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This rack swings away from the rear of your vehicle with bikes loaded for full cargo area access. Adjustable cradles slide along the arms to best fit each bike. Removable ZipStrips let you load bikes without bulky straps interfering.
Features:
Specs:
The Yakima FullSwing has a hinged arm that swings 180 degrees away from the hitch with your bikes loaded. It provides full access to your vehicle's rear cargo area, unlike tilting racks that may impede access depending on door size, bike size, and degree of tilt. This swingaway rack also reduces the possibility of your SUV hatch, Jeep door, or van door coming into contact with your bikes.
To open the hinged arm, loosen the T-bolt, pull the spring-loaded pin, and swing the rack out away from the rear of your vehicle. The arm will lock into place once it's fully extended so your hands are free to open your hatch and remove cargo.
To close the rack, press the hinge release lever and pull the spring-loaded pin to swing the mast back into position. The spring-loaded pin will click when you've fully closed the rack. Finally, tighten the T-bolt to completely secure the rack in place.
The FullSwing's dual arms offer excellent bike support. They slope up to provide ground clearance for steep driveways and bumpy roads.
To fold the arms down, pull up the lever at the top of the mast. This leaves a smaller footprint, so you can keep the rack on your vehicle to park in your garage. And when stored in this configuration, it doesn't take up as much space in your garage.
Each set of anti-sway cradles have two ZipStrips that secure your bike along the top tube and one that secures the seat post or downtube. This multi-point contact helps keep your bikes from rocking back and forth, reducing bike-to-bike contact.
Because the ZipStrips are removable, the RidgeBack is easier to load than racks that have integrated straps that get in your way when you slide your bikes over the arms. To load your bikes, press the quick-release levers on the sides of each cradle and remove the ZipStrips, slide your bikes onto the rack, and re-insert the strips, pressing them firmly against each bike's frame. To remove your bikes, simply remove the ZipStrips.
You can adjust the cradles to best fit each bike by sliding them along notched tracks in the bottom of each arm. This gives you more space for larger bikes and takes up less space for smaller bikes. Simply lift the cradle's control lever to move it, then lower the lever to lock the cradle into position.
The rack quickly installs in your hitch receiver, without the need for tools. Just slide the shank into your hitch and turn the SpeedKnob until snug. Turning the knob deploys an anti-rattle wedge in the shank to help take play out of the hitch connection.
The integrated AutoPin hitch pin secures the rack to your receiver. A handy thumb-release button disengages the AutoPin so you can easily slide the rack out of your hitch. And, since the AutoPin is part of the rack, you won't have to worry about losing it.
A lock on the hand knob secures the rack to your vehicle. Once locked, the hand knob will spin freely so a would-be thief can't operate it.
The rack also has an integrated cable lock that threads around your bikes' frames and inserts into the lock at the end of the right arm. The cable stores inside the arm when not in use. The locks are keyed alike, so you only need to use 1 key. Additional SKS cylinders (sold separately) let you make all your Yakima products keyed alike.
If you have a women's bike, kid's bike, or any other bike without a straight, horizontal top tube, you will need an adapter bar (sold separately) to properly mount your bike. The bar fits between the seat post and handlebar stem post of your bike to create a top tube so your bike hangs level on the rack.
Average Customer Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars (49 Customer Reviews)
This rack swings away from the rear of your vehicle with bikes loaded for full cargo area access. Adjustable cradles slide along the arms to best fit each bike. Removable ZipStrips let you load bikes without bulky straps interfering.Installation today was pretty straight forward. We had no problems. It may require two people to install the bike rack onto the hitch because it is pretty heavy. But, as a 41 yo woman I was able to attach the bike rack to the hitch by myself. We haven't used it yet to transport our bikes, but I imagine that will be seamless too.
I bought this hitch carrier to bring 4 bikes on a 1200 mile round trip for a 2 week vacation. I used to spend more to rent bikes than the cost of the hitch. I purchased this during a Labor Day sale last year thinking if I used it once it would pay for itself. I spent the xtra $$ on the swing feature and am glad I did as it allowed me to load bikes whenever I needed and get to the rear of our SUV at any time. Works flawlessly! I have a THULE roof carrier (love it) but when I went to Dicks to check out the THULE ‘s securing rubber ties, I realized they were pretty hard to secure whereas the Yakima zip ties are easy. Hitch lock was easy and built in bike lock made made everything secure. Would buy again, recommend to anyone!
I drive a 2009 Toyota Sienna. I did a lot of research online and even called around to U-Haul and a few of the car dealerships to price installation for a hitch receiver and wiring harness. If you are even semi-handy then do it yourself!! I had to clean out the holes on the frame for the bolts for a while but once they were clean the hitch went on without a "hitch" :) The wiring harness was super easy to install as well. Communication and shipping through etrailer was flawless.
We just came back from a road trip with the Yakima bike trailer. It worked awesome! I fit 4 bikes on with ease. The securing straps are heavy duty. I would also recommend this product. The price through etrailer was the same as anywhere else I could find it online.
Jda
8/23/2016
We love it
Don't Buy, purchase a tilt version.
Annoying and time consuming. You must unscrew the swing arm every time you enter your rear car door. Difficult to close the swing arm with bikes attached (2x adult and 2x kids), due to weight. Love the attachment clips, integrated wire bike lock and hitch lock. DO NOT USE ON TRAVEL TRAILER!!! I had to use on my fifth wheel traveling from Bad Lands to the Smokey Mtns due to a van issue and the receiver bent destroying the bike rack.
Mike L.
6/26/2019
As mentioned in our product description and in the manufacturers instructions, this rack is not intended for use on an RV, camper or a towed trailer.
Product is great. Would not recommend using etrailer however. It took over 6 weeks to get my rack. I was not told when I purchased the rack that they did not have it in stock and it would take this long. After about 2 weeks, I called etrailer and they said it would be another week or so, which was clearly inaccurate.
Charles
7/11/2021
Aftr a year, I cant say I am a big fan of this rack. It is very difficult to get 4 bikes on it and the swing function has some give in it and makes for a challenging closure at times.
This is the best rack I’ve seen or used for being able to have full access to the trunk / back hatch of the vehicle. That said, it is very heavy and an awkward shape so storing it when not in use is no treat if you’re short on space. All in all, probably the best rack I’ve seen.
Sean
1/19/2023
Still the best bike rack I’ve seen to date after a year. It’s heavy, but the functionality and quality is unmatched.
Seems like a great product based on the specs and the positive reviews definitely swayed me. But, my experience was only 3 stars. Here's what I found. I have a 2" hitch provided and installed by U-Haul on our 2007 Odyssey, so no flimsy 1" adapter. This thing still moves around a great deal. No failures, but just be prepared when you first mount bikes, go over bumps, etc. LOTS of surface rust after just a year of use where the connecting rod fits into the hitch; took 30+ minutes to work it free last time I took it off the car. We tend to leave it on because we use it often and it is heavy and beastly to put on. Consider some sort of release agent before installation or removal. Operation was fairly straight forward once I got the hang of it. However, over time, certain functions started to fail or become difficult. The key lock is a bit tricky to engage even out of the box, but became very difficult to turn the longer it has been in use. After 10 years, OK. After 1 year, not so much. The locking pin on the arm also started to come out of alignment with the hole in the arm (not much, but enough, has me wondering about the years to come) and required quite a bit of additional manipulation to get it to engage. But, my largest criticism is bike management. We have two adult comfort / mtn bikes, one kid bike and a tag-along. We bought two of the cross bar attacher thingies. No dice. My own men's bike was easy to get on and always went on first per instructions. Next was my wife's, a Trek with a pretty standard triangular frame. TIGHT, TIGHT fit to get that thing on and not the ideal placement to make it work. Our oldest son's bike, another Trek, wouldn't go; could only get one arm through. The cross bar adapter was NO help. What a waste of money, those. Can't use them on anything. They are very limited in their range of use. To get it on, I had to have the bike cocked at about 60 degrees. The crazy fit of bikes #2 and #3 eliminated any chance of getting that tag-along on it even though it is much smaller than a bike. Into the trunk it went, defeating the whole point of a 4-bike carrier. The detachable tie-downs seem like a great idea, but they sure are easy to drop when wrestling a bike, or lose OR STEAL. Where are you going to put them, or the extras, when not in use? Something else to figure out and deal with. The sliding lock downs? Again, another seeming good idea, but after a year, they become very difficult to slide back and forth. I have really had to wrench on them in certain cases to get them to move at all. Can't be good long term and very aggravating since it is supposed to be a slick feature. Why not just leave them in place once you figure out the best spot? Well, there's the principle of it, but there is also this thing called my kids' friends! Yeah, play dates or whatever. Requires a total rework. Not fun. Two adult bikes was very workable even if you couldn't move lock downs...just used the next ones over. And the swing out feature was, in general, very useful. Maybe it's an impossible task, a great 4-bike rack, I dunno. Maybe it's me. But, maybe it's the rack. If you can, try YOUR bikes before buying. Maybe a friend has one already? Maybe it requires some kind of care and feeding not mentioned anywhere. I wouldn't say don't buy it, but just be aware of what you're getting into. Talk to owners of this and other types and brands to see what their use issues might be.
The Good: Solid and well-engineered, swing mechanism works as advertised, easy to strap on bikes, full 2" tongue insert, holds 4 bikes when needed.
The Bad: Too heavy/cumbersome to conveniently install, remove on a regular basis. Mast is 6-8" too tall so that it blocks your view out the back window. Bikes are not safe from theft when parked because entire mast is easily removable, bikes & all, by 2 average guys (I had a ring welded to the mast so I can cable the mast to my hitch -- Yakima should have done this).
Overall: etrailer was a good outfit to work with. However, while this rack is technically functional, it is a beast. I would not buy the swing mechanism again -- I have seen tilt-down and other styles that also allow rear SUV door access, but aren't nearly as bulky/heavy. I needed a 3 bike solution, but I also need something less clunky to deal with on a regular basis since I don't leave my rack on all the time. I regret buying this model.
This bike rack is very sturdy and good looking. The swing arm works great. I love the hitch and bike lock that comes with the rack. for the high price of this rack, I expect it to be near perfect but it disappointed me on day one and I almost wanted to return it. I think the engineer tested the arms with standard adult bikes (triangle frame) only because I had a really tough time trying to install 2 kids bike and a non standard adult bike frame on the rack. The problem is that the arms are too thick which excludes many bikes, like mines from fitting. The ties are cool but once I remove the bikes, I don't know where I should put them. I actually like ties that are attached to the rack. Maybe it is just a personal preference. if these issues are corrected, it will make this rack even better.
A quality product with heavy construction. Locks to the tow hitch and also has a cable lock for the bikes. Heavy to install but does allow full access to side opening door on my Land Rover defender; should also work well on a Jeep Wrangler or similar. I also needed a 2 inch trailer hitch extender to provide another 9 inches of clearance from the back of the vehicle to clear the door-mounted spare wheel. Bikes without a crossbar need a Yakima Tube Top Adapter or similar to use the device. It obscures the rear license plate, so I also ended up ordering a Yakima License Plate Holder. Also straps to stop wheel spinning during travel are a good idea. So accessories are needed to use the rack but I'm impressed by the quality.
This is a great bike rack. It’s amazing how much weight it can hold while swinging out of the way of the lift gate. Because of that, though, it has to be quite heavy, so keep in mind that it is a little bit of a beast to handle. It can be a little tricky to fit four bikes on it, and my small kids’ bikes required Tube Tops to fit, but this might be similar for most racks.
This is an excellent rack. The hinge and locking mechanisms work very well under heavy loads, allowing the opening of the car's rear door without having to unload or even adjust the bikes on the rack.
It fits my minivan well (after have an aftermarket hitch installed) and permits us to put all camping gear for our family of 4 and bikes (& 4 people) in one vehicle. That is awesome!
It does NOT permit easy access to the "trunk" which is the reason we paid more for this model. In retrospect, I would save money and get the model without rear access as we don't have it now.
Heavy duty rack, fit very nicely on my Highlander
Lawrence
7/8/2023
Great, keeps bike secure and easy to put on car
The product (FullSwing) is rock solid. My favorite feature beside the stability is the integrated lock. I'm not sure when I'll use the beer opener but that is cool also. I can't say enough about eTrailer. I considered a purchase through anazon of course, but the product was not in stock. Using eTrailer was a great decision. I received the product in two days with normal shipping, just in time for a trip the next day.
Matt E.
7/4/2016
Fantastic
This bike rack works great. It is beefy, and takes some strength to install or remove, but is rock solid and holds my bikes firmly without damage. The feature I like most is the swing away arm that lets me lower the gate of my truck to access the bed. I have a tonneau cover that keeps the contents of the bed safe while I'm out riding.
The Yakima FullSwing arrived on time. Took a little while to assemble - cold weather does not help. That said, the rack fit perfectly in my Subaru 2020 Outback (factory installed) 2" hitch. Very little wobble and felt very, very solid with 2 bikes attached. Better (but also much heavier) than my old Thule. Service from etrailer was excellent!
Bike rack is extremely sturdy. Comes assembled and took less than 5 minutes to install. Works and looks great on the pickup truck. Unit swings aside to allow bed to be fully accessed even with 4 bikes mounted. Lock into the trailer hitch prevents removal which was the main reason for purchase over competitive Thule unit which lacks such a locking mechanism. Very pleased with purchase.
etrailer was a breeze to do business with. Unit arrived within 2 days. I did place order over phone, rather than internet. Was told that this would expedite shipping.
Great Bike Rack. Swing feature is awesome, well worth the money. Nice additional features such as lock cable and snapping straps. Super easy to use and easy to install. Only downfall is the rack is on the heavy side but not a deal breaker.
A really nice looking bike rack. It is a bit of a beast in terms of size, but my wife was itching to use it and was able to get it on the truck no problem without me. Used it a couple times now and all features work nicely. It does appear that the rubber arms scuff pretty easily and have the potential to wear down eventually... something I will watch for. The locking cable is nice, but not that big a deterrent if someone really wants your bikes. I've had bikes stolen with larger cables that were cut. That said, probably less likely to happen during the day. Got a sweet deal from etrailer.
We love our new bike rack and are very happy with our choice. It's super easy to gets biked on and off, the bikes do not bounce or shake when on the rack, and the swing rack allows us to open the back with ease whether the bikes are already loaded up or not. Our only issue with our bike rack is that it's not very easy to remove and reinstall, and thus we leave it on all winter.
I didn’t know anything about this company until a few days ago. I’d been waiting for the Yakima bike rack to come back in stock on the Yakima website for months now and it never did. I finally started searching for this specific rack on google shopping and found it at eTrailer. I was hesitant to purchase from an unknown third party distributor online but very glad I did. The price was fair, the acceptance of the order was quick, and the shipping and delivery of the item blew me away - crazy fast. I’ve had multiple emails come to me from them thanking me for my order and letting me know to notify them immediately if I had any issues. I still haven’t had a chance to open the box and review the product. But from all accounts thus far, this company is the real deal with superb customer service. Highly recommend.
Great Product. Fits all 4 bikes well and sits securely in hitch.
It is a little heavy so I'd be inclined to buy a single bike carrier for when my wife wants to mount it on the truck by herseld
Sturdy bike rack, performed as advertised. It is heavy, but otherwise easy to install an operate. We use it for 3 kid's bikes, which are a challenge because of their size & configuration, but were able to make it work, even without adapter bars. It would be a challenge to mount 4 bikes.
It fits my minivan well (after have an aftermarket hitch installed) and permits us to put all camping gear for our family of 4 and bikes (& 4 people) in one vehicle. That is awesome!
It does NOT permit easy access to the "trunk" which is the reason we paid more for this model. In retrospect, I would save money and get the model without rear access as we don't have it now.
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Entmd
8/31/2019
A year later hitch is working great. Very happy with product.