Towbar carriers

JimboM

Spent most of this morning fitting a towbar to my car so am now on the hunt for a carrier.

I'm after the sort that supports the wheels and main priority is that it's got to be quick to fit and take off of the car. Don't want to spend half an hour each time buggering about in the rain trying to get the thing securely mounted before I can get going. Something that will fit in the boot when not in use would be good although not essential.

Any recommendations appreciated - I've seen the Thule 9503 for £120ish are these any good (and quick to fit)

Cheers

Jim

nicklouse

any Thule.

once set up seconds to fit.

seataltea

I have the Thule 9503, it replaced a boot mounted rack and it's fantastic. I used it yesterday and today, plug in the electrics, drop onto the towbar, wiggle it to get it sited correctly and nip the bolt up by hand, then tighten the bolt with the supplied tool, 2 mins when you've done it once or twice.

Tyres fit into two plastic shaped grooves and small straps hold the bike upright, the 'U' shaped bars lift up and more small straps hold the frame rigid.

I normally carry two bikes, occasionally three, it has never moved, swung to the side or 'drooped' in use, I've done many miles with it, the heaviest bike I mount closest to the car, the lightest on the outer mount.

Fits into the boot of my SAAB estate when out riding, never used the tilt function, takes about 90mins to build out of the box, no whistling bikes, no hassle on ferries or the Eurotunnel, can still put a roofbox on top.

Well worth the £10 I paid at Halfords (plus a £100 C2W voucher )

Buy one.

steve36

i have thule 9402 (2 bike rack) as stated above it is fitted in minutes and very secure, it can also be fitted with lock if needed.folds away for easy storage and comes with light bar.

davewalsh

+1 for the Thule 9403 / 9503.

seataltea's post says it all, quick to fit & easy to use.

BTW, the tilt function is useless if you have an estate car as the bikes are still too close to the tailgate when tilted.

DamonC

Does anyone have any views/experiences on whether the Euro Carrier is worth the extra cost?

http://www.roofrackshop.co.uk/Car-Produ ... 3364p.aspx

CraigXXL

I have the Euro Classic 3 bike rack and it's a great bit of kit. Quick and easy to use. They are rock solid in use with no wobble. Mounting the rack is as simple as dropping onto the towbar, quick check it's sqaure to the car and push the lever down to lock into place then connect the electrics. This is all very easy to do as it is very balanced so you can have one hand free.
I had the Thule 591 roof mounted racks before which were also excellent but I needed the extra bike space. The Euroclassic is noiseless from within the car and no detectable drag, this is on a Mondeo Estate so will be different on others cars.
Downside is that the width is fixed so if you want to put if the boot when you get to your destination it may not fit in all boots.
Placing bikes on the rack is easy, just a matter of lifting the bike onto the rack, clamp the arm onto the bike and secure the wheels with the attached ratchet straps. Next bike is mounted with the bars to the opposite side of he previous bike and repeat for the next bike.
I got mine from Rotherham for £355 including the 4th bike add on rack and 13 to 7 pin converter. It's expensive but like any Thule product a good investment.

belugabob

+1 for the 9503.

The only thing that I would add is that I use a torque wrench and a deep socket to tighten the fixing bolt, as I couldn't trsut myself to judge 90Nm correctly.

Like all good things, it just works.

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