Yakima SwingDaddy 4-Bike Hitch Rack
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Carry your bikes with the king of swing! The Yakima SwingDaddy 4-bike hitch rack carries up to 4 bikes and lets you access your vehicle without taking bikes off the rack.
Shop similar products- Swinging design effortlessly pivots your bikes to the side of the vehicle for easy rear access
- Dual-arm design fits all types of bikes and eliminates the need for top-tube adapters on most bikes
- Padded arms feature fully adjustable, anti-sway cradles for superior protection and stability, eliminating bike-to-bike contact
- Intuitive levers with anti-pinch trigger covers make operating the rack a simple endeavor; arms fold down for easy storage
- Tool-free SpeedKnob™ quickly tightens and locks the rack to your car
- Not intended for tandem or recumbent bikes; carrying bikes with step-through frames requires the purchase of an adapter (sold separately)
- 4-bike capacity; fits 2 in. receiver hitches
| Best Use | Cycling |
|---|---|
| Number of Bikes | 4-bike |
| Max Weight Per Bike (lbs) | 40 pounds |
| Hitch Receiver (in.) | Fits 2 inches |
| Weight | 50 lbs. 7 oz. |
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so far so good
received as a gift, only used it a bit in town. I like that it is sturdy and locks in place without the need to buy a separate piece like another receiver rack i have. I like that it seems very durable and that the bikes are easy to securely fasten in place. my only complaint is that on my particular vehicle ( a tacoma ) I cannot open the canopy without swinging it out which entails unscrewing a retaining bolt then returning it. I could see that bolt being a little temperamental to start on a dark evening after a ride if i'm a little tired and shaky, you need to align the rack just right to get it started. but that is a minor issue.
not as good as hoped
It did swing out and back in nicely when fully loaded and that was great. The negatives: 1/ the cam mechanism doesn't keep the rack from rocking quite a bit inside receiver hitch. 2/ The bulky fixed position cradle's seemed designed to inhibit loading and unloading. 3/ You must buy extra adapters for ladies bikes and then install one on each bike every time you want to put it on the rack. 4/ the Yakima sticker started falling off almost immediately 5/ there's no bumper between the vertical part of the hitch and the vehicle hatch, it's only a matter of time until you forget and push the remote open on your hatch and ding the hatch.
2014 Swingdaddy an Improvement over Old Version
This 2014 Swingdaddy is the all new version. I actually waited 6 months for this one to come out after finding the previous model slightly flawed. The things I did not like about the old Swingdaddy were the lack of a built in lock on the hitch connection and the ties used to connect the bikes to the rack. All of these issues have been resolved in the new Swingdaddy. The new version has the lock built in to the knob used to tighten the rack to the tow hitch. It is actually a very clever design and also decreases the wobble (sway) of the rack. Also, the old straps were a real pain sometimes to strap the bike tubes to the rack. It was like pulling a bungee cord or super rubber band and hoping to catch it on a hook. Now, these quick release and tightening straps are a breeze to use. The Swingdaddy is a very heavy rack but that is due to all the metal involved with the "swing" component. If you are buying this style you must be doing it for the ability to access your trunk of your SUV. This is why I chose it though, interestingly, I am temporarily using it on a sedan which has a tow hitch mount. The only comment I will say about this is that the rack totally blocks all 3 of my brake lights which is something I did not consider about using on a sedan and which will be less of an issue on my SUV. I have put 4 bikes on at once though two were childrens bikes requiring the top tube adapter and the others were an adult mountain bike and a tri bike. Everything else about this rack has been solid. If there were a Yakima designer reading this, my only complaint would be about the stickers used to put the Yakima name on the rack visible to cars behind it. The Stickers are already peeling off practically right out of the box when brand new.
Great rack if your car exhaust doesn't melt it
As a bike rack, this thing is great. I felt like our bikes were secure and well-supported. However, the exhaust pipe for our car is on the right side and, even though there was about 6" of distance between the swing arm and the exhaust pipe, after just two 90 minute car rides, the plastic lever that unlocks the arm when it's swung out all the way completed melted. In fact, it melted INSIDE the metal arm itself, because that got so hot. I see no way to lift the swing arm above the exhaust, so I'm not sure how this rack works on any cars with a right-side exhaust pipe.
Won't fit Jeep Wrangler or others with spare tire?
Despite the "Fit your Car" tool on Yakima's website - the spare tire supplied in Jeep JK Wranglers - in my case a 2015 4DR - has some safety conflicts that were unresolvable. (Yes I've noted this to Yakima) The red knob catch on the top rubs the tire, and you have to press it in... The secondary, and IMO primary safety device, is a bolt that has a large handle on the back side - that you need to rotate. In the case of the Wrangler, the spare is completely in conflict with it. This leaves the rack able to swing out while driving - NOT COOL.... I gave it a 1 star - to draw attention to it. But otherwise the rack seems well made, and well designed - very robust. Its just that some attention to the fit to the vehicle needs attention. Specifically to those with a rear mounted spare. Yakima has a sheet, that has 3 criteria of fit for hitch mounted racks. They need a 4th criteria for the 'height of remounted spare'. While this is definitely a problem with the Jeep Wrangler, (See picture) one should note that with a rear mounted spare, this conflict could extend to other makes and models. Also - I think brake lights are important - I noticed the middle brake light would be concealed, and with bikes on it, maybe other brake lights too?
Good for road bikes
The item is built extremely durable and is simple to operate. But my family (of 4) purchased for our mountain bikes. With that in mind, I would not recommend this product. The mountain bike handles are to long and even by switching bike placement, the most we could secure is 2. Also, if your bike has a severe degree “top tube” or rear shock, it will not secure correctly.
Great bike rack
I bought the rack a month ago and love it. While it's heavy, it's designed to swing out of the way so I can leave it installed and easily access things from the back of my SUV.
Used for a over a year and dissapointed
The rack functions great mechanically and is well built. I also like the way the rack locks into the hitch and I can use the same key as my other Yakima bike racks. My biggest frustration with the rack is the arms that hold the bikes are to short. This makes loading the bikes harder than it should be. For instance handle bars are always hitting seats. I should be able to put the bike onto the rack with no adjustments other than seat height, this is the impression all the advertising for the rack gave me, it does not live up to this expectation. We carry two adult mountain bikes and two 16" children's mountain bikes. We also purchased adapter bars, this made it a little easier but it still is not as easy as it should be. Also, the bikes rub together a lot even with the straps provided, so if you have nice bikes you will not want to use this rack. We use this bike for rides around our house, short two hour trips and longer 14 hour drives.
Strong stable platform
I've been using this since November and it's meeting my expectations. The tightening mechanism into the hitch can make for a tight fit when I give it the time to get the screw tight at install. It can be difficult to remove the hitch after it's been installed for a while. This works best for adult bikes. Kids's frames can be a bit tricky to get past the attachment points since they are fixed to the arms. I like the three point attachments for frames since it keeps the bikes from swinging into each other. The included straps for attaching the frame to the arms seem robust. The one for the seat tube can be difficult to get in and out if there is little clearance between the rear tire and the frame since there are ratchets on both side. I really like the swing away feature. Assembly was well though out and all necessary tools are included. I only wish that there was an included loop for routing a security cable through on the rack.
Very heavy and difficult to assemble
I life the features, however, this items is 53 pounds, so one needs to be in good shape to be able to lift and slide into hitch mount. Moreover, aligning the bolt pin and safety retainer is extremely difficult - a design improvement opportunity for Yakima! I plan to take this one back and try the Thule Vertex to see if that is easier to assemble and use.