The Gambler wrote:Anyone else have the problem of when you put a ball or extender on the hitch that it hits a bolt right in the middle of the bumper? The bike rack that I have is not long enough to make it past the bumper so I need to use the extender to put it out far enough.
No, I do not have that problem. My rack gives plenty of room without hitting the bumper.
froger25 wrote:irbikesalot did you use a torque wrench to tighten the bolts to the specific torque in the directions or did you just estimate it?
I had and used a torque wrench, but IMHO it's not necessary. Just get them fairly tight and recheck them in a week or two to make sure they did not loosen. The Curt Hitch comes with new bolts and lock washers. BTW, there is no need to drop the exhaust to get the hitch on... you can manouvre around it.
Here is my setup: Curt 1.25" hitch with Yakima Bighorn rack. Note: the rack comes with straps for 4 bikes, I have removed 2 for ease of loading since I only carry 2 bikes.
Hatch door will not open with rack up:
I can tilt the rack down and open the hatch. I don't recommend (and neither does Yakima) doing this with the rack loaded as it's quite heavy and could damage the bikes or vehicle.
If you want the capability of hatch access with bikes loaded, then try the Thule rack Sirbikesalot has.