Will the Swagman XTC-2 or XC Bike Rack Work on a 2006 RAV4 With etrailer Hitch

Question:

In one of your posts you recommend the etrailer e98864 hitch. Will that specific hitch ensure that the Swagman XTC or XC will work on the RAV4? Thank you!

asked by: Kirk

Expert Reply:

To ensure that the Swagman XTC bike rack, # S64670 or Swagman XC bike rack, # S64650, will work on your 2006 Toyota Rav4 with the etrailer hitch part # e98864, you will need to do some measuring.

First, take a straight edge and position it across the two rear most hitch mounting holes in the frame at the rear of the vehicle. Then measure from the center of the straight edge back to the farthest back part of the vehicle, most likely the rear mounted spare tire.

Once you have the this measurement, subtract 11 inches, see photo attached, and this will give you the distance from the hitch pin hole on the # e98864 hitch to the farthest back part of the vehicle.

With that measurement you can compare it to the measurement from the center of the hitch pin hole to the upright bar on the bike rack you choose. As long as the measurement form the center of the hitch pin hole to the farthest back part of the vehicle is less than 15 inches you will be able to use the XTC-2 bike rack on your RAV4 and the XC bike rack will work as long as the measurement is less than 10-1/2 inches.

I also added a photo showing the measurement of a hitch on a 2008 RAV4 and a photo of a 2006 RAV4 next to it. The measurement for the 2008 model is just 4 inches to the farthest back part of the vehicle, so I feel confident that on your 2006 model, the XTC-2 and the XC bike racks will work great.

expert reply by: Robert G