Best Way to Carry Bikes and Cargo on a 2018 Honda Odyssey

Question:

Id like to use this extender with the Curt C18153 Cargo Carrier with the Curt Clamp on Bike Rack C18013 in between, attached to the extender shank. Im aware that this will cut the weight capacity in half. Im concerned about how long it all is when its put together tried it last night and it bouncing around and possibly breaking my Draw tite hitch receiver . Will this setup be ok? Please let me know what you think.

asked by: Jim C

Expert Reply:

If you were to use the Hitch Extender # HE18 with your Curt Cargo Carrier # C18151 then the furthest edge of the carrier would stick out about 62-1/4" from the center of the hitch pin hole on your Draw-Tite Trailer Hitch Receiver. When we installed this trailer hitch on a 2018 Honda Odyssey we found that from the center of the hitch pin hole to the furthest edge of the vehicle was 4". This means that the cargo carrier will sit out about 58-1/4" (almost 5') from the rearmost part of your Odyssey.

I looked up the owner's manual for your Odyssey and found that the largest trailer you could tow is one that weighs 3,500 lbs and they say that the tongue weight must be 10% of the weight of the trailer. This puts you at 350 lbs for tongue weight and that is with only 2 people riding in the Odyssey that don't weigh more than 150 lbs each.

If we cut this in half then that leaves us with 175 lbs for tongue weight. The bike rack weighs 13 lbs and the carrier weighs 70 lbs. This means that your bikes + the cargo in the carrier cannot weigh more than 92 lbs COMBINED. I personally wouldn't use this setup because you won't be able to carry very much and, as you found, there will be a LOT of movement due to the extender. You will need to check your copy of the owner's manual to make sure you are within the weight limits of your vehicle since it is lower than the Draw-Tite trailer hitch.

Your best option would be to go with the Hollywood Racks Sport Rider SE2 # HR1450Z-85 which has a bike rack and an integrated cargo carrier. The best part about this option is that it will not cut the weight rating of your trailer hitch in half.

If you are wanting to carry 3 bikes then I recommend installing a roof rack like the Yakima CoreBar Roof Rack, parts # Y00422 and # Y33TR, if you don't already have a roof rack. This will allow you to either carry your cargo on top of your Odyssey using a carrier like the Thule Pulse # TH615, or some bike racks like cost-effective Swagman # S64720. This will be the safest way for you to carry your equipment with your Odyssey.

Attached are some review videos of these products for you to check out.