Transporting 3 Bicycles on 2010 Mazda 3

Question:

I am looking for a hitch for my 2010 Mazda 3 hatchback, but I would like a 2inch receiver? Do you have anything suitable. This is because there are hitch bike racks I am interested in because of the swing arm Yakima Fullswing or SwingDaddy Thule Apex Swing

asked by: Mike

Expert Reply:

We offer a number of trailer hitch receivers for your 2010 Mazda 3 Hatchback but all are the 1-1/4-inch size and are rated as light-duty Class I hitches. Please see the link provided. No 2-inch hitches are offered for your Mazda 3.

This is because hitch manufacturers design and rate their hitches based on the vehicle structure where they mount - the frame. The vehicle's construction dictates that nothing more than a Class I hitch rated at 200-lbs tongue weight be installed, otherwise there could be potential for the hitch-mounted weight load to distort or damage the vehicle's frame.

With a Class I hitch you are limited to using a Class I bike carrier and you cannot transport more than two bikes on the hitch, regardless of the bike rack's capacity. The linked articles on hitch and rack classes may be helpful. Please note that while hitch size adapters are available, they are not a solution for you since they have the unavoidable side-effect of reducing your hitch capacity by 50-percent.

The bike racks you referenced, such as the Yakima FullSwing # Y02465, are 4-bike carriers. To carry 4 bikes on your Mazda 3 you will need to carry two on a hitch-mount (or trunk-mount) 2-bike carrier and two on roof-rack-mounted bike carriers.

I have included a link to our main page for roof racks for your car; you can use the drop-down menu at the top of the page to select your particular version of the Mazda 3 hatchback to see racks that will fit.
I added another link to roof-mount bike carriers.

expert reply by: Adam R