Advice on Bike Racks for Broncos

I'm right with you. The only reason I wanted the tow package was so I could get a hitch-mounted bike rack. I opted out of the tow package when I reordered my Bronco to help expedite its scheduling and it seemed to work as my Bronco was scheduled for production three days later. So, I don't have the tow package, but I did purchase a hitch separately afterward.

The one hitch that appeals to me is one offered by Kuat. It supposedly allows you to swing it away from your Bronco so you can access the tailgate. That's the one I'm interested in. I'll offer my review once it becomes a reality.

Here are my thoughts and experience. Hitch-mounted rack is the way to go. Period. There are some racks that can mount on the spare, be wary.
Important considerations when considering which rack to buy:
- what type of bikes will you be carrying? Most racks have weight limits, limits on both individual and total allowable weight. This is important if you have an e-bike or heavier fat tire bikes.
- # bikes you want to carry.
- how long is the racks hitch shaft. Need to be able to clear the width of the spare tire.
- The spare on the rear door and the swing opening versus lift of the door are problematic for opening when bikes are loaded (and with some models with no bikes loaded)
- Thule, Yakima and Kuat all have good options
I have the Thule Easy Fold XT because it is one of the few racks designed to carry weight. The rack carries both my wife’s e-bike (50 lb) & my Trek Farley 2 Fat tire bike (35 lb, 27.5”x 5” tires) with no issue. The rack is solid as a rock. I do have to take the bikes off to open the rear but that’s ok.
Hope this helps, good luck,

I personally prefer the on-roof bike racks, but I'm guessing I'm in the minority there.

So unless you are crazy like I am, there are two options:

• Spare tire mounted bike rack
• Hitch-mounted

Personally, I prefer the spare tire mounted option over hitch-mounted. There are a few options for spare tire mounted bike racks, like the Thule Spare Me Pro, or Allen Sports 302. My personal favorite is the Hollywood Racks SR2 (although now that I think about it the reverse camera will make the SR2 a no-go). BUT, problem is the weight. Spare tire mounted racks only really work for 2 bikes maximum before weight becomes a concern. If you are dealing with light-weight carbon fiber / aluminum road bikes, then yeah, you can safely load up four bikes on the spare tire. But if these are mountain bikes and you are going out in the wilderness with them... two bikes is really the maximum.

So if you are the type of person that needs to really load up on bikes, hitch-mounted is the right solution. If you want a swing-out version, there is the Yakima Fullswing. BUT, I would recommend using an adaptor like the Kuat Pivot v2.0 or the Thule Swing-Away or Yakima Backswing. That allows you to use effectively whatever hitch-mount bike rack you want, perhaps even one you already own. The key is to ensure you have a long enough extension to clear the spare tire, but after that it's pretty easy.

Following. I have a 4-bike hitch mounted carrier that I have not tried yet with the Bronco, but should work with an extension. But my Bronco is only 2 doors and likely never more than 2 bikes will come along. Road bikes-pretty lightweight, so spare mounted seems pretty attractive, I didn’t even know that was an option….

I have the Kuat hitch mount for 4 bikes on my current SUV and absolutely love it. Only real downside is that it is a bit heavy, but it is holding 4 bikes. When I take delivery of my Bronco, I plan to get the Kuat Pivot 2.0 with passenger side swing. The pivot not only extends the rack out to fit the spare tire, it also swings out of the way so you can open the tailgate with plenty of room to load/unload. I've seen a few videos, pictures, and reviews already and feel really good about going this route, especially since I already own the rack itself.

The thing I don't like about spare tire racks and some non-tray style hitch racks is that the bikes can bang together. My road bike is carbon fiber, so obviously I'd prefer to not have other bikes banging into it.

Just my 2 cents...

Hopefully, I’ll install my trailer hitch soon, or I’ll be asking about the best way to haul my Rascal instead of my bike.

I just got a bike and was looking into this as well recently. Since, I don't travel with it much I didn't want to spend a lot of money yet. I got this spare tire one off of Amazon for now. It fits my 37s and doesn't block the rear camera. Only negative is that I need to get longer straps for the bottom (not a huge deal at all).

https://amzn.to/43pMBWp

Bronco2369

Bronco Squad,

Looking for input on best bike rack for Bronco Badlands Sasquatch 4 door. Ideally, the back tailgate can be accessed without unloading the bikes but I'm open to ideas, advantages, disadvantages, etc.

Looking forward to any input other Bronco Owners are willing to share; including pics and or videos.

Hope to hear from someone. Thanks in advance for considering.

See my post in the thread below for pics but the KUAT Pivot 2.0 and NV Base 2.0 clears a Sasquatch tire and swings away. It's not cheap but it solid in my experience.

https://thebronconation.com/accessories-n.136/swing-out-hitch-mount-extender-t.10856/#post-228813

Bird Dog Off Road

I just got a bike and was looking into this as well recently. Since, I don't travel with it much I didn't want to spend a lot of money yet. I got this spare tire one off of Amazon for now. It fits my 37s and doesn't block the rear camera. Only negative is that I need to get longer straps for the bottom (not a huge deal at all).

https://amzn.to/43pMBWp

That tailgate reinforcement brace is a good call. 👍🏻

I have a Yakama hitch mounted 2 bike rack and love it! I bought the swing out extender for it, but it doesn't extend far enough to clear the spare tire. Not the best solution! I have to take off the spare tire for it to work! Just an fyi!

Don't buy the Yakama extender, it won't clear the spare tire!

https://yakima.com/products/backswing?_ga=2.132487566.1430491583.1686153810-1202587132.1686153810

Bronco2369

Bronco Squad,

Looking for input on best bike rack for Bronco Badlands Sasquatch 4 door. Ideally, the back tailgate can be accessed without unloading the bikes but I'm open to ideas, advantages, disadvantages, etc.

Looking forward to any input other Bronco Owners are willing to share; including pics and or videos.

Hope to hear from someone. Thanks in advance for considering.

Hey Bronco 2369,
Let me save you some time researching this as I have already done most of it for you.

First off, know that you will need an extension for your hitch so that the bike rack will clear your rear tire mounted on the tail gate. The disadvantage of the extension is that any rack you buy will wobble a bit from side to side.

Secondly, if you intend on traveling up access roads to get to trail heads, or intend on traveling long distances, a hitch rack is the only way to go, due to it's ability to securely hold your bikes and keeping them safely away from your beautiful paint job.

Also know that due to the length of the Bronco rear door, even with the extension, you will not be able to open the door fully, but you will be able to access the rear area. I was not able to find a rack that would allow the door to fully open.

As to the best rack I found, it is made by a company called VelociRax. It is a solid rack, secures you bike easily, resists rust well, and is hydraulically assisted so that you can drop the rack back out of the way of the door, easily load your bikes without having to lift them high onto the rack (you place the rack in the down position, allowing you to wheel your bike up to the hoop on its back wheel, and with a bit of a small lift from your knee under the saddle and you gripping the handle bar, place your front wheel easily into the hoop), then you push the rack back into its upright position.

They provide a variety of rack models based on the number of bike you need on your rack, and as a vertical rack they allow you to protect your bikes better from road debris than the horizontal slot based racks. Have a look...

https://www.velocirax.com/collections/hitch-bike-racks


I hope this helps...

I did a little digging and found this! Looks like Kuat Pivot V2 with a hitch mounted bike rack will work with the spare tire. You have to scroll down a ways to see the picture, but it looks like this company has done a few Bronco's!

https://www.rackattack.com/car-rack-installations/ford/bronco/