Hitch Mount Bike Rack for 2017 Jeep Wrangler that is Being Towed Behind a Truck

Question:

We have a 2017 Jeep Wrangler 2-door with a 2-inch hitch receiver. We also have his and her low cost Schwinn bikes we want to carry on the rear of our Jeep. We are senior citizens and we believe the platform style carrier will be an easier lift for us to load our bikes. We also want to take our bikes on camping trips carried on the back of our Jeep. We camp in a Lance truck camper mounted on the bed of our Ford F350 pickup truck. We flat tow all 4 wheels on the ground our Jeep behind our camper/pickup. We have studied 3 candidate racks Thule Double Track, Saris Freedom and Hollywood Sport Rider and all 3 have a disclaimer that these racks shall NOT be used on towed vehicles. We seek your expert advise. Is there any hitch mount platform bike rack we can purchase that is approved for use on a towed vehicle? Should we consider another style of bike carrier that is approved for use on a towed vehicle? Can you offer us some practical guidance about any particular hitch mounted platform 2-bike carrier that has especially rugged design and fabrication that we may take-a-chance-on and use on our towed Jeep dispite the no-towed vehicle disclaimer. Thank you.

asked by: Jay

Expert Reply:

Like you said the bike racks you mentioned are not rated for use on the back of a vehicle that is being flat towed. I am not sure why that is, since all 4 wheels are on the ground, but it would void the warranty on those racks.

There is no restriction like that for the Swagman Dispatch # S44FR which is similar to the bike racks you mentioned so I recommend it. You will need to make sure the rack will clear the spare tire on your 2017 Jeep Wrangler. The distance from the center of the hitch pin hole to the nearest wheel cradle is 18 inches which should be plenty to clear the spare tire but a bike handle bar or pedal might need to be manipulated to avoid spare tire contact. I have linked a video review of this bike rack for you.

expert reply by: Michael H