Swagman XTC-4 bike rack review and tips

bicycles reviews | bicycles videos | bicycles online

1. Thanks for the excellent demo that eases one's mind before investing on a purchase. My mind is now at ease to go ahead in acquiring a Swagman four bike carrier as opposed to a 2 bike unit.
2. NICE RACK BRO!
3. That was very helpful. Thanks. This is a rack I'm not familiar with and I needed this type of review to give me the confidence I needed to select it. 
4. The XTC 4 is designed to be a solid contender in the entry level of the 4 bike tray-styled rack category, Swagman offers higher end models that have greater carrying capacities of up to 45lbs per bike. The Quad 2+2 and the Semi 4.0 both have the 45lbs per bike capacity. Thanks for the review on the XTC4 we will take all the input we can get!
5. I haven't actually weighed my bike, but online it says it weighs 34 pounds and it is a $2600 full suspension aluminum 29er XC bike. My wife's is a 32 lbs aluminum 29er Trek Mamba. I also would like to take some friends' cheaper bikes with us when we go to sightseeing trails, but then the total weight would be over the 140 lb carrying capacity. Unfortunate because I like everything else about this rack.
6. Great point! "Mart bikes" could run into a big problem with weight. My shortsighted thought was that most people looking into a bike rack like this would spend more on their bike then the rack to carry it, but not always. The average "real" mountain bike will weigh around 30 pounds. My full suspension large 29'er weighs less than 29 lbs, but it's a quality aluminum bike. A hard tail 29er from a local mart weighed 42 pounds. Ugh. Unsafe for both the rack and the trail...some even labeled so. 
7. The problem with this rack is the low maximum carrying capacity which is 35 pounds per bike. Many steel frame adult mountain bikes weigh 45 pounds +.
8. I'd need to find an anti wobble hitch extension, which do exist, but I also need to make sure the rack will fit within the extension. I've tried a double hitch receiver, to try to have the rack and tow at the same time but it was too wobbly, but you have me thinking about an extension now. 
9. Yeah, this rack is great, I've been in some off road situations, really steep driveways at gas stations, and even loaded down with 4 bikes, 4 people, and enough luggage for 3 days and the 4runner never bottomed out (906 OME springs in the back). The angle is ideal, plenty steep but not too steep, which is important for such a long rack. Really great rack for the price. Glad you like my reviews! 
10. To solve the recessed hitch issue, have you looked into an extension piece?