Subie Outback XT w 4 bike hitch rack

[Duffman]

So looking at options for a 4 bike carrier for a Subie Outback. 2 Ripley AFs and 2 kids bikes , so size subject to change, currently a 24 in hard tail and a 20 inch. It would be nice to have the option to do 3 or 4 adult MTBs for the occasional quick jaunt to the trails but this won't be a frequent thing.

Street park in the city although usually right in front of our house so ideally it would lock on decently and be fairly easy to take on and off.

My understanding from someone who knows jack shit about hitches is the concern with 4 bike racks in smaller crossovers / SUVs like this is that the leverage from the weight hanging far off the back can be an issue

The OB XT hitch is 2in and seems to be rated for 3500 lbs and 350lb tongue weight if that matters.

[Robik]

My wife shuttled us to Burro pass for TWE in VW Tiguan, 4 adult Enduro bikes on Saris MTR platform rack, 5 adults and 1 kid in the car. We had no issues at all.
The vertical rack will have smaller leverage than platforms but we used what I had. If you're not running dirt roads regularly fully loaded, it should work pretty well. Option 2 would be two adult bikes on the hitch and kids bikes on the roof.

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[Duffman]

Want a setup where I can get my Thule box on top and bikes on the back, so rules out the 2 hitch 2 roof.

Which of the hitch racks are quickest and easiest to take on and off as where I park the added length of the rack always mounted would be an issue

[SchralphMacchio]

Subie Outback XT w 4 bike hitch rack

I used to have a Forester XT which has a shorter wheelbase - 3 MTBs affected the highway handling characteristics by adding weight behind the rear axle, mostly some increased rear tire wear and the center of mass/rotation was different. An Outback can handle 4 bikes behind but I wouldn’t want to be pushing it on a rainy day. It’s probably eventually going to be enough weight once the kids bikes get bigger that you’d want to run the rear tires 4 psi above door sticker.

As far as the tongue weight, 80 lbs rack weight and 140 lbs for 4 adult bikes and you are well within spec, which is important on a unibody because the hitch receiver isn’t bolting into frame rails like on a truck, it’s bolting into sheet metal above your exhaust.

For 4 bikes I’d recommend upright over platform, as platform racks become a bear to handle above 3 bikes. The rack lowering process to get the tailgate open is a bitch with 3 bikes, I would not want to mess with 4 - it’s a 2 person job every time.

I am a fan of the Velocirax but it’s heavy AF compared to other upright racks. It’s totally fine if you never have to move the rack by yourself, which is doable but also a good way to injure yourself. So it’s a great rack if it can stay on the Outback for extended duration but not ideal for frequent on/off - sounds like this alone may disqualify it for your use if your wife isn’t willing to help every time. The best thjng about the Vrax is the hydraulic dampers for lowering are really really nice to use. I sold my Vrax 5 because it was impractical for my frequent hitch changes. Built in split shank means you don’t need a secondary anti rattle clamp, that thing locks down stable AF.

NSR is at least 15 lbs lighter but only works with suspension forks. I think most people use a secondary anti rattle clamp with these. Folding version makes it compact and easy for one person to mount and dismount the rack.

I’m looking at getting a Lolo 4 with foot pedal for lowering, but I don’t have first hand feedback on it yet. My friend has to anchor his with ratchet straps on the corners to get it locked down for rough roads, not a totally fair comparison though as he’s got his on a swing out extender. Main draw over the NSR for me is the foot pedal and that my kids bikes won’t have suspension forks for quite a while.

[chaka]

I use a 4x Recon rack on my outback limited, works fine. You can adjust the up/down height of the baskets so that in theory you will be able to swing it back on the massive pivot and access the hatchback while loaded, without the bottom wheels smacking the ground. Make sure you have an adult holding the rack as it is carefully lowered My only beef with the Recon baskets (at least the generation I have) is that lower profile gravel/road bike wheels/tires sit just deep enough where you need to look for areas where the spokes are hitting the basket and pad accordingly. This would be easily solved by cutting a pool noodle and sliding a portion over the tire as a boot, to mimic a higher volume tire and push the wheel away from the basket. But this has all been very manageable, and I've never seen a 4x rack loaded that didn't require a little padding here and there to keep things from rubbing.

[El Chupacabra]

With kids bikes, I'd probably rule out the North Shore Rack - - unless you can test fit the bikes on someone's NSR first. The rear wheel (tire) placement is important on those racks, and very small kids bikes won't fit well, if at all.

Also, the NSR doesn't fit great on lower vehicles. I gave up trying to use one on Mrs C's RAV4, because the rear tires are too close to the ground - - even a driveway entrance makes them drag.

A friend has a Tesla with a Recon rack, which seemed to sit higher off the ground. The Tesla sure isn't higher than the RAV4. So maybe those racks are an option for a lower vehicle like a Subaru.

[Duffman]

It kind of an annoying use case here, because I need to be ablto take the rack on and off fairly easily , and more often than not will have 2 bikes on only, but will need to be able to do 4, or at least 3 for now w my daughters 20 inch in the back sometimes.

So while the vertical 4 definitely looks better than the horizontal trays, they seem big and heavy and tough to get on and off.

And it looks like the Velocirax has a 500 lb tongue weight minimum which is odd for only a 4 bike carrier

[Robik]

It kind of an annoying use case here, because I need to be ablto take the rack on and off fairly easily , and more often than not will have 2 bikes on only, but will need to be able to do 4, or at least 3 for now w my daughters 20 inch in the back sometimes.

So while the vertical 4 definitely looks better than the horizontal trays, they seem big and heavy and tough to get on and off.

And it looks like the Velocirax has a 500 lb tongue weight minimum which is odd for only a 4 bike carrier

Pretty much any 2 bike trays + 2 bike add on will work for you. 1up is an obvious choice since it's lightweight and easy enough to move around and add/remove trays

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[Duffman]

Looking at the 1up now. Any one have any experience with the QuickRack (apparently newer design from the original 1up engineers). Also the newer fancier 1 up vs the older version ?

[Robik]

Looking at the 1up now. Any one have any experience with the QuickRack (apparently newer design from the original 1up engineers). Also the newer fancier 1 up vs the older version ?

Not sure about QuickRack, but you'll definitely need HD version of 1up in order to run it in 4 bike config.

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[frorider]

Alltrack owner here but we also have a 2006 Outback. I’m a big fan of a 2 bike tray rack (I prefer 1Up) on the hitch and fork mounts on the roof: https://rockymounts.com/products/droptop.html

The fork mounts are unobtrusive & live on the crossbars. The 2 tray is relatively easy to put on/off for when I need it.

[Mustonen]

Subie Outback XT w 4 bike hitch rack

I picked up a kuat piston with a +2 add-on for your use case, less the buzz cut and carpet munching. If you accept the weight penalty/leverage of the 4 bike tray it’s easy to handle and is a breeze to load and unload.

4 bikes on the rack makes planning ahead more motivating, but if you DO forget to put the cooler in the back before you load the bikes it’s a manageable one person job even if it isn’t a fun one. The attachment for the +2 add-on is three easy bolts and slides on and off. Get a bit for your driver and it’s less than 2 minutes on or off.

I prioritize easy go and am willing to pay for it to maximize the number of bike rides we take as a family. Now that my kids are late teens I couldn’t really put a price on even one or two bike rides over the years that I’d have missed because loading up was just too big a PITA.

[SchralphMacchio]

it looks like the Velocirax has a 500 lb tongue weight minimum which is odd for only a 4 bike carrier

Oh yeah they are factoring leverage (I forgot about that in my previous comment) - a typical straight shank ball is about 6” behind the receiver, a WDH ball might be more like 10” and offset by the torque generated by the WDH springs, but the center of mass of a Velocirax with bikes is probably closer to 2 feet behind the receiver. So I can see how 300 lbs of bikes and rack translates to closer to 500 lbs of dynamic load at a typical hitch ball mount.

Looking at the 1up now. Any one have any experience with the QuickRack (apparently newer design from the original 1up engineers). Also the newer fancier 1 up vs the older version ?

The engineer-founder of 1Up had a bad falling out with the company about 10 years ago, to the point where he put up a competing website called 1Up-USA.com (the original has no hyphen) and was selling the same products but saying he was the real deal. They settled and the new QuikrStuff supposedly represents all of his improvements to the original design. My original 1Up is holding together so well that I have never really closely compared the Quickr to 1Up. I would say, look to see if they have as many spare parts for sale and positive reviews as 1Up, and see if the price deltas are worth it to you.

I have a 1Up and with 3 or 4 trays the EZ pull handle is mandatory. The problem is, it’s a different handle kit if you use 3 or 4 trays. And you have to sort of assemble the handle onto the rack after you bolt on the additional trays. Supposedly the Quickr has an improved design on this but again I haven’t really studied it. I’ve never used the 1Up with 4 trays, just 3.
Another thing, with 3 full sized bikes on my Subaru I found it mandatory to add additional turn signal lights to the outermost tray because the tires obscured the signal lights. YMMV. I used CURT adhesive signal lights that went onto the bottom of my outermost tray.
The 1up with 4 trays is about 100 lbs. With 4 adult bikes I can see how you would exceed the tongue weight if factoring in leverage and center of mass.
It’s a bombproof rack though. I got rear ended with my rack folded up and it completely destroyed the bumper of the offending vehicle and didn’t show any damage at all.

[Duffman]

Thanks for the insight here. Are any of the 2 spot hitch racks that take add ons to 4 like the 1up ,Kuat, or rocky mounts and easier to quickly convert than the others? Same question as far as easy on off .

Alltrack owner here but we also have a 2006 Outback. I’m a big fan of a 2 bike tray rack (I prefer 1Up) on the hitch and fork mounts on the roof: https://rockymounts.com/products/droptop.html

The fork mounts are unobtrusive & live on the crossbars. The 2 tray is relatively easy to put on/off for when I need it.

Which fork mounts are you using? The rockymounts trays?

[SchralphMacchio]

I’ve never used a Kuat, Rocky, Hollywood etc.
The 1Up adds trays really fast. When I lived in an urban environment and parked on the street I kept a 1Up Superduty single on the receiver folded up at all times (it can be locked with a 3/16” diameter shank lock such as a typical 3” hitch coupler lock, unfortunately it’s not the same diameter lock as other racks as the tensioning rod that cams the 1Up shank into the receiver takes some room in the shank and doesn’t allow for a standard 5/8” hitch pin lock). People who are in crime ridden areas or paranoid can add a U lock between the main frame of the 1Up and the safety chain loops of the receiver. I went with the single over the double because 90% of my biking was solo, and the double needed to be lowered 45 degrees before I could pop the tailgate open. I would then add 1-2 trays as needed by my use case.

Now I live outside the city center, and the 1Up lives on my Nissan LEAF but it takes less than a minute to move to our Prius or my truck as needed, and less than another minute to add a tray. Very easy. The EZ pull handle takes a few minutes to add though.

If I were in your case I would get whatever 2+2 rack has the easiest lowering mechanism with 4 trays, and then see if you can live with the 2 trays folded up full time (and secured as appropriate).