Hitch bike rack - hanging or tray version?

[BRS24]

Hey BY-ers. I'm in search of a hitch mounted bike rack, preferably for 4 bikes, that has either a swing away, or tilt down option so that we can open the SUV hatch. Anyone have experience with this, and which do you think is better quality - hanging bikes, or slotting them in trays? Is the tray version best for bikes that have different x-bar angles? Is one more secure than the other? TIA.

 

[AreBee1969]

I had the predecessor to the Thule Apex Swing 4. It was great for my Jeep's swing tailgate but was a bear to fit my mountain bike with a funky slanted downtube and three women's bikes.

Once I got full suspension the shock was in the way and I had to buy an adapter that went from the saddle post to the headset. Didn't like the frame contact and it swung back and forth. Another thing to consider is that If any of your bikes are carbon I would stay away from a hanging rack. You want to avoid rack contact with a carbon frame completely.

I went with the Kuat Sherpa tray rack and I love it. It's only a 2-bike rack and it is not expandable, so it wouldn't work for you, but Kuat is a great company and does have a solid 4 bike system called the Kuat NV. It's pricey though, but the 2-bike base and the 2 bike add on will run you around $1,100.

Check out etrailer dot com which a phenomenal resource for all sorts of racks. Great Q&A and user reviews.