In my years of working at a bike shop - the strap on racks were never a good solution for bikes or cars. We never got into the newer suction cup units - though I did repeatedly check them out at the big bike show in Vegas (Interbike)

Most brands have a recommended fit guide - and will specifically tell you if it will work and if so - what angle to set the arms.

The biggest thing if you do go ahead with a rack like this is to make sure that you strap the bikes to the rack to keep them from bouncing against the tailgate bumper though this has been mitigated by some of the newer racks that put the bike in line with the vehicle.

On a side note - one other thing to be aware of is the position of your tire relative to the exhaust - I remember a rather pissed off customer that swore that we sold her a defective bike tire - upon further inspection - we found the heat of the exhaust actually melted the tire and caused the inner tube and rim strip to fuse together

 

If you care at all about your bike, I would get a cheap Curt Hitch and get a proper hitch mounted bike carrier.

I have a Trek road bike that I could not imagine doing anything other than hitch mounted rack. Now, I do have a hitch, but that was part of my justification for the hitch. I also use a hitch mount cargo basket for long trips with the family.

 

Yes....definitely spend the money to put a 2" receiver hitch on the Highlander. Then you have a wide variety of bike and cargo options available even if you never actually tow anything.

 

I have a dealer installed hitch on my 2015 Limited. Yakima and Thule hitch mounted bike racks will not work because they require a minimum of 1.5 inches from c/l of pinhole to face of receiver tube. Dealer hitch measures 1.25 in

 

I have the same problem, with a dealer hitch I recently had installed on my Highlander Limited so I could use a Thule or Yakima bike rack. The dealer is saying to go with an extender or converter to take it down to 1.25", but both Yakima and Thule says that voids the warranty. I am really surprised that Toyota sells an SUV hitch that will not allow you to carry bikes. I would not recommend that anyone buy a Toyota hitch with this issue.

 

I would not go with the window bike racks. They scratch the crap out of the contact points even the rubberized ones. Over time you will see the contact points are all scratched up and it does not look pretty. Also it puts the bike too close to the car and if you do not strap the wheels it will keep hitting your car. I went to U-Haul and bought a trailer hitch + installation from them for about 250$. Then I went on Amazon.com and bought this hitch:

[ame]http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001M4H2Q8/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1[/ame]

It works great and I use it for 4 mountain bikes. I always do trailer hitch bike mounts. Plus it gives your highlander more functions if you ever need to tow anything.

 

When I bought my first Pathfinder in 1990...I bought one of those window racks...Used it 4 times..then sold it. The Hitch mount is so much better.

. Easier to setup.
. Much more stable.
. Can hold 2-3 time the weight.
. Don't have to remove the bikes to open the hatch or glass.

It does cost more..but well worth it.

 

The wife and I have Schwins bought in the 80's. Would maybe mount the bikes twice in the year for local trips. Unfortunately both cars the Highlander and the RX have spoilers and I am afraid the cheap alternative of a rack mounted on the hatch might damage the spoilers.

 

to answer your question, I don't think the rear top spoiler would be strong enough to support much weight. It is made of something light weight like plastic, and it would be a matter of time for the hooks to dig in and the weight to cause a snap. I think you would be forced to somehow find side points where the hatch closes.

But as mentioned, if for some odd reason there is NO WAY to use a hitch rack. That one above Wolfy posted looks great for multiple, and always nice to hear expereinces of how well something works. I have used Swagman with great success. Many to chose from, and they really dont have to cost a lot when the web gives you so many options. I remember back in the day, my bike shop would have total 3 options, each $500 +

 

I also use a Swagman rack on my 2014.

http://www.mec.ca/product/5021-749/swagman-xtc-4-bike-2-receiver-hitch-rack/?f=10+50002+50258

I am happy with it so far.

 

Do you guys know if the above issue on the factory installed hitches? I've got a factory installed one on my HL and want to make sure before I order...
Thanks.

 

The issue is on the dealer installed hitches for all current Highlanders. The dealer said the current model only comes with one type of Toyota hitch, so I can't say if it also affects older models. The best way to know if measure the distance from the hitch pin hole out. If it is less than 1.5" you are out of luck. The Toyota Highlander hitch is only 1" from the end to the center of the pin hole. I would highly recommend you be careful about purchasing a Toyota Highlander hitch if you want to use any Yakima or Thule product. To take the cake on this, Toyota sells Yakima bike racks as associated products that will not fit safely on their own hitch. Very sad.

 

Hitch

I bought the bike rack at Costco. Holds 4 bikes; works perfect!!. They had them on for $39.79.

 

I bought the bike rack at Costco. Holds 4 bikes; works perfect!!. They had them on for $39.79.

That's awesome.
Did you get a silencer of any kind? How much does it bounce around / do you feel it in the frame?

 

It came with a anti rattle pin. Works great

 

I have a 2015 Highlander, bought the factory tow hitch and fitted it myself.
The tow hitch is 2". The Thule bike rack fitted fine, no issues with the mounting.
Have a Saris 4 bike Freedom Superclamp now, it works great.

 

Here is my setup, 2016 with OEM hitch. Thule T2 Classic + add-on for total of 4 bikes. Setup is stable and no shifts from side to side at all. drove few hrs to and back from the trail. Roof box has the Chariot. Love the utility part of the highlander and still a comfortable ride

 

Is anyone using a Yakima Full Swing Hitch Rack on a 2014-16, Highlander with an OEM hitch? I have an opportunity to buy that hitch used for a substantial savings and the shop says it will work fine, but some of the posts about Yakima and Thule incompatibility with the OEM hitch have me a bit worried. I have read through the several threads addressing the bike rack issue, but found no one using this particular rack. We are about to take a 2 week road trip with our new 2016 Highlander and would like to take the bicycles along to use in the National Parks of Utah.

 

GoDucks, Congrats on your new HL and have a great & safe trip!
My neighbor has a Yakima full swing bike rack (not sure which exact year/model for 4-bikes) and works fine with his 2015 OEM Toyota hitch (2" receiver). I am not clear on one of the post about needing an 1.5" space from pin to hitch receiver surface while the OEM is only 1.25"... I would think if the other way around (being the hitch pin hole is deeper to receiver surface) would cause issues... Anyhow, in my view to make sure it fits your hitch, I world check with your local bike store to see if they have one for you to measure/check for fitment; otherwise, bike shops may have manufacture's catalogs to show exact measurements. Good Luck!

P.S. If necessary, there are hitch receiver extentions on the market... I try to stay away if I can as that can increase clunking noise and extends pretty far out may be a slight issue for parking. :wink:

 

Thank you, Rickvmax. Just when I was about to buy the used Full Swing, I came across a new Yakima Highlite (http://www.amazon.com/Yakima-Highlite-Bike-Rack/dp/B004O7BBJO) on a closeout deal for $216, so grabbed the last one. A friend had told me his major complaint about his Thule was the weight and this one only weighs about 20 pounds, was a snap to assemble and mount, and folds down small enough to toss in the vehicle, or in the basement, with no great effort. Worked fine on a quick run around the block. We will see over the next few weeks how it does on a 3,000+ mile trip.

 

GoDucks, Nice one! Light weight, tool-free speed locking mechanism and a life time warranty, great buy! Enjoy the trip!

 

I went with a Curt hitch and bought a Transit Flatbed 2DLX and the 4DLX and really like them. The hitch was very easy to install. The 2 bike carrier fits 1 1/4" and 2" hitches. The 4 bike carrier fits a 2" hitch. They are both very stable and bike movement is minimal. Both racks are from Performance Bike.

Curt hitch








4 bike carrier




2 bike carrier

 

You guys are right, going with the Curt makes perfect sense. Is this the item to get:
http://www.curtmfg.com/part/13200
And my only worry is would this void my extended warranty?

 

You guys are right, going with the Curt makes perfect sense. Is this the item to get:
http://www.curtmfg.com/part/13200
And my only worry is would this void my extended warranty?

No

 

Curt hitch all the way.

 

Curt vs. OEM

The only problem I see with the Curt is that you will lose some ground clearance. That hitch hangs lower than the OEM version. It is also more visible if that matters. This may not be a problem given the HL has good clearance to start with. I'm still trying to decide

 

The only problem I see with the Curt is that you will lose some ground clearance. That hitch hangs lower than the OEM version. It is also more visible if that matters. This may not be a problem given the HL has good clearance to start with. I'm still trying to decide

Just to share my experience leading to my decision on going with the OEM hitch. To be clear, as I mentioned in my previous posts, there's nothing wrong with the aftermarket hitches (especially those were recommended by other members) but some difference in dimension and looks plus everyone's experience and needs/conditions are different; as for my, the extra 2"+ of clearance made the difference between parking my previous SUV on street curbside or parking my car & trailer on a friend's house driveway then there are speed bumps at some public parking lots and etc to deal with (Unless your HL is equipped with air-bag or so called rear spring height leveler; with some load in the SUV plus the trailer tongue weight decreases the departure angle), basically, I had unload the trailer to regain the rear ride-height to get on to the driveway then re-hitch the trailer... Well you got the picture. :smile:

 

Hi All,

We just went on a trip with our 2017 Highlander Hybrid using a Hollywood four bike platform rack. Everything went well. Easy to load and unload. Was very stable on freeway and curvy roads. Would recommend. Photo attached so folks can see what it looked like loaded. I have the factory hitch.

 

I have the EcoHitch and it is a hidden hitch, and all you have is the insert square just 2" where the oem hitch would be. Changing the shape of the bumper for a hitch was a negative in the aesthetics for me.
But yes, you could slightly more clearance, BUT, keep in mind, if your HL rear is being pushed down to the point that its effecting clearance, you potentially have more issues with reaching and PASSING tongue weight max. This with heavy loads can be a problem to say the least.

If you use it as a bike rack, the lower sitting og the receiver helps in that the fold-away style bike racks gives you enough clearance to open the rear hatch. Some have reported with the OEM hitch, they are not able to lower it enough to open the rear. Just something to consider, and get the one that works for you. SO far, Heavy towing, its the Curt hitch. Bike Rack and not cutting or messing up the straight shape of the bumper, its EcoHitch. For staying with Toyota or some potential height clearance issues, OEM. Cargo Rack I would think either one works fine. But heavy loads the OEM may help with drive way rub.

 

Are the Bike racks that mount on the rear window and tailgate with suction cups and straps safe on the rear window of the Highlander.

I've used them when I owned my 1990 Pathfinder. They work and are safe, but are very inconvenient. Can't open door or window if the rack is in place.