
Ordered this bike rack, the locking / anti rattle / threaded hitch pin, & the adapter for an alternative frame bike.
Very impressed with e-trailer dot com. Price was great. The order shipped quickly & arrived early. It was securely packed.
Did A LOT of research & chose this bike rack as it was one of the few that was approved by the manufacturer for RV use.
The bike rack went together fairly easily. The wife helped me as it was good to have a 2nd set of hands. Hint: I started assembling it on the garage floor but it's easier to do in a hitch insert.
Finally used it on our class C RV this past weekend. All in all, no complaints. The wife was driving behind me & said the bike rack was fairly steady.
Pleased with e trailer dot com & the bike rack!
Review from a similar XP in Hitch Bike Racks
I'm very satisfied with it, received in good condition. Haven't used it yet. Still winter here.
Review from a similar XP in Hitch Bike Racks
The swagman xp bike rack we purchased did not work well for us. The locking cradle broke shortly after one use. The cradles slide when tightened, and as a result the bikes on the rack are not very secure and move around during a trip. I do not know how 4 bikes would fit on this rack. We have only 2 trail bikes and they were taking up a lot of the space. I did not return the bike rack because it weighted so much and the package would have been very expensive to return.
The only reason I gave it 2 stars is because it is made with very sturdy steel construction. i would not purchase again. We went to a local bike shop, spent more money and purchased a Thule which we are very pleased with. Live and learn.....
Review from a similar XP in Hitch Bike Racks
I purchased the Swagman because I needed a bike rack that was rated for a travel trailer and would take my bike plus three girls' bikes. It took me hours to figure out how to make it work, but I finally got it. It's hard to use and you have to take all the bikes on and off in order. I've since seen better and more easily use-able bike racks and ones that adjusts to fill your tow receiver better (reducing sway). The knob with the key doesn't tighten down or work very well. So I had to place it on an inside bike, allowing me to tighten down the outside bike with the non-keyed knob.
Review from a similar XP in Hitch Bike Racks
I bought it primarily to use it on my camper to haul the kids bikes when we go camping. It was a little harder to assemble than I expected it would be but the reason is because you have to position each holder individually for each bike. That slight down fall makes it nice though because each bike will be properly positioned and secured for travel. I bought the model with the factory lock, I'm glad I decided on that model. I'm also glad that it has the anti rattle feature especially going on a camper. The bike rack even works with a spare tire mounted right next to it.
Review from a similar XP in Hitch Bike Racks
Good value. With creative positioning, I put 1 large adult bike with a straight crossbar, two adult bikes with angled crossbars, and two kids bikes with angled crossbars - with no crossbar adapters on any of them (by tilting the bike holders).
One complaint: the locking bike clamp handle stinks. I plan to buy a non locking replacement handle. The original required constant key pressure to unscrew the handle - you can't just not lock it because it essentially locks when the handle gets tight. Unscrewing via a flimsy key - when the handle is tight - may lead to a broken key and lock.
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