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This 4-bike rack is perfect for the occasional rider who wants to hit the trail with family or friends. Anti-sway cradles secure your bikes by the top tube and seat post. Tilts with bikes unloaded.
Features:
Specs:
Dual Folding Arms with Anti-Sway Cradles
The Swagman Trailhead has dual folding arms that provide excellent support for your bikes. They slope up to provide ground clearance for steep driveways and bumpy roads.
To fold the arms down, remove the pull pin at the top of the mast. This leaves a smaller footprint, so you can keep the rack on your vehicle to park in your garage. And when stored in this configuration, it doesn't take up as much space in your garage.
Anti-sway cradles with rubber straps hold your bikes firmly in place. Each set of cradles has three straps that secure your bike along the top tube and one that secures the seat post or downtube. This multi-point contact helps keep your bikes from rocking back and forth, reducing bike-to-bike contact. The soft rubber cradles rotate around the rack's arms to accommodate bikes of different styles and shapes.
Easy Tilting for Cargo Area Access
The rack tilts down without your bikes loaded. This means you won't have to remove the whole rack to access your cargo area for grocery runs and other errands.
To tilt the rack down, pull out the pin at the base of the rack and lower the mast. When you're ready to go, lift the mast up and re-insert the pin.
A threaded hitch pin is included to help eliminate rattle in the hitch receiver during transport. To tighten the pin in your hitch, use a 5/8" wrench (not included). A clip is also included to keep the pin in place.
You can install the rack in a 1-1/4" hitch or in a 2" hitch. To use it in a 1-1/4" hitch, simply remove the adapter with the included Allen key.
Available Security and Adapter Bar
An anti-rattle hitch lock and cable lock (sold separately) are available to secure the rack to your vehicle and your bikes to the rack.
If you have a women's bike, kid's bike, or any other bike without a straight, horizontal top tube, you will need an adapter bar (sold separately) to properly mount your bike. The bar fits between the seat post and handlebar stem post of your bike to create a top tube so your bike hangs level on the rack.
Average Customer Rating: 4.7 out of 5 stars (540 Customer Reviews)
This 4-bike rack is perfect for the occasional rider who wants to hit the trail with family or friends. Anti-sway cradles secure your bikes by the top tube and seat post. Tilts with bikes unloaded.
Quick and reliable shipping and was able to take to my mechanic to get it installed and it works perfectly with my bike rack!
This is a very solid product! I have used it for over a year now and love it! I have had up to 3 bikes on this without a problem and have traveled over 8 hours in the car one way with absolutely no issues. Many other bike racks like this one that I see on other cars look unstable this is not unstable in anyway. I did have to file some of the paint off of the rack to get it to fit in my 1 and 1/4" hitch but once that was done it has been perfect. I also bought the locking hitch bolt which is awesome too.
The good: Solid, heavy construction. Easy to use method for attaching the bikes. Includes adapter for different type / size hitches. Fairly easy to swing out of the way for hatch access (although it is heavy). Plenty of room between carrier and rear of vehicle.
The meh: Requires the use of anti-rattle bolt. This means that one must carry a socket wrench to install and remove the carrier. Should use a torque wrench.
The bad: Instructions are awful. To assemble, "only one bolt needs to be installed", but the photos are so poor that they are useless. Does not say that a second bolt has to be tightened. Pin and pin locks cannot be used because the anti-rattle threads cannot be removed and are too small diameter for a pin. Recommended Swegman anti-rattle lock is too long to fit on some factory hitches such as Jeep Grand Cherokee. Bike strap and connectors make placing the bike on the inside holder a chore.
This whole process couldn't have been easier. I ordered the hitch and about an hour later ordered a bike rack to go into the hitch. An hour after that, I decided I wanted a 4 bike rack, instead of 2. Cathy T was super helpful in cancelling/placing my new order and knew exactly what she was talking about while suggesting the proper lock. Everything arrived right on time and was really easy to install. I do suggest using ramps to raise the vehicle a bit, although it wouldn't have been necessary. Also, it doesn't hurt to have a few cold beverages nearby, and a buddy to help when needed. Seriously though, this was pretty simple to do and it's going to be super functional and I think it even looks pretty good. The prices were fair, shipping was fast, install was easy, and Cathy T was great. A+ for everyone involved. Thanks!
A great, utilitarian rack for the cost. Tough, folding, and tilting works well.
I remove mine when I know I won't use it for a few days and it's easy to
put and take off. Curt receiver, also from etrailer, installs quickly as a bolt-on--
I had a friend help hold as I tightened the bolts. Purchased a receiver lock and it's
holding up fine.
Was new in the market for a rear hitch fold out bike rack for the family vacation. While my daughter's smaller bike (age 5) did not fit, the other three were not too terribly hard to get on. Assembly was easy. Product quality is superb. Great product, especially for the price. Customer service was quite possibly the best I've ever had, and I order almost everything online. Told my neighbor, an avid bike rider about etrailer.com. Will for sure use this company again.
Wesley H.
7/1/2019
After one year of ownership, we are still very pleased with our purchase. The bike rack is east to install, attach bikes and lean back to open the hatch on our Infinity QX80. Would very much recommend.
Overall, the quality of this product is excellent; however, I ran into an issue with the threaded bolt section that feeds into the 2” receiving tube. The standard 1/2 inch hitch pin did not fit and had to be tapped out using a tap and die set. Similarly, the Swagman 1/2 inch security pin I purchased separately also required my dye set. For someone who doesn’t have access to a tap and die set, using these products would be impossible.
Stable and well built bike rack. Got this rack and the Draw-tite hitch for a 2015 Camry XSE. I needed the s bend in the shank to clear my driveway apron. The back bottom of hitch is normally 9.5 inches off the ground, 8 inches with the hitch and 4 bikes (about 140 lbs). With 3 people in the car the clearance on my apron is less then 2 inches and it doesn't hit when all 4 are aboard.
With the arms folded you can open and close the trunk, but when arms are up the trunk is blocked. This is the reason I knock it down one star. The cheapest thule looks like it is the reverse blocking with arms down, I wish the swagman was that way since it is way easier to tilt the rack with out the bikes.
It is hard to get the some bikes over the large triangular cradles, but was able to do it for even my daughters small bike (one side is only on top of the cradle). The main problem with the cradles is that the attachment points for the straps are very flexible, which makes it hard to attach the straps, you end up having to bend the cradle which is hard when bikes are in the way.
There is little movement side to side and up and down. The hitch is a tighter fit on the sides then top and bottom to hitch (even with bolt tightened down hard). Overall a very good rack.
Customer service was excellent at answering my questions when I was placing the order. Thanks
Absolutely Wunderbar (wonderful)!
etrailer support U.S. Service member by being one of the ONLY online vehicle equipment ordering organizations that ships to an APO address. (and I searched a ton of them)
I live in Germany and work for the DoD.
After researching SEVERAL sites to purchase and ship a trailer hitch, bike rack, mountain bike mount and electrical system to support it for my needs, I discovered my ONLY solution I was etrailer. Lots of others had the gear I required, but NONE of them, would ship to an APO address. Yes, the prices were just a bit higher than a few of the other sites, but without the ability to ship to an APO, the price difference was negligable.
So, the GREAT things about etrailer;
1. Easy/simple ordering process
2. great seach tool capability, allowing me to find everything I needed and recommended other items I may not have thought about.
3. Simple / well layed out online order ability.
4. Amazingly quick, delivery. Within 10 days of my order being placed, I had everything in the mail. Yes, shipping cost a bit more than desired, but again, paying a bit more to ship at least allowed it to actually BE shipped to my APO.
I've already had hitch and electrical installed and I'll be heading out camping this weekend, WITH my bikes in TOW and all thanks to etrailers exceptional support.
Thanks ETRAILER
Jason S.
Giving a 5 star but this is my first trailer hitch bike rack so I have nothing to compare it against. The only issue I had was it would bounce back and forth pretty aggressively when I would hit a bump even with all of the bikes loaded on. In fact, I was driving down rugged roads in new mexico and I hated looking back and seeing the bikes flying all over the place, even though I had the bikes tightened down really good as well as all of the other tightening mechanisms to improve the rigidity of the rack. I didn't miss anything... so I just assumed maybe the motion was normal, but it made me drive slow, that's for sure.
Although Swagman says the S63380 will hold four bikes up to 35 lbs, they also mention on the instruction sheet that the hitch has only a 100 lb max capacity! Our bikes all weigh about 30 to 32 lbs, so four bikes are too much for this hitch. I called etrailer to exchange for this reason and etrailer was awesome and sent me a prepaid return label and also immediately sent out a replacement (Sportrack A30404XT) that can carry the load. Fantastic customer service from etrailer! I noticed that they have updated the description on the etrailer page to add the 100 lb max capacity for this Swagman hitch, so hopefully this mix-up won't happen for anyone else.
I was able to assemble the swagman Trailhead 4 bike carrier in a few minutes. It fit perfectly into the receiver hitch. We use 1x6x40 ethafoam pads as a cushion between the bike and the frame and between bikes. The bike rack works exactly as advertised. I can quickly pull the pins to adjust both the horizontal rack and the vertical bar. The back door of the SUV is easily opened without removing any part of the rack. A great product!
We had a ground clearance problem grinding other bike racks and even hitches backing out of our driveway. This rack instantly goes up a few inches as it comes out of the receiver, giving us the extra ground clearance we needed to not grind. In addition, it holds the bikes more easily and securely than our previous rack. But best of all, I mangled one of the parts and contacted Swagman customer service and they instantly offered to send a (big, heavy) replacement for free -- even though I clearly stated it was my own fault, not theirs. Go Swagman!
We have used it a couple of times for trips. It works very well. I would recommend it. I have mine installed with a class 3 or 4 (the larger) square coupling device. The bikes are secure when we travel and the unit is relatively easy attach and detach from my Ford Freestyle. I can also leave it attached to the car when it is unloaded and use the device to pivot the vertical piece and get access to the rear lift door of the car. The etrailer service was excellent!
I have used etrailer twice in the last five years, both times with excellent results.
I bought a trailer hitch previously and a bike rack recently. The products are great with quick delivery and outstanding customer service. Barry L helped me make sure I ordered the products I needed and followed the delivery process to my door. Thanks etrailer
Love this site! Got their contact info from local bike shop. Brought up their website. Put in my car info and was immediately given numerous choices for both the tow bar and the bike rack. Did some comparisons and chose the tow bar and rack that best filled my needs. Prices were the same as that other big website (I always check these days). Free shipping which was a big deal because these items were heavy. Had both in 3 days. Had my mechanic install. Took him 15 min. I love my new bike rack!
Thanks etrailer. Will definitely use you again,
Product is easy to set up, other than one bolt everything is assembled.
Heavy duty construction, very satisfied !
Excellent bike rack. Holds up to 4 bikes securely. Easy to mount the bikes, very solid construction. My wife had a little trouble with the tie down straps, but managed it. No such problem for a guy. I would recommend, in fact I believe my son is buying the same rack.
Rack hauled two adult and 2 kid sized bikes all over the northeast without trouble! The tilt feature was nice as it allowed us to access the back of the truck without removing any bikes.
Only loosened in the hitch twice, just kept a 3/4 wrench handy and checked it here and there.
Great product!
DOES NOT FIT BOYS BMX BIKES!! Purchased to carry 3 children's bikes (2 20"bmx boys bikes and a 16" girls bikes) Look and feel solid but does not fit 20" bikes and smaller (maybe mountain bikes but not bmx bikes).. will only fit men's bikes. Going to remove the holder and just strap to the arms..
Mike L.
9/19/2018
Some bicycles, like womens bikes or bikes with a short top tube can be hard to fit, which is why frame adapter bars like # 64005 are available. A frame adapter bar spans the distance between the handlebar gooseneck and the seat post, adding an extra few inches of width for the bike to attach to the rack.
Helpful Links
Firstly, eTrailer was terrific in answering all the questions before I made the purchase and in guiding me to select the perfect bike rack for my Subaru. The item arrived in 2 days even with a free shipping option. Most of the rack came pre-assembled and it took me about 15 mins to install it. It perfectly fit on my 09 Subaru Impreza with 1 1/4 inch Curt Class -1 receiver. There are rattles and the rack is a very sturdy. After installation, I was also surprised to find that I do not even have to tilt the mast to access the rear hatchback. I understand that with Class-1 hitch on my car, I am limited to mounting only 2 bikes on this rack but that is a limitation of my car not the bike rack. I highly recommend eTrailer for their customer service and the Swagman trail-head bike 4 bike rack.
The Swagman Trailhead 4 bike rack I ordered arrived as scheduled. Customer service at E trailer was excellent. They were knowledgeable and efficient. The bike rack was a quality product and I'm very satisfied with it
Have not actually been on the road with it so far. Installation on the hitch was a problem. The clearance hole in the 1-1/4 to 2 inch adapter was too small and I had to file it out so the threaded pin could be installed Looks like getting 4 hybrid bikes (with handle bars that extend straight out) on the rack is going to be a challenge. Bungie cords are going to be necessary to control the rotation of the front wheels. Recommend that potential buyers find a rack to try their bikes on before buying anything.
Great product. I installed it in minutes after I installed the Draw-Tite Max-Frame Trailer Hitch Receiver (2" Class 3 hithc from this site on my CX-9).
I haven't used it yet, but we watched the video and tested out how to install/remove, fold it back when not in use, how to tilt to access the lift-gate, and how to secure the bikes. Very straight forward. It does stick out pretty far, but that was expected for a 4 bike carrier. The fit and finish is nice and matches our black CX-9 :)
Purchased this about a year ago and have used it about a dozen times with my 1 1/4" hitch receiver with up to 3 bikes. This operates well on city streets and highways. I have noted that at high speed, the bikes may move aft due to air drag.
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Melissa
2/14/2014
We still love our bike rack. We have used it a lot over the past yearincluding a couple of long distance trips from Chicago to the upperpeninsula in Michigan 8 hrs . It was one of the best accessory purchases Ihave ever made!