Yaris hatch bike rack - Toyota Yaris Forums

7:34pm · 03-18-2015, 03:24 AM

Yea I know there's a few threads already.

I was dead set on getting a trailer hitch mounted for a bike rack as I'm a fan of things being mounted fairly solid; I once saw a bike rack fall off on the highway!

Now I'm thinking a trailer hitch might be an inconvenience if I have to remove it for every autocross etc, plus it's a little more costly as there's more to buy.

Has anyone had success with a hatch mount bike rack? They seem flimsy. Looking to carry up to three bikes.

WeeYari · 03-18-2015, 11:08 AM

I use a hitch mount on my Yaris, but had, in the '80s, used a hatch/trunk mount with no issues other than eventually marking the paint.

While the one I had was a cheap thing purchased from Canadian Tire, if I was to do it again, I'd probably look at Saris racks.

canadian deacon · 03-21-2015, 08:43 PM

I have this one: http://www.swagman.net/product/original3-ball-mount/

It's a good heavy construction. I also have a lock for the receiver (pin lock). The rack doesn't fold down. I was worried that the folding ones were too flimsy. The rack fits in the trunk of my Yaris when not in use.

CrankyOldMan · 03-21-2015, 09:04 PM

I've got a Thule hatch-mounted one like this. It's not very convenient if you need to get into the hatch with bikes mounted, but that would be the same for a hitch mount.

I've successfully done 2 bikes, but I can't recall at the moment if it holds 3. Looks like there are hatch-mount options that hold 3.

CoryM · 03-21-2015, 10:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 7:34pm

Has anyone had success with a hatch mount bike rack? They seem flimsy. Looking to carry up to three bikes.

Hatch mounted tend to cause scratches, and it can be hard to keep the front tire/handlebar off the back of the car. Depending on the weight (and cost!) of the bikes, I would be more comfortable with a hitch mount. I'm pretty happy with my setup. Except for the fact that I am broken and can't ride for a long time :(

Modern hitch racks come out pretty quick, and you have more options with a hitch.

Cheers.

aspro · 03-21-2015, 10:49 PM

Roof mount. Nice and solid, looks awesome and still allows access to the hatch. I'm running Thule aero bars and two Yakima upright bike carriers. And the cross bars go on and off in minutes.

nookandcrannycar · 03-21-2015, 10:58 PM

I saw a Subaru today.....same new one CTScott has.....and it had two bike racks. one off the back that was carrying two mountain bikes, and another one on the roof that was carrying one mountain bike. Sort of a 'lima bean green' color (the Subie, not the mountain bikes

). I later saw another example of the same model...sort of an off white color (looked great

).

paulge3 · 04-06-2015, 07:11 AM

Like this one-- yarisworld.com/forums/showthread.php?t=29807

dasnake · 04-22-2015, 02:53 PM

I have a 2008 yaris 2door hatchback. I installed 2 thule sidearm bike carriers using the square bars and a thule short roof adapter. I've had two downhill bikes (40lbs each) up there for 3 seasons. Not a single issue. Regular bikes don't weight 40lbs so you make be able to mount 3 bikes if you reverse the head a tail of each bike. i think my roof is rated for 110lbs or so.

I was considering a hitchmount, but they are clumsy, make your car longer and pull down the suspension. The weight of the hitch and the racks and the bikes on leverage will weigh your car down.

roof rack is the way to go.

dasnake · 04-22-2015, 02:54 PM

read all my posts about roof vs hitch from 2012

xtremesniper · 06-24-2015, 12:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by aspro

Roof mount. Nice and solid, looks awesome and still allows access to the hatch. I'm running Thule aero bars and two Yakima upright bike carriers. And the cross bars go on and off in minutes.

Out of curiosity, did you skip on the hitch because the RS trim gets in the way? I've been reading into hitches but I've read a number of them do not work with RS/S trims thanks to the extra space the add-ons take.

Also, do you have any closer pictures of the roof rack and any with bikes mounted on them? I'm suddenly curious about roof racks as an alternative if it's clean, easy and sturdy enough.

cpu2k · 06-24-2015, 11:24 PM

I'm using a Thule platform hitch rack on my Yaris. It's secured onto the hitch with a bolt, so the platform doesn't rock or move when the car is in motion. It's a bit on the heavy side and having 2 mountain bikes on it will weigh the back end down a bit (I have stock suspension), but overall, it does the job and hasn't fallen off yet :P

xtremesniper · 06-26-2015, 04:57 PM

Looks nice! I think for me if I didn't have the RS kit then the hitch mount would be a no-brainer. I haven't found a hitch that fits around the RS kit yet.

With roof mounts I get worried about the clamps wearing down the body paint, or even causing damage to the waterproofing liner around the doors. I've heard that some of them cause the doors to get pushed down a little bit when they close. That doesn't sound good to me.

WeeYari · 06-26-2015, 05:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by xtremesniper

I think for me if I didn't have the RS kit then the hitch mount would be a no-brainer. I haven't found a hitch that fits around the RS kit yet.

I have a 2010 RS rear bumper on my 2006. When I put the bumper on I discovered that my hitch receiver would compress the bottom edge of the RS trim about 1/8". Once on you can't tell that the bottom of the trim has been pushed up a bit.

xtremesniper · 06-27-2015, 10:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WeeYari

I have a 2010 RS rear bumper on my 2006. When I put the bumper on I discovered that my hitch receiver would compress the bottom edge of the RS trim about 1/8". Once on you can't tell that the bottom of the trim has been pushed up a bit.

It's only 1/8"? All the hitches that I've been looking up explicitly say "not for RS" or "not for S" depending on the market... I don't know if it will be worth the chance.

Thanks for the info though!

EDIT: Since you're also from Ontario, did you find a local place that sold Yaris compatible hitches? Or ordered from the States?

WeeYari · 06-27-2015, 01:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by xtremesniper

It's only 1/8"? All the hitches that I've been looking up explicitly say "not for RS" or "not for S" depending on the market... I don't know if it will be worth the chance.

Thanks for the info though!

EDIT: Since you're also from Ontario, did you find a local place that sold Yaris compatible hitches? Or ordered from the States?

They say not for "RS" or "S" because it does not freely clear the bumper skirt.

I ordered a Curt hitch from etrailer.com, but it actually shipped out of Canada (no border shit to deal with). A few years later when I ordered a hitch for another vehicle directly from Curt, I learned that Curt has a shipping warehouse in Mississauga and I was able to pick it up there. I suspect etrailer shipped from that location as well.

Here is the best pic I currently have of how the hitch and the RS bumper co-exist.

xtremesniper · 06-28-2015, 01:37 PM

Thank you, that's really helpful info. And thanks for the picture too.

Have you ever worried about the pressure being applied to the skirt because of the tight fit causing damage when you go over bumps, etc?

WeeYari · 06-28-2015, 01:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by xtremesniper

Have you ever worried about the pressure being applied to the skirt because of the tight fit causing damage when you go over bumps, etc?

No. Been there with the RS bumper for slightly over 4 years now. If your hitch bolts are secure, which they bloody well better be, there is no movement. That hitch has seen frequent use with a bike rack (3 bikes), as well as a well loaded cargo basket. I do have a small piece of duct tape placed between the receiver and the skirt so I don't have direct metal on plastic contact.

03-18-2015, 03:24 AM	#1
7:34pm Drives: 07 Yaris Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: British Columbia Posts: 132	Yaris hatch bike rack Yea I know there's a few threads already. I was dead set on getting a trailer hitch mounted for a bike rack as I'm a fan of things being mounted fairly solid; I once saw a bike rack fall off on the highway! Now I'm thinking a trailer hitch might be an inconvenience if I have to remove it for every autocross etc, plus it's a little more costly as there's more to buy. Has anyone had success with a hatch mount bike rack? They seem flimsy. Looking to carry up to three bikes.

03-18-2015, 11:08 AM	#2
WeeYari View User's Garage Drives: 06 5dr LE (deceased), 13 Soul Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Georgetown, Ontario, Canada Posts: 5,816	I use a hitch mount on my Yaris, but had, in the '80s, used a hatch/trunk mount with no issues other than eventually marking the paint. While the one I had was a cheap thing purchased from Canadian Tire, if I was to do it again, I'd probably look at Saris racks. __________________

03-21-2015, 10:49 PM	#6
aspro Drives: 2011 Yaris RS 5 door 5 spd Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: Toronto, Canada Posts: 449	Roof mount. Nice and solid, looks awesome and still allows access to the hatch. I'm running Thule aero bars and two Yakima upright bike carriers. And the cross bars go on and off in minutes. __________________ TRD sway bar, h&r coilovers, tanabe strut tower bar, konig feather, bfg sport comp 2, MI intake manifold, aem cai, dc header, trd catback, MI crank pulley, trd short shift kit, phillips hid kit, morimoto led fogs, parrot navi indash, alpine 6.5 speakers, alpine amp, alpine reverse camera, led interior lights, thule roof racks, netz badges...

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03-21-2015, 08:43 PM	#3
canadian deacon Drives: 2014 yaris 5dr Join Date: Feb 2015 Location: canada Posts: 23	I have this one: http://www.swagman.net/product/original3-ball-mount/ It's a good heavy construction. I also have a lock for the receiver (pin lock). The rack doesn't fold down. I was worried that the folding ones were too flimsy. The rack fits in the trunk of my Yaris when not in use.

03-21-2015, 09:04 PM	#4
CrankyOldMan 2ZR swap. DO IT! Ask how! View User's Garage Drives: 09 Meteoric Metallic HB Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: West Michigan Posts: 2,333	I've got a Thule hatch-mounted one like this. It's not very convenient if you need to get into the hatch with bikes mounted, but that would be the same for a hitch mount. I've successfully done 2 bikes, but I can't recall at the moment if it holds 3. Looks like there are hatch-mount options that hold 3.

03-21-2015, 10:58 PM	#7
nookandcrannycar Drives: 2('14+'07)MT 3d ,wHandCrWndws! Join Date: May 2009 Location: S.MontgomeryCnty,TX(HoustonMSA) '07=BayouBlue=300,125miles=OrigOwnr '14=ClassicSilvr=29,059miles Posts: 4,839	I saw a Subaru today.....same new one CTScott has.....and it had two bike racks. one off the back that was carrying two mountain bikes, and another one on the roof that was carrying one mountain bike. Sort of a 'lima bean green' color (the Subie, not the mountain bikes ). I later saw another example of the same model...sort of an off white color (looked great ).

04-06-2015, 07:11 AM	#8
paulge3 Drives: '11 Yaris Join Date: Feb 2015 Location: Ga Posts: 42	Like this one-- yarisworld.com/forums/showthread.php?t=29807

04-22-2015, 02:53 PM	#9
dasnake Drives: 2008 yaris Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: ny Posts: 37	I have a 2008 yaris 2door hatchback. I installed 2 thule sidearm bike carriers using the square bars and a thule short roof adapter. I've had two downhill bikes (40lbs each) up there for 3 seasons. Not a single issue. Regular bikes don't weight 40lbs so you make be able to mount 3 bikes if you reverse the head a tail of each bike. i think my roof is rated for 110lbs or so. I was considering a hitchmount, but they are clumsy, make your car longer and pull down the suspension. The weight of the hitch and the racks and the bikes on leverage will weigh your car down. roof rack is the way to go.

04-22-2015, 02:54 PM	#10
dasnake Drives: 2008 yaris Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: ny Posts: 37	read all my posts about roof vs hitch from 2012

06-24-2015, 11:24 PM	#12
cpu2k Newbie Drives: 2010 Yaris 2Dr LB Join Date: Dec 2013 Location: Toronto Posts: 1	I'm using a Thule platform hitch rack on my Yaris. It's secured onto the hitch with a bolt, so the platform doesn't rock or move when the car is in motion. It's a bit on the heavy side and having 2 mountain bikes on it will weigh the back end down a bit (I have stock suspension), but overall, it does the job and hasn't fallen off yet :P

06-26-2015, 04:57 PM	#13
xtremesniper Drives: 2009 Yaris HB RS Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Canada Posts: 74	Looks nice! I think for me if I didn't have the RS kit then the hitch mount would be a no-brainer. I haven't found a hitch that fits around the RS kit yet. With roof mounts I get worried about the clamps wearing down the body paint, or even causing damage to the waterproofing liner around the doors. I've heard that some of them cause the doors to get pushed down a little bit when they close. That doesn't sound good to me.

06-28-2015, 01:37 PM	#17
xtremesniper Drives: 2009 Yaris HB RS Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Canada Posts: 74	Thank you, that's really helpful info. And thanks for the picture too. Have you ever worried about the pressure being applied to the skirt because of the tight fit causing damage when you go over bumps, etc?