Clearance Differences for 2-Inch and 1-1/4 Inch Versions of Kuat Beta 2 Rack on 2013 Subaru Forester

Question:

Hi, I was about to order a Kuat Beta rack to mate with the 2inch Curt hitch I am having installed this weekend on our 2013 Forester 2.5X. The closest relevant fit video I could find shows the 1-1/4inch version of the Alpha mating to the OEM hitch on a 2010 Forester. Kuats fit documents show them having very similar profiles in most respects. As far as I can tell from Kuats fit documentation, there is 3inch more length between the hitch pin hole on the 1-1/4inch version than. Since there was only 4-1/2inch clearance for the 1-1/4inch version, Im concerned that that means there would only be 1inch clearance on the 2inch version not enough! Am I right about that, and if so, is the 2inch hitch version of the Kuat Alpha and Beta are not recommended for use with a 2009-2013 Forester? Thanks!!!

asked by: Aaron X

Expert Reply:

You are correct that there are different hitch-pin-hole-to-upright clearance distances between the two versions of the Kuat Beta 2 bike carrier. The measurement that is the most meaningful to ensuring a proper fit is the distance from the center of the hitch pin hole to the nearest part of the carrier.

In the cases of the Kuat Beta 2, part # B202-2, and # B202-114, this clearance distance varies depending on whether the carrier cradle arms are in the up position (as when carrying bikes) or in the down (storage) position. The storage position provides less clearance on both racks.

I checked the specs on the engineering drawings on the Kuat Fit Guide pages. For the 2-inch version, part # B202-2, Kuat specifies a minimum clearance from hitch pin hole to the nearest part of the carrier of 6-1/8 inches when the cradle arms are down in the storage position, and 7-1/2 inches when the cradle arms are extended.

The version for 1-1/4-inch Class I and Class II hitch receivers, part # B202-114, is specified by Kuat as having a minimum clearance from hitch pin hole to the nearest part of the carrier of 7-5/8 inches when the cradle arms are down in the storage position, and 8-1/2 inches when the cradle arms are extended.

Since you do not have the hitch installed on your Forester, your best bet may be to wait until you have the hitch on the vehicle and can measure how much clearance from the hitch pin hole you actually need.

The FAQ article I have linked includes a table of both 2-inch and 1-1/4-inch hitch-mount bike racks; the table is sorted in order of the amount of clearance from the hitch pin hole to the nearest edge of each rack. For example, the Curt # C18085 2-Bike tilting rack, provides 12.5-inches clearance from the center of the hitch pin hole to the nearest part of the carrier. (Note that one of the bikes mounts within this space.) Many other racks offer more clearance than the Kuat. Once you know your actual clearance requirement you will have the information you need to select a compatible rack.

I have also linked an article concerning how to select a hitch-mounted bike rack that best meets your needs.