Recommendation on a Trailer Hitch and 4 Bike Rack to Fit a 2011 Toyota RAV4

Question:

Im looking for a hitch 2 that will fit a 2011 Toyota RAV4 and a 4 bike rack that can go along with it. Can you please send me options and estimates for these products? Thank you,

asked by: William

Expert Reply:

For your 2011 Toyota RAV4, I recommend the etrailer Class III Receiver Hitch, # e98864. The etrailer hitch has the 2 inch receiver opening which will allow you a larger variety of towing accessories, like cargo carriers and bike racks.

As for a bike rack, the 2011 RAV4 had two options of rear doors for that year. If you have the rear door with the no spare tire, then you can use a tilting style bike rack TO ACCESS THE REAR CARGO AREA. However, if your rear door has the spare tire mounted on the rear door, then a tilting rack will not give you enough clearance to allow you to open the rear door. In this case a swinging bike rack will be the best solution.

For a tilting rack, I like the Yakima RidgeBack 4 Bike Rack, # Y02458. The Yakima RidgeBack is a tilting bike rack that has a 150 lbs weight capacity. With no bikes on the rack, the RidgeBack will allow you access to your cargo area of your RAV4 by tilting away from your vehicle. Also, this bike rack has a 11-1/2 inch distance from the hitch pin hole to the upright mast of the bike rack.

I also recommend the Thule Hitching Post Pro 4 Bike Rack, # TH934XTR. The Thule rack is a more economical option for a 4 bike rack. The Thule rack also has a 13-1/2 inch distance from the center of the hitch pin hole to the edge of the racks upright. The Thule Hitching Pro can also tilt away from your vehicle to access the vehicle's cargo area. However, the Thule rack has a lower weight capacity and does not include an anti-rattle device which is included on the Yakima RidgeBack. You will need to purchase # THSTL2, the Thule Snug Tite Hitch Lock and Anti-Rattle Device, if you decide on the Hitching Post Pro bike rack.

If you have a spare tire mounted on the back of your RAV4, I recommend the Yakima FullSwing 4 Bike Rack # Y02465. The FullSwing has the same capacities as the Yakima RidgeBack model, but this rack is designed to swing away from the vehicle to allow access to the cargo area. This bike rack will allow you to open the rear door of the RAV4 with a spare tire mounted. This rack can be used with or without the spare tire mounted on the vehicle. Another nice feature of the FullSwing, unlike the tilting racks, your bikes can be installed on the rack and the rack can be swung open to access the cargo area. On the tilting racks the bike will have to be removed before the rack will tilt.