Recommended Bike Rack That Allows Rear Doors To Be Opened On Ford Transit Van

Question:

I have a full sized fits transit van. This rack is the most promising I’ve seen fit my needs. Will it swing down enough for me to open my double rear doors?

asked by: A.s.

Expert Reply:

I have a possible solution for you, but we have not yet tested the Softride Hang 2-Bike Rack for 1-1/4" and 2" Hitches # SR27041 on a Ford Transit Van so I can't say for sure if it will allow the rear doors to be opened. I did have someone pull the Softride Hang2 from our warehouse to get some measurements for you. When this bike rack is in the tilted back position, the upright arm measures about 26" from the hitch pin hole on the receiver (see photo). You can measure 26" back from your receiver's pin hole to verify if your doors extend out that for. If you have more than 26" clearance then it should work, but since we haven't tested it yet there is a chance that the doors will still hit the lower arm of the bike rack.

Another option is the RockyMounts BackStage Bike Rack for 2 Bikes - 2" Hitches # RKY10002. This will be a better option for you because it actually swings out to the side which allows for the rear doors to be opened on most vehicles. You can see in the attached photo that a customer was able to open the doors on a similar vehicle while this bike rack was installed. I also attached a demonstration video for you to check out.

expert reply by: Andrew N