Head's up - Torklift hitch and 1UP EquipD rack is a tight fit

[phidauex]

I just installed my Torklift Ecohitch, and my 1UP EquipD double bike rack. The fit is a little close for comfort. The hitch requests a minimum of 2" of insertion after the anti-wobble bearing, which doesn't work. At 1.5" of insertion, the rack is far enough out that it won't hit the car, but just barely. It is plenty far out with bikes on (even with 800mm bars), but in the closed position it is very snug. I'm sure they have a little safety factor in their 2" recommendation, but I don't love that I have to go out so far to get a solution that just barely fits. You can also tell that 1UP doesn't like this level of extension because the slot doesn't line up with the hitch pin hole, meaning it can't be locked to the vehicle like this.

I've ordered a Kuat Hi-Lo adapter, which gives up to 7" of extension, and 2" of rise or drop. Unlike straight-through adapters, however, it looks like in this case if I drop or raise the rack (probably drop), then I can probably slide the 1UP deeper, and get less than 7" of total extension. Ideally I'd have about 2-4" of extension. Dropping by 2" looks like it would be OK from a clearance perspective as long as you aren't on any really rough roads.

The hitch and rack themselves are great, both very high quality, I just wish the Torklift came with another 1-2" of extension, that would make it a perfect fit out of the box.

 

[blue92lx]

Actually tighter on my fusion. I have a 2" hitch on my 2013 fusion and when I close the 1up EquipD rack it actually just barely pushed against the bumper cover. Somehow hasn't caused any scratches though so you should be ok here.

Edit: just noticed you can't lock it that far out. How much farther in do you need to push it to get the lock on? With my fusion it's locked but I have to have the hitch down to mount it, lock it, pull it back out against the lock and then tighten it down. At that point when I close the rack it gently pushes against the bumper cover.

Not saying you would want it to be on your bumper cover, but even if you have .5 inches to spare I'd think you'll be ok.

 

[phidauex]

Actually tighter on my fusion. I have a 2" hitch on my 2013 fusion and when I close the 1up EquipD rack it actually just barely pushed against the bumper cover. Somehow hasn't caused any scratches though so you should be ok here.

Yeah, the hitch and rack are remarkably stiff, so in this position it doesn't scratch anything. I have two worries, one is that I can't lock it to the hitch like this (because I'm further out than recommended). The second is that I found that having the wheel spacer in a position other than the furthest out position prevents the bar from closing completely, and THEN it rubs... I do have one bike that needs that, so I need to get a bit more clearance...

 

[blue92lx]

Yeah, the hitch and rack are remarkably stiff, so in this position it doesn't scratch anything. I have two worries, one is that I can't lock it to the hitch like this (because I'm further out than recommended). The second is that I found that having the wheel spacer in a position other than the furthest out position prevents the bar from closing completely, and THEN it rubs... I do have one bike that needs that, so I need to get a bit more clearance...

Yeah just edited my first comment about it. You actually need to have it locked because it's a safety hazard if you're driving and it wiggles loose the whole rack will come out on the road if the locking pin isn't there. I'll be interested to see how the extension works, especially since you'll need the extension to tighten down to not wobble and then tighten down the EquipD in the extension to not wobble.

Maybe torklift can see this post and address it somehow.

Also I've seen people drill holes in their hitch for this exact reason so they can make a new hole for the pin, or grind out the existing hole to extend farther back if it's close enough.

 

[blue92lx]

Im also interested to see your bike on the back. I have to use XL frames so my YT Izzo with 29" wheels is really big. I'm curious to see how much coverage the back of the mach e provides. When it's on the back of my fusion it's like a parachute behind my car. I literally lose 10mpg on the highway with my bike on the back.

 

[Guy]

Thule XTR2 is working fine with the Draw-Tite hitch.

 

[JSeis]

Actually tighter on my fusion. I have a 2" hitch on my 2013 fusion and when I close the 1up EquipD rack it actually just barely pushed against the bumper cover. Somehow hasn't caused any scratches though so you should be ok here.

Edit: just noticed you can't lock it that far out. How much farther in do you need to push it to get the lock on? With my fusion it's locked but I have to have the hitch down to mount it, lock it, pull it back out against the lock and then tighten it down. At that point when I close the rack it gently pushes against the bumper cover.

Not saying you would want it to be on your bumper cover, but even if you have .5 inches to spare I'd think you'll be ok.

 

[JSeis]

When I began using my Kuat Alpha 3, the Al weight advantage really showed up as did Kuat’s wedge system to take the wiggle out. Three “light” (haha) MTB’s can still bring nearly 100 pounds jouncing side to side/fore and aft. I’m really on the fence on strapping a rack on the MME. I like the thought of a hitch receiver for bikes… and the MME’s bouncy ride is going to exacerbate wiggle on rougher roads ?, thanks for the info.

 

[phidauex]

Im also interested to see your bike on the back. I have to use XL frames so my YT Izzo with 29" wheels is really big. I'm curious to see how much coverage the back of the mach e provides. When it's on the back of my fusion it's like a parachute behind my car. I literally lose 10mpg on the highway with my bike on the back.

Here are a few pics with one of our Turbo Levo demos. It is a size S, but it does have 780mm bars on it. The clearance is great, I don’t think you’d have any pedal or bar clearance problems with any size of normal-ish bike (I don’t have a recumbent to test).

 

[KDub]

I just installed my Torklift Ecohitch, and my 1UP EquipD double bike rack. The fit is a little close for comfort. The hitch requests a minimum of 2" of insertion after the anti-wobble bearing, which doesn't work. At 1.5" of insertion, the rack is far enough out that it won't hit the car, but just barely. It is plenty far out with bikes on (even with 800mm bars), but in the closed position it is very snug. I'm sure they have a little safety factor in their 2" recommendation, but I don't love that I have to go out so far to get a solution that just barely fits. You can also tell that 1UP doesn't like this level of extension because the slot doesn't line up with the hitch pin hole, meaning it can't be locked to the vehicle like this.

I've ordered a Kuat Hi-Lo adapter, which gives up to 7" of extension, and 2" of rise or drop. Unlike straight-through adapters, however, it looks like in this case if I drop or raise the rack (probably drop), then I can probably slide the 1UP deeper, and get less than 7" of total extension. Ideally I'd have about 2-4" of extension. Dropping by 2" looks like it would be OK from a clearance perspective as long as you aren't on any really rough roads.

The hitch and rack themselves are great, both very high quality, I just wish the Torklift came with another 1-2" of extension, that would make it a perfect fit out of the box.

Thank you so much for posting this. I was planning on the same setup and I'll have to think about this. Please post any updates or solutions. Thanks again.

 

[phidauex]

Thank you so much for posting this. I was planning on the same setup and I'll have to think about this. Please post any updates or solutions. Thanks again.

I will! I’m a bit frustrated because both pieces are very high quality, they just need one more inch… (Thats what sh.. never mind). I’ll post some updates when I get an extension in to check.

 

[blue92lx]

I will! I’m a bit frustrated because both pieces are very high quality, they just need one more inch… (Thats what sh.. never mind). I’ll post some updates when I get an extension in to check.

Yeah definitely interested, the coverage behind the Mach E looks good too. The main thing with having my bikes on my Fusion is they're completely exposed to the everything since only the trunk covers a small amount of the bike frame. If it's windy outside I have to drive like 55mph or else the bike is just shaking all over the place.

 

[SAM]

I will! I’m a bit frustrated because both pieces are very high quality, they just need one more inch… (Thats what sh.. never mind). I’ll post some updates when I get an extension in to check.

Thanks for posting this. I'm getting the same set up but with the 2" Heavy Duty Double instead of the 2" Equip-D Double. I am worried that it will be too tight in the up position when the rack is inserted at the minimum recommendation, exactly as you discovered.

It's interesting that all they need is just one more inch because that's what I'm hoping the 2" Heavy Duty Double will give me (almost).

According to the fitment for the 2" Heavy Duty Double, there is 3.5" between the rack and the front of hitch at the minimum insertion. For the 2" Equip-D Double, that distance is 2.7". Maybe the extra 0.8" will be enough for the Heavy Duty rack? Probably, it will still be too tight, so I'll have to remove the rack when not in use or get an extender.

 

[Blanked]

with all these Tight Ass Racks... i'm glad the MME does not have an easy to hit Rear Hatch button ...

 

[phidauex]

Thanks for posting this. I'm getting the same set up but with the 2" Heavy Duty Double instead of the 2" Equip-D Double. I am worried that it will be too tight in the up position when the rack is inserted at the minimum recommendation, exactly as you discovered.

It's interesting that all they need is just one more inch because that's what I'm hoping the 2" Heavy Duty Double will give me (almost).

According to the fitment for the 2" Heavy Duty Double, there is 3.5" between the rack and the front of hitch at the minimum insertion. For the 2" Equip-D Double, that distance is 2.7". Maybe the extra 0.8" will be enough for the Heavy Duty rack? Probably, it will still be too tight, so I'll have to remove the rack when not in use or get an extender.

Ah, interesting, that might actually be just enough to work! If I could go in that extra 0.7" and get the locking hitch pin to engage then that is all I'd need. It will still be close, but you might get lucky and just squeeze it in with the Heavy Duty and no extender.

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