Title. Looking at hitch mounted bike racks, specifically two types: racks that have a vertical bar and the bike hangs down by the frame, and racks with a horizontal platform that the wheels sit in. Think things like Thule.
I see heavy ebikes being held by heavy duty racks, or multiple MTBs on one. How is it that they are stable? I would think that – especially the hanging ones – they would act like a giant breaker bar against the hitch opening. I know that they are designed not to really wobble right and left, but how does that little 1.25 or 2” square slot stop 3-4 feet of steel bar with 30-100lbs of weight on the end from breaking loose?
Definitely not asking because I’d like a hitch rack for my bike and have trust issues. Lol. I can’t fathom how these work, and why they don’t need to be secured from the top at least.
In: Engineering
It does act as a lever, therefore it can’t hold that much weight. But some 100 pounds will not compromise some inches of steel, especially if the lever is rather short.
I can only speak for Germany, but there is a so called “Stützlast” (maximum supporting load) on the hitch and it is suprisingly low (60-100 kg for normal cars). So, depending on the weight of the bike rack itself, you can already exceed it mounting 2 e-bikes, which are considerably heavier than normal bikes.
Ofc, exceeding maximum weight, won’t break it immediately, but can influence the steering of the car or loosen the hitch, if it is an removable one. Therefore you can get a ticket if you get stopped.
It definitely cannot handle “several tons of force” like someone suggested, even if it could it would severely impact driving/steering the car.
I just looked up the specs for a class 2 hitch and it seems that it is also limited to 300lbs (~150 kgs), which you probably will exceed with a motorbike.
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