Recommended Bike Rack to Use with Roadmaster Hitch Mounted Spare Tire Carrier

Question:

I recently purchased a Roadmaster 195225 spare tire carrier for my new Sprinter Pleasureway TS. Is the Spareme a good choice for the Roadmaster or should I be looking at the hitch mounted options? The 2019 sprinter chassis has a number of parking assist sensors in the bumper that I do not want to block with a rack. I will know more about the location of the sensors when I take delivery in a week or so. The yakama long haul may work if Van door will clear the rack mast with the bikes removed, if not a need an option that folds down. Please share your thoughts on the best options I should explore. Thank you,

asked by: Robert M

Expert Reply:

Because of how the Thule Spare Me 2 Bike Rack # TH963PRO actually mounts to the vehicle behind the spare tire, it will not be compatible with the Roadmaster Hitch Mounted Spare Tire Carrier # RM-195225. For a spare tire bike rack you would need something like the Hollywood Racks # HRSR1 that mounts onto the tire itself.

This 2 bike rack would work nicely with the Spare Tire Carrier but I do think a hitch-mounted rack is your best option. This is because using a spare tire rack will limit some of the functionality of your existing Roadmaster Spare Tire Carrier, such as its ability to easily tilt down and to the side for rear cargo access.

Since the 2 inch receiver on the spare tire carrier is stationary at all times, you would be able to mount a hitch rack and use this tilting feature without any interference. I recommend taking a look at the Thule Hitching Post Pro # TH934XTR, which features a tilting design that will let you open the rear doors after the bikes are removed. The Yakima Long Haul that you mentioned is a really nice rack but it doesn't have this same tilting ability and it's very unlikely the rear doors on your Sprinter would clear the upright mast.

I have attached a short video demonstration on the Hitching Post Pro Bike Rack that you can check out as well.