Hitch Mounted Bicycle Carriers

[Boston_Runner]

Does anyone know if the hitch mounted Yakima or Thule bicycle carriers will fit on the 05 4Runner. I talk a salesman at a store and he told me that the 03 and 04 4runner had a problem with those bicycle carriers because the hitch on the 03 4runner had a stop plate which prevent the holes from lining up for the locking pin of the carrier. Toyota's fix for this problem was to remove the stop plate, but after that, the hitch of the bicycle carrier would rub up against the spare tire. He wasn't sure was there another fix after that. I am hoping someone on this board might have some information on this subject.

Thanks

 

[spyne]

I have an early 03 and there's no stop plate in my hitch. I did have a problem with the Thule hitch hitting the spare tire but just cut off about 1/4 inch of the hitch with a hacksaw and all was fine. I hit the bare end with a couple coats of paint to keep it from rusting and it's still fine now after 3 years.

 

[mswscco]

I don't have a stop plate either on my '04, although I have to push the spare forward before the rack fits. On the newest Yakima racks, the end of the rack that fits into the hitch is not hollow, so you can't really shave off the end.

 

[TechWrench]

Same here. I have an '03 and the receiver tube is fairly short because of the spare. Didn't have any type of 'stop' in the receiver, so I'm not sure what the dealer was talking about. You should be able to shorten the rack hitch tube so that the pin holes will align. Just make sure the bike rack tube fits into the receiver without too much work. Some of the early receivers were slightly undersized and some ball mounts and other accessories didn't fit very well.

 

[Boston_Runner]

So, am i correct to say that if I buy the Thule for the 05, I need to make modification to the hitch so it won't damage the spare tire and the Yakima cannot be modify and it won't fit into the 05 without it rubbing up against the spare tire?

 

[spyne]

So, am i correct to say that if I buy the Thule for the 05, I need to make modification to the hitch so it won't damage the spare tire and the Yakima cannot be modify and it won't fit into the 05 without it rubbing up against the spare tire?

Probably, but I don't think anyone with an 05 has responded yet. They redesigned the hitch for 04 so what's true for the 03's may not be true for the 04's and later.

My recommendation would be to verify that the one you want to buy has a hollow tube rather than a solid one before you spend your money. That way you can easily cut it down, if necessary, to make it fit.

 

[ToolmanJohn]

Just cut a bit off

So, am i correct to say that if I buy the Thule for the 05, I need to make modification to the hitch so it won't damage the spare tire and the Yakima cannot be modify and it won't fit into the 05 without it rubbing up against the spare tire?

My Saris rack would not fit either, but just trimmed about 3/4 inch of the end on an angle and it fits fine. I also had to trim the stock ball mount that came witht the truck, it also hit the spare. Really strange that Toyota didn't see this and make a change before production.

Anyway, get any rack you want, trim it a bit, and paint the end to prevent rust. No worries.

 

[JB.]

FWIW,

05, V8. No stop plate. Length of hitch corridor, 5 3/8 inches. Center of pin hole to entrance of hitch, 1 5/8 inches.

I have a <a href="http://www.performancebike.com/shop/profile.cfm?SKU=19172&subcategory_ID=4411" target="_blank">Performance</a><br/>hitch rack that fits fine without hitting the spare. Never tried another brand. The Performance rack is a good value, imo.

 

[Boaz]

I bought and installed a Thule 4 Bike hitch post today. I had to drop the spare to get the part that goes into the reciever to fit, but other than that it works perfectly!

 

[Dude]

Yakima here.....you will need to cut about 1/2" off with a hack saw.

 

[Boston_Runner]

Dude

Yakima here.....you will need to cut about 1/2" off with a hack saw.

Dude, what year is your 4runner? Sounds like they might have fix this problem in the 05. Can anyone with a 05 confrim this?

 

[Boston_Runner]

Re: Just cut a bit off

My Saris rack would not fit either, but just trimmed about 3/4 inch of the end on an angle and it fits fine. I also had to trim the stock ball mount that came witht the truck, it also hit the spare. Really strange that Toyota didn't see this and make a change before production.

Anyway, get any rack you want, trim it a bit, and paint the end to prevent rust. No worries.

Why cut at a angle, please explain. Thank You

 

[PatrickB]

I have an '04 V8 with a Yakima rack and no issues, no modifications.

 

[SofaRider]

I don't mean to hijack your thread.... you should check out http://www.sportworks.com/ . These are, hands down, the best hitch mounted rack out there! I recently saw that Yakima had copied the idea and was now using this design. And yes, it fits the 4runner hitch without modification, at least on my '04 it does.

 

[gonzo]

i have a yakima kingpin 4 that fits in the receiver of my '04 v8 with no problems.

 

[mandercruso]

I have an 05 and have the Yakima KingPin (4) and it fits perfectly. I didn't have to move the spare tire or saw off the rack at all. Here are some pictures:

~Amanda

 

[gRunner3]

Anybody using the Yakima... can you use a hitch lock to secure the rack and keep somebody from walking off with it? I recently bought a Bell 2 bike hitch rack and you screw a bolt into it and the hitch holes to fasten it. The screw part is too small to allow a hitch lock to pass thru it. Also, the thing wobbled around like crazy... I'm not sure if the Yakima does that or if maybe they are supposed to be kinda loose but I'm returning it and would like to find a rack that I can use my hitch lock on.

I'm thinking of trying this:
http://bikebarn.com/site/itemdetails.cfm?ID=1954&Catalog=39&sort=Price

and maybe this lock if it actually locks the hitch to the car where I don't need a separate hitch lock:
http://bikebarn.com/site/itemdetails.cfm?ID=1955&Catalog=39&sort=Price

 

[toybox]

I don't mean to hijack your thread.... you should check out http://www.sportworks.com/ . These are, hands down, the best hitch mounted rack out there! I recently saw that Yakima had copied the idea and was now using this design. And yes, it fits the 4runner hitch without modification, at least on my '04 it does.

I completely agree! I have one and it fits with no issues and the bike goes on and off in seconds. Rock solid, no noise, excellent rack.

 

[Boston_Runner]

mandercruso

Thanks for the pics. looks like you have at least an inch of clearance there between the hitch and the spare tire. I was thinking about buying the kingpin 4 as well, they had it at REI for $200.

 

[mandercruso]

Anybody using the Yakima... can you use a hitch lock to secure the rack and keep somebody from walking off with it? I recently bought a Bell 2 bike hitch rack and you screw a bolt into it and the hitch holes to fasten it. The screw part is too small to allow a hitch lock to pass thru it. Also, the thing wobbled around like crazy... I'm not sure if the Yakima does that or if maybe they are supposed to be kinda loose but I'm returning it and would like to find a rack that I can use my hitch lock on.

I'm thinking of trying this:
http://bikebarn.com/site/itemdetails.cfm?ID=1954&Catalog=39&sort=Price

and maybe this lock if it actually locks the hitch to the car where I don't need a separate hitch lock:
http://bikebarn.com/site/itemdetails.cfm?ID=1955&Catalog=39&sort=Price

Yakima has something called a Deadlock http://www.orsracksdirect.com/yakima-8002411.html. It locks the rack to the hitch and also locks the bike to the rack. Works pretty good, though I don't think anyone has tried to steal my stuff yet

Thanks for the pics. looks like you have at least an inch of clearance there between the hitch and the spare tire. I was thinking about buying the kingpin 4 as well, they had it at REI for $200.

I bought mine at a local shop for $199.99. I saw it online for $180 here: http://www.orsracksdirect.com/yakima-8002401.html. They had free shipping at one point too. I've only used my rack a few times, carrying only one bike, but it's been great so far!

Amanda