DuraSafe Hitch Biker

[butterflyfish]

Has anyone used this hitch?

It only holds up to two bikes, but for right now it would serve a purpose for us.  We take 2 adult bikes and 2 kids bikes with us.  DH made a bike rack that rests above his truck bed with some 2X4's and parts from an old discontinued bike rack we had.  However to free up more bed space, I thought about this rack (relatively inexpnsive) for the kids' bikes and the other for the adult bikes.

Any info or experience with this bike rack would be greatly appreciated.

[mike4947]

A couple of thing to consider:
The bike rack sit farther back from the TV than clamp on to the drawbar types so there's more chance of interference; and it does not fold down so any TV rear opening hitting the bikes/rack means you'll have to pull the drawbar to access the back of the TV.

[chip]

A couple of thing to consider:
   The bike rack sit farther back from the TV than clamp on to the drawbar types so there's more chance of interference; and it does not fold down so any TV rear opening hitting the bikes/rack means you'll have to pull the drawbar to access the back of the TV.

Yeah, what Mike said.
 
  I use one like this, and have two issues:
 
  1.    Can't open the back window if there are bikes mounted
  2.    I'm always alert about sharp turns and contact between the bikes and the tongue jack handle.
 
  I've decided that real soon I am going to either mount a receiver on the front of the Trailblazer, or a rack on top of the PU.  Both have drawbacks;  I just need to figger out the lesser of the two evils.

[butterflyfish]

Thanks for the replies.  I guess for now we'll just have to stick with what DH made and keep the kids' bikes in the truck bed.  Maybe when the kids get bigger bikes we'll have to invest in a bigger rack that can go on the pup or something.

['tiredTeacher]

Thanks for the replies.  I guess for now we'll just have to stick with what DH made and keep the kids' bikes in the truck bed.  Maybe when the kids get bigger bikes we'll have to invest in a bigger rack that can go on the pup or something.

And the eternal quest continues ...
Bikes in bed of truck :
  pro - safe, secure, weight carried easily, no interference with tailgate or trailer
  con - loss of storage area, can't close tonneau (if equipped)
Bikes front of TV:
  pro - same as in bed except ...
  con - out front picking up dirt and debris, susceptable to damage
Bikes on roof (or above bed) rack:
  pro - out of the way, safe, relatively secure, no loss of storage
  con - wind resistance (more than you think), a pain to load
Bikes on top of pup:
  pro and con same as roof rack with the additional drawback of increasing the load on the trailer's suspension and pup's roof
Bikes on rack connected to tongue:
   pro - secure, no loss of TV gear storage
   con - in the way of something (bed pull out, access to tanks and batteries) or displaces item(s) on tongue, increases tongue weight, must be removed partially (or entirely) before popping up.
Bikes on back of pup:
  pro - out of the way and all that
  con - susceptible to damage, adds a lot of weight to pup, may affect tracking

You pays your money and picks your poison.

[butterflyfish]

So, what you're saying is there is no "perfect" solution. LOL
 All have their drawacks.  Hmm... somone needs to invent the perfect bike rack...
Actually the one we have that sits on top of the truck bed would be perfect if:
1. we could get more parts for it to be able to put the kids' bikes on it eventually
2. DH would agree to drill into his brand new truk's bed to mount the thing btter than with ratchet straps.  This way we could put a cover on the truck bed...
on our trip to KY, the bike rack didn't affect our gas mileage if at all... we still got 15 MPG.