Why Can't Some Bike Racks be Used in Hitch of Flat Towed Vehicle

Question:

Why is this bike rack not recommended for attaching to a flat tow vehicle? We tow a 2022 Chevy equinox behind our Class C motorhome. We need to carry our bikes and our plan is to attach the bike rake to the back of our Equinox while being flat towed. Thank you!

asked by: Dave W

Expert Reply:

Hey Dave, this is a great question. So vehicles that are installed in the hitch of a towed vehicle have a slight side to side "wiggle" as the front steering wheels seek to be centered but ends up over correcting back and forth. What Hollywood Racks has determined is that this fatigues some of their racks like the Destination part # HLY94FR over time which causes them to fail.

They do have the RV Rider part # HLY64FR which is a similar e-bike rack that can be used in the hitch of a flat towed vehicle which would work really well.

expert reply by: Jameson C

David W.

3/6/2024

Jameson, thank you. This looks like what I need for flat tow vehicle. Unfortunately it’s $400 more and more than I need for 2 beach bikes. We don’t have e-bikes. I’ll check around for other options before making a decommission. Thank you Dave

Jameson C.

3/11/2024

@DavidW For something that costs less that is flat tow vehicle approved we have the Swagman Nomad part # S36FR. I assumed you had e-bikes earlier. This rack has a weight capacity of 35 lbs per bike. If you need a higher weight capacity we also have the Swagman E-Spec part # S94FR which has a capacity of 80 lbs per bike.