Bike Rack that clears without an extension?

[Bacon is Life]

I've used extensions (w/antiwobble) for years on a wrangler with the 1Up Rack... two-bike. Super stable; no wobble; very stout. 1Up do offer a 4-bike option (with two 'add-on' racks) as well. I've used tons of racks over the years, and nothing touches 1Up. It uses a tiered stack to the rack...each bike sitting higher than the other. This does give you good clearance if doing mild off-roading. All that said, I have run a 4-bike set-up... and while stable, the overhang was far too much for my stomach to handle... It seemed to stretch for a mile. My ideal set-up was 2-bike 1up at hitch and two 1up trays on a roof rack.

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[mikejames]

I'm also looking for a bike rack that fits without an extension. I'm worried that a 4-bike carrier plus an extension will put too much leverage on the hitch. I was thinking I'd rather take off the spare tire than use an extension.

Whether or not you use an extension to make the rack clear the tire, the torque at the hitch will be the same, because the moment arm is the same length.

Your setup would also have to weigh an awful lot before it would be a problem for a class 3 hitch.

 

[mikejames]

I've measured and need a 4" extension for my trailer to clear the spare and bike rack to clear the mount. The shortest I can find is 7" long though. Has anyone found a 4" extension?

Just get a 7" and slide it further into the hitch. The hitch is open on both ends, there is no need to go for shallowest insertion.

 

[8DaysDazed]

So you do or do not need an extension?

1 bike will fit on the 1UP w/o an extension. Extensions required for 2.

 

[88 FoxBody]

Picked this up on sale. No issues for 2 racing BMX bikes. the local track is only a mile down the road. It was listed for a jeep but I had to modify it to work. The arms that hook over the spare were to long and would hit the tailgate. The spare on the bronco sits much closer to the tailgate compared to a jeep. Only pic I have but I’ll take a better one the next time I load the bikes

 

[JohnnyBronco]

Kuat V2 swing away hitch should be the only extension you need.

 

[Black_Stallion13]

I've tried 4 different styles of racks on mine and all needed my 7" Thule extension (that's with standard 32" spare tire also). I guess only exception is if u had at least a 2 bike rack and didn't use the front tray. You wouldn't be able to swing rack up or down or open tailgate which all seem quite annoying vs. just buying a simple extension.

 

[Wark]

Picked this up on sale. No issues for 2 racing BMX bikes. the local track is only a mile down the road. It was listed for a jeep but I had to modify it to work. The arms that hook over the spare were to long and would hit the tailgate. The spare on the bronco sits much closer to the tailgate compared to a jeep. Only pic I have but I’ll take a better one the next time I load the bikes

What model and what mods did you have to do to get it to work ?

 

[kr_1315]

Although you're looking for one without an extension, I recommend getting a swing-out extension if that's the course you need to take. It makes your life so much easier for accessing the cargo area.

I did a write-up on B6G for my setup, which can be found here.

This. The Kuat 2 is awesome. A bike rack with no swing-out option is a nuisance on the Bronco.

 

[Lakelife36]

Whether or not you use an extension to make the rack clear the tire, the torque at the hitch will be the same, because the moment arm is the same length.

Your setup would also have to weigh an awful lot before it would be a problem for a class 3 hitch.

The moment arm for torsion on the receiver wouldn't increase (rack being the same height from the receiver), but it would for flexure in either axis (longitudinal or transverse, with longitudinal being the one that should govern). Also note that the stock receivers are listed as Class II not Class III, although whether the actual tube section itself can handle Class III load effects is not clear.

Just get a 7" and slide it further into the hitch. The hitch is open on both ends, there is no need to go for shallowest insertion.

The stock receiver has about 2" distance from the leading edge to the centre of the hole. To make any real difference sliding the extender in further, it would have to have a significantly longer shank section than receiver tube section, and you'd have to drill or torch a new hole in it about 2" from the interface between them. This would gain you maybe 1 1/2" for products like the Curt 45781 8" extender (https://www.curtmfg.com/part/45781) and you'd still only get minimal more from others like the Draw-tite 80307 (https://www.draw-tite.com/product/80307_trailer-hitch-extension#product-specification-content). Perhaps there are some 7-8" extenders with very short receiver tube section that could get you a reasonable reduction from making a new hole in the shank section and leaving the rest out the back but I haven't seen any. If you have one in mind, please let me know.

 

[mikejames]

The stock receiver has about 2" distance from the leading edge to the centre of the hole. To make any real difference sliding the extender in further, it would have to have a significantly longer shank section than receiver tube section, and you'd have to drill or torch a new hole in it about 2" from the interface between them. This would gain you maybe 1 1/2" for products like the Curt 45781 8" extender (https://www.curtmfg.com/part/45781) and you'd still only get minimal more from others like the Draw-tite 80307 (https://www.draw-tite.com/product/80307_trailer-hitch-extension#product-specification-content). Perhaps there are some 7-8" extenders with very short receiver tube section that could get you a reasonable reduction from making a new hole in the shank section and leaving the rest out the back but I haven't seen any. If you have one in mind, please let me know.

I'm an idiot - i must've forgotten about the standard depths for pins. Some vary a bit depending on the receiver, but not likely for anything compatible with the Bronco.

 

[Lakelife36]

I'm an idiot - i must've forgotten about the standard depths for pins. Some vary a bit depending on the receiver, but not likely for anything compatible with the Bronco.

Dang it, I was really hoping that you had something in mind! I guess we'll have to keep looking.

 

[truvkngfan]

Picked this up on sale. No issues for 2 racing BMX bikes. the local track is only a mile down the road. It was listed for a jeep but I had to modify it to work. The arms that hook over the spare were to long and would hit the tailgate. The spare on the bronco sits much closer to the tailgate compared to a jeep. Only pic I have but I’ll take a better one the next time I load the bikes

Looks great, for BMX bikes I found that I can fit 3 in the back of my 4 door with the 60 portion of the seat down. No need to take off the tires unless you have a pro size cruiser. When we went to Tulsa for Grands last year I was able to fit the wife's cruiser, my Pro XXL and my kids junior bike plus all the gear and luggage for the trip in the back. It was kind of like playing Tetris but we made it work.

 

[Gotchaa]

4 bikes will NOT put any excess leverage on any 4 bike carrier or the actual hitch for that matter.even if the bikes were heavy - 200lbs is NOTHING for a hitch that is designed to tow/pull 3,500lbs.

I have the KUAT 2 bike rack, buddy has a 4 with no issues. I have a 7 inch hitch extension on mine and it clears the spare tire perfectly.

My understanding is the rating for 3,500lbs is towing capacity only.

OEM Hitch Capacity is here:

https://www.ford.com/cmslibs/conten...po/pdf/2023_Ford_Bronco_Towing_Info_Dec16.pdf

The Max Tounge Load is 350lbs.
So depending on the type of bike rack you use the capacity will vary.

 

[SROC3]

Mine is a Big Bend too and I have 35s and the tailgate reinforcement - which adds an in or so, pushing the spare out towards the rear. I have. KUAT dual bike rack and used this extension from amazon. Very simple and easy - $25. BAM.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08XNHMRYV/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

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