Hitch Mounted Bike Rack by Swagman XTC4 - 4-Bike Capacity

Ginette PGinette P: I waited til our road trip was complete to fully review this rack. From my point of view it does not disappoint. Assembly of the hitch itself was a little tedious, and figuring out the placement of the bikes took some trial and error. But after your initial time investment of putting together the hitch and figuring out the bike placement, loading and offloading won’t be a problem for future trips. For us what worked was two youth bikes on the inside and two adult bikes on the outside. The trip was great. I never felt like the bikes were going to fall off. They felt completely secure from the time we loaded them on to the time we arrived at our destination. Based on other reviews, my biggest hesitation with this big purchase was my worry that the hitch would not fold up properly (when bikes were not loaded) as it would touch my bumper. I have a 2016 Honda Pilot and it folded up just fine without any issues, as seen from the attached pics. The only downside is the hitch is a bit heavy, but I don’t mind that if the payoff is a sturdy, secure “fit.” It is also a bit expensive, but at the same time it is a bit less expensive than some of the comparable...

Canada on May 27, 2021

Canadian PatCanadian Pat: UPDATE MAY 2022 - THIS RACK HAS RUSTED TERRIBLY (see pictures). I contacted the seller and they told me because I leave in SW Ontario where they use salt in the road that is why. MY BIKE RACK IS IN A NICE DRY SHED FROM OCTOBER TO APRIL SO EXPLAIN THAT AGAIN TO ME???? I am so disgusted and so disappointed with this rack I will NEVER buy another Swagman product. Also after I had it about 2 months I could no longer get it to line up so I could put it up when my bikes aren’t being carried. So I basically spent $700 for less then 1 year of use. DON’T BUY THIS ONE.

I do like this bike rack except for a couple of things.

1) It is sooooooo heavy. There is no way on God’s green earth I could install this at the beginning of the season or at the end. Thank heavens for good neighbours.
2) The security locking cable cannot be installed on my car. I have a 2020 Jeep Cherokee and there is not enough clearance on the bumper to fit the locking device on. So I will now have to go and buy a locking system.
3) When I put the rack up when not using for bikes, the pin is really hard to get through the holes. They don’t seem to line up really well. The...

Canada on Apr 05, 2021

Ryan varley: Easy to assemble (about 30 minutes) and it's a very solid rack for weighing just under 50 lbs. It does take some time arranging 4 bikes, but I can't imagine it is any more difficult than other 4 bike carriers, and once you have it figured out, every subsequent time is a breeze. If your trailer or RV has a stock receiver hitch, you can use this bike carrier; it's just too heavy to mount to the bumper. My 5th wheel has a stock receiver hitch with a 300 lbs limit; the carrier and 4 bikes are well within the limit of the hitch. The only downside is the covering on the braces does rub the paint off the bikes; recommend covering your bikes with something at the contact points.

Canada on Sep 18, 2018

Colin: Having owned a number of hitch mounted bike racks, I feel the Swagman XTC-4 is good match between useability, quality and price.

First the pros:
-The sliding ratchet system to set the height on the top hook is excellent. It works perfectly, holds snug and is the best design I have seen for the hooks among any bike racks. This will be your favorite feature of this bike rack.
-The stretchable bands that go through the wheels are easy to use and also fit snug.
-The unit is strong, will hold even the heaviest bike and should provide many years of service.
-The rack is angled up and away from the hitch which provides much needed clearance for most vehicles.
-The rubber on the top hooks is durable, easy to clean and does not appear to scratch the bikes.
-The bikes stay quite stable in place and don't move around too much even on the biggest of bumps.

The Cons:
-Heavy! Strength comes at a cost. Smaller individuals will have a difficult time installing/removing this from the hitch by themselves.
-As convenient as the rubber straps are that go through the tires, they will over time deteriorate and lose their elasticity.
-The...

Canada on Sep 14, 2017

David ComeauDavid Comeau: An excellent rack. The sliding ratcheting frame holder is solid and does not move. Very solid, no movement or sway at highway speeds. Easily holds 4 adult mountain bikes. It folds up for storage if you leave it on the car. We can fold down the center shaft so that we have access to our hatch. It comes with the locking pin and cable as well, so don't order that separately.

Beware this is a heavy rack, solid steel. What makes it stable also makes it heavy. It really needs a solid vehicle to use it. I would not recommend it for a compact car.

Overall though, this is perfect for us and we are very happy!

Canada on Jun 01, 2017

Dave Andrews: This was a rather big investment, so I was definitely concerned. However it turned out fantastic.

What I like most about it are:

1) Very sturdy.
2) Was relatively easy to put together - maybe 30 minutes and I thought the instructions were fine.
3) I have 2 kids bikes and my wife's bike, so having a rack like this, where I can set the wheels is, was something I really wanted, and it doesn't disappoint.
4) Very easy to adjust for bikes. I have not experienced what others have regarding having a challenge getting the bikes on and fitting them in right, at least not yet.
5) Fits 4 bikes perfectly. I wouldn't be concerned at all using for 4 adult bikes.
6) The locking capability is awesome, and was easily able to lock all my bikes. Now if you want to lock all your front tires and seats the lock won't be long enough.
7) Easy to fold up when not using, and looks good.

The only downside is expected. It is heavy, so taking on and off isn't my favorite part. Not terrible, just not great. Also, even though it is easy to lower it down to open the trunk, it always seems annoying to me so I rarely do it. And of course even if you do that...

United States on Jun 13, 2014

aznative77: I used to have a suspended 2-bike type of bike rack. However, living in a house full of girls with woman framed bikes and myself having a full suspension bike this just wasn't optimal anymore. Enter the Swagman 4 bike platform rack. I can now fit everyone's bike onto the rack so we can all take one vehicle now and getting the bikes on and off is much easier. So far I love this rack!

The good:
- It carries four bikes.
- Getting the bikes on and off is easier compared to my previous suspension type bike rack.
- The bikes seem to travel securely (the do not wobble on the rack and the rack itself doesn't sway.)
- It came with a hitch pin lock to secure the rack to the hitch and it came with a cable that could be used with this hitch pin lock.
- The rack itself feels solid.
- The rack folds up when not in use.

The less than perfect:
- That solid feeling comes at a price. The rack is fairly heavy. However, if you're like me who just leaves it on all the time this doesn't matter.
- I drive a Jeep that has the rear mounted spare tire. In order to fold it up I had to purchase a hitch extension. (I bought and would recommend the  ...

United States on Feb 08, 2012

E.R. Sullivan: This is my first product review on Amazon, even though I've been actively buying from the site for more than five years. I haven't even finished fully assembling this rack yet, but I've been driven to make some comments. On the positive side, it arrived in perfect condition and included the Swagman anti-wobble hitch lock and Avenir heavy-duty bike cable. Neither of these were expected and are a pleasant surprise as they save me a good amount of money. The directions for the assembly appear to be clearly written and straight-forward. I set about the assembly with a HIGH degree of confidence in the product and my ability to put it together. Everything appears to be of high quaility...however...

Whoever designed the assembly process has a special place in design hell. In the best case, dropping the bolt through the cross bars after tilting the vertical bar out of the way is very tricky and frustrating. Despite that, three of the four bolts were in place within fifteen minutes (it's VERY difficult to manuever the bolt into position, particularly with big hands). However, even after 50 minutes of mostly patient effort doing everything I can think of,...

United States on Oct 29, 2011