Hitch-mounted bicycle rack

[CalifEd]

Oh, don't worry, I'm paranoid about making sure everything is tied down tight after I narrowly avoided a dancing ladder that fell off of the rack on some moron's pickup on the freeway.

I too am paranoid about following vehicles, generally sedans or soccer mom vans, with the hitch mounted bike carriers - but for a different reason.

Most of these seem to be overloaded and have a harmonic bounce, back and forth in some kind of rhythm, as the car/RV goes down the road.

IMO, a simple strap running from the top of the rack back to the top of the trunk or ladder would stop this harmonic bouncing.
I know not seeing the bouncing would make me feel safer.

I just don't trust the shanks and other metal parts on these carriers to not develop cracks or weak welds because of this shaking.

 

[vt_shooter]

The racks and hitches themselves might be sturdy, but how about the thin sheet metal unibody construction most of the hitches are attached to? You have to check how much of a downward load the car/suv hitch mounting point is designed to accommodate. E-bikes are heavy, I'm sure it'd be easy to exceed the recommended weight limit on some cars/suvs. Keep in mind going over a bump will amplify that weight load.

 

[LVSteve]

I supposed if a cop was bored he could use it for probable cause.

Guess my thoughts are driven by being raised in the UK. An obscured number plate is an instant pull there, just ahead of no working trailer lights.

 

[Smeckler]

I've had a few over the years. While I don't have any specific recommendations, I will say that if you're going to use it a lot, spend the money for a good one. If this is something you're going to use occasionally you can go for the less expensive one. And depending on the design of the carrier, bungee cords might come in handy to help secure the bikes to the rack and keep them from rattling around.