Bike Rack Solution?

Luda07

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That’s a bummer I have a Thule T2 and need the fat part :).

Did you have your mount installed somewhere or do you just have access to a nice lift? I am still debating about installing myself. I have done it before but never had to cut the car.
I did it myself at the Air Force base auto hobby shop which was very nice. You could definitely do it at home on the ground too but it’d be a little tougher.
The cut was pretty easy, I measured the center of the reverse light and then eyeballed a straight edge down to the distances they said and then measured the width. I cut slightly narrower and shorter than they said and it worked well. You definitely can’t see the cut once you’re done so I think I was more worried than I needed to be. Used an air dremel and just cut as straight as I could.
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Carini

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Has anyone had a hitch installed in the Chicagoland area?
 
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pdxzzr

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So I went with the Yakima EXO solution. Got the Torklift Ecohitch and installed it yesterday. Here is testing the setup with bike rack only. Will eventually get the cargo box to replace the roof top box, and the EXO Top Shelf so that I’ll be able to carry the bikes and cargo box at same time from the hitch.

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mikeho

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So I went with the Yakima EXO solution. Got the Torklift Ecohitch and installed it yesterday. Here is testing the setup with bike rack only. Will eventually get the cargo box to replace the roof top box, and the EXO Top Shelf so that I’ll be able to carry the bikes and cargo box at same time from the hitch.

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Ford Mustang Mach-E Bike Rack Solution? CCB0328F-F4F4-4C5E-A4AA-3B12FD2BDFEC


Ford Mustang Mach-E Bike Rack Solution? CCB0328F-F4F4-4C5E-A4AA-3B12FD2BDFEC
This looks fantastic! I just put a deposit down on the EXO system. They just happened to have one SwingBase and one GearLocker in stock. They told me that the GearLocker will likely be out of stock until the end of August and someone had just happened to have returned it yesterday. REI also told me that they haven't even seen the EXO system in their stores despite selling them on the website. In fact, most REIs don't have all the parts to even install a complete bike rack; the customer has to buy pieces separately and send them to a single store to have them assemble. Apparently, the supply chain got hit hard by COVID.
 
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This looks fantastic! I just put a deposit down on the EXO system. They just happened to have one SwingBase and one GearLocker in stock. They told me that the GearLocker will likely be out of stock until the end of August and someone had just happened to have returned it yesterday. REI also told me that they haven't even seen the EXO system in their stores despite selling them on the website. In fact, most REIs don't have all the parts to even install a complete bike rack; the customer has to buy pieces separately and send them to a single store to have them assemble. Apparently, the supply chain got hit hard by COVID.
Yeah, the EXO is pretty new so it’s hard to find the pieces, although the REI in Portland had like one of everything about a month ago.

I got mine from Rack Attack, which has three stores on the Portland area-I had to go to the store that’s furthest from my house tho. If I had bought the cargo box I would have had to go to even another one of their stores.

I went with rack attack instead of REI because they price match the REI Member discount at time of sale instead of having to wait for the credits.
 


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Yeah, the EXO is pretty new so it’s hard to find the pieces, although the REI in Portland had like one of everything about a month ago.

I got mine from Rack Attack, which has three stores on the Portland area-I had to go to the store that’s furthest from my house tho. If I had bought the cargo box I would have had to go to even another one of their stores.

I went with rack attack instead of REI because they price match the REI Member discount at time of sale instead of having to wait for the credits.
Hello,

I'm following your path and got a Torklift eco hitch installed last week. I just went and tried one of the Yakima Exo racks out and two pieces came uncomfortably close to the rear door or bumper. 1) the little lock that secures the top shelf is about 1/2 inch from the rear hatch and 2) the big plastic lever that tightens the swing base almost touches the rear bumper when loosened all the way. Did you find that to be problematic at all? Did you end up getting an extension for your hitch to address these issues? Are you having any problems with the back cameras or sensors? Thanks in advance for any answers you can provide and I hope the rack is doing well for you!
 

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Hello,

I'm following your path and got a Torklift eco hitch installed last week. I just went and tried one of the Yakima Exo racks out and two pieces came uncomfortably close to the rear door or bumper. 1) the little lock that secures the top shelf is about 1/2 inch from the rear hatch and 2) the big plastic lever that tightens the swing base almost touches the rear bumper when loosened all the way. Did you find that to be problematic at all? Did you end up getting an extension for your hitch to address these issues? Are you having any problems with the back cameras or sensors? Thanks in advance for any answers you can provide and I hope the rack is doing well for you!
I know you're in the Bay Area, where did you get it installed and for how much? I still need to test the road trip cargo capacity before pulling the trigger on this but I want to figure out a plan if I do go this route.
 
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Hello,

I'm following your path and got a Torklift eco hitch installed last week. I just went and tried one of the Yakima Exo racks out and two pieces came uncomfortably close to the rear door or bumper. 1) the little lock that secures the top shelf is about 1/2 inch from the rear hatch and 2) the big plastic lever that tightens the swing base almost touches the rear bumper when loosened all the way. Did you find that to be problematic at all? Did you end up getting an extension for your hitch to address these issues? Are you having any problems with the back cameras or sensors? Thanks in advance for any answers you can provide and I hope the rack is doing well for you!
I haven’t tried the top shelf yet, but I yeah some of the tolerances are a little close. I do figure that I’d find a receiver extender if it bothers me too much
 

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I know you're in the Bay Area, where did you get it installed and for how much? I still need to test the road trip cargo capacity before pulling the trigger on this but I want to figure out a plan if I do go this route.
I went to the
I know you're in the Bay Area, where did you get it installed and for how much? I still need to test the road trip cargo capacity before pulling the trigger on this but I want to figure out a plan if I do go this route.
I'm in Redwood City and was going to purchase the display model at a local store in San Carlos (Rack Stop). It was really the only way to get this model in a timely fashion. They're charging 1700 for the swing base, bike rack, and cargo carrier (rack not box). But man it's a **really** tight fit so they're looking into an extension - but I'm skeptical of that since the unit is super heavy. I would try it out before you commit. They're really great at that store and could have sold it to me on the spot - but wanted to make sure it fit first and that's when we discovered the problem.
 

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I haven’t tried the top shelf yet, but I yeah some of the tolerances are a little close. I do figure that I’d find a receiver extender if it bothers me too much
Yes, I think that's probably going to be required - although the swing base is extremely heavy so it would have to be the right one. Thanks again for the heads up on this - hopefully I can figure out how to make it work!
 

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I went to the

I'm in Redwood City and was going to purchase the display model at a local store in San Carlos (Rack Stop). It was really the only way to get this model in a timely fashion. They're charging 1700 for the swing base, bike rack, and cargo carrier (rack not box). But man it's a **really** tight fit so they're looking into an extension - but I'm skeptical of that since the unit is super heavy. I would try it out before you commit. They're really great at that store and could have sold it to me on the spot - but wanted to make sure it fit first and that's when we discovered the problem.
Sorry, I meant, where did you get the hitch installed? I want to find a decent place that won't take apart the rear bumper.
 

mcyee1

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Sorry, I meant, where did you get the hitch installed? I want to find a decent place that won't take apart the rear bumper.
Oh - same place! Rack Spot (I erroneously said Rack Stop above) in San Carlos - again, very experienced folks who know what they're doing and are very honest.
 
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Yes, I think that's probably going to be required - although the swing base is extremely heavy so it would have to be the right one. Thanks again for the heads up on this - hopefully I can figure out how to make it work!
Yes, the weight of the rack system itself does seem a bit concerning. The Swingbase and top shelf alone come in about 100#, add the bike rack and the cargo box and it’s about 165-ish pounds before ant actual cargo.

But Torklift has rated their Ecohitch for 525# tongue weight, so I figure there’s about 360# of capacity, more than enough for what I would carry. The rear could wind up sagging a little bit while loaded up.


I’ll note that as close to apples-apples comparison, the equivalent Yakima platform rack with the BackSwing hitch weigh in at ~87#, only a 13# diff from the EXO Swingbase plus bike rack
 
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Yes, the weight of the rack system itself does seem a bit concerning. The Swingbase and top shelf alone come in about 100#, add the bike rack and the cargo box and it’s about 165-ish pounds before ant actual cargo.

But Torklift has rated their Ecohitch for 525# tongue weight, so I figure there’s about 360# of capacity, more than enough for what I would carry. The rear could wind up sagging a little bit while loaded up.


I’ll note that as close to apples-apples comparison, the equivalent Yakima platform rack with the BackSwing hitch weigh in at ~87#, only a 13# diff from the EXO Swingbase plus bike rack
The torklift alone is about 42#.

The 1up-usa rack doesnt need an extension, and rather than swing, it has a latch that allows it to tip away so you can open hatch. The other things I like about the 1up are that it is all-metal, and you can start with one tray, and bolt-on the 2nd, 3rd, 4th as needed.
 
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The torklift alone is about 42#.

The 1up-usa rack doesnt need an extension, and rather than swing, it has a latch that allows it to tip away so you can open hatch. The other things I like about the 1up are that it is all-metal, and you can start with one tray, and bolt-on the 2nd, 3rd, 4th as needed.
If bikes are all you want/need to carry, then yeah that's probably as good a solution as any. But on occasion I've carried bikes on the hitch and cargo in a box on the roof; the lack of a roof rack solution was one of the sticking points for me against buying the MME. But then Yakima came out with the EXO that enabled putting bikes AND cargo on the hitch, so here I am.

On roof racks, another member posted a response from Thule inquiring about a roof rack, and Thule basically said they've looked and aren't even going to try. Yakima has been vague in their responses, but I honestly wouldn't expect them to come up with a different answer. I think in part because of the glass roof, but now looking at the roof line, I think it has more to do with where/how to affix a rear mounting point, which would require an especially unique tower to account for the roof profile over the rear windows. I am aware of a solution using suction cups, but that is more limiting in what types of things can be carried and the load bearing of a glass roof (and frankly I'd have a hard time ever feeling completely comfortable that they wouldn't lose suction while driving along at 70).
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