Yakima BackSwing Extension
Compatible with any 2 in. hitch receiver, the Yakima BackSwing extension gives your hitch-mount rack the freedom to swing out of the way so you can access your tailgate.
- Converts most 2 in. hitch products into swing-away racks; secures to any 2 in. hitch receiver using a threaded pin
- Provides easy tailgate access even with a rack fully loaded with bikes
- Easily swings open 90° and locks in place with release lever
- Safety latch secures the rack closed while you're on the road
- Includes SKS (Same Key System) lock to keep the rack secure
- 250 lb. maximum load capacity (rack plus gear)
Imported.
View all Yakima Rack Accessories| Best Use | Travel Cycling |
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Backswing exceeded expectations
The Backswing exceeded my expectations. It didn’t look as robust as other swinging hitches and it cost a little less. I camp in the back of my truck. I was looking for a solution other than removing the bike to get in and out of the truck bed. The Backswing solved this issue nicely. The rack swings with almost no effort. Likewise, it closes very easily. My bike rack mounted to the Backswing is now about 12-18” away from the truck. Not a big deal. I did not have any issues as a few other reviewers sited. I think they didn’t understand how to assemble and mount the Backswing. I did have to do a minor adjustment to the swing arm lever. Yakima tells you how to do this in the instructions. It is very easy. Also, the reference by another reviewer about odd size sockets needed is not relevant. In the instructions Yakima shows a crescent wrench as the tool to tighten all the bolts. After assembly, the only wrench needed is one to tighten the hitch pin bolt. And regarding torque wrench specs, that isn’t relevant either. Tighten the bolts till they are tight and that is good enough. The Backswing does not move or tilt in the hitch. My first generation 1UP rack does not move in the Backswing either. Both are very stable. Just follow the installation directions and you should really like this rack. In the photo you will notice an orange strap. This strap is required by the first generation 1UP bike racks because the 1UP doesn’t use a hitch pin. So on rare occasions the 1UP may loosen a little in the receiver hitch. Thus the strap just insures the bike rack doesn’t slide backwards. This has nothing to do with the Backswing. And, the Backswing gives up to 5.5 inches of insertion for bike racks. Caution- The Backswing does not accommodate 1 1/4 inch bike rack hitches even with a 2 inch adapter.
I should have bought the backswing long ago
My backswing is fairly new, but my early opinion is elation, This baby is not something I enjoy taking off and on, but it is saving me a lot of fuming about unloading bikes to get gear out of the car. I actually like the limit at 90 degrees as I don’t want it swinging around while parked on a side hill. It also catches open so it isn’t gonna swing back shut and hurt someone standing at the back of the vehicle.
Required adjustment for safety and receiver issue
I have now had the BackSwing extension for over a year. Out of the box, the U bolt used in the latching mechanism was much too loose, resulting in insufficient tension on the latch when secured. It was so loose that several times the latch would become undone while driving with an attached rack was loaded with bikes. This resulted in the “safety” being the only thing keeping the arm from swinging open with a loaded rack while driving. I subsequently adjusted the U bolt quite a bit to ensure a good amount of tension, which solved the problem. I thought I should note this all in this review because Yakima’s instructions make no mention of the importance of this adjustment, or that such an adjustment may be necessary. The other issue I have had with the extension is that the tolerance on the receiver is much too low, with a gap of 1/16 to 1/8 of an inch with a rack inserted. This results in my 1Up rack being canted when installed due to the location of its fixing mechanism. When in the upright position my rack has a definite lean to the left which at some point I may fix by shimming it. Racks like Yakima’s that use a through bolt should not have this problem, however. Regardless, I would expect a higher tolerance on the receiver. It seems Yakima is trying to address this by including a locking bolt on top of the receiver to tighten things down, but in my case this doesn’t solve my issue.
Yak Swing Racks are the way to go. Love mine!
I've had my Yakima BackSwing on my F150 for over 2 years and love it. I used to hate trying to get in/out of my camper before with just a drop down bike rack or box rack. Now it's a breeze. We use our camper a lot and the BackSwing has improved our adventures and daily use considerably. The BackSwing is tough, easy to use, sturdy. I have several Yakima products and their customer service has always been GREAT whenever I've made any inquiries. I love this product. It's short and compact enough so it doesn't add much to the overall length of my truck and is rock solid.
Great design; flawed finish
Love the functionality of the extension and it performs as advertised. However, the powder coat finish on the arm that is inserted into the receiver hitch is cracking and flaking off. The edges that result from the degradation are sharp enough to slice skin so wearing gloves is recommended during each setup/takedown. Additionally, it's bothersome to have to sweep up metal flakes after each outing.
Love and Hate
Well built and sturdy mechanism allowing me access into my vehicle while bikes (etc) are on. Exactly why I bought it - and it functions well for it's purpose. The 90 degree limitation is huge. I hate comparing, but the Thule Apex Swing rack is the exact same thing with a bike rack attached - yet it extends to 180 degrees and has (accordingly) two hinge points. This is a HUGE benefit and one I honestly missed when I chose the more flexible (in use) Yakima solution. Please pass on to Yakima they need to work on this design as it really makes it a really close fit for my H3.
Love the BackSwing
I have a Toyota Land Cruiser and the BackSwing really helps getting my tray rack loaded with bikes out of the way so I can access the rear of the truck. Love it. Solidly built, works well. I gave it 4 stars rather than 5 stars because of the latch that holds the swing fully open. It's 1/2" to high, and impacts my lower tailgate. One tailgate dent later, and I have put cheap rubber numbers on the latch to protect it in the future. If the latch was a bit lower so it didn't impact and I could give it a '%'!
Best ever
Best add-on for my hitch bike rack ever. Very easy to have access to my tailgate.
Influenster
[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] The durability with the compatibility plus the installation with also the versatility and of course could not forget the security is everything to me! Thankyou so much for this product I enjoyed it a lot.
Super useful for back access
We've only used this on one relatively short trip, but it functioned well. Our trip was to a campground and this gave us the desired access to the back end of our minivan while camping. We are using a Thule 4-bike rack that we already had, and had our tandem on the rack for this trip. We have a Sienna, with a notoriously low hitch receiver (i.e. poor ground clearance). The BackSwing places our rack a couple inches higher, but the BackSwing itself sticks out from the receiver several inches farther than the rack would, so I was concerned about scraping the BackSwing on inclines (as we have a few times with just the rack). So far no issues with that - the BackSwing does have a subtle angle upward as it comes out of the receiver, so I guess that is actually helpful. We backed over the wheel-stop at the campground and the BackSwing/rack cleared just fine. The lever that locks the BackSwing in place for travel is pretty stiff, so if you lack hand strength it might be hard to operate. The swing motion itself is smooth as silk. Very happy with this so far, and I'm going to be extra careful about scraping the next few years before we replace the van with a higher clearance car.