Hi Ozbargainers,
I’m looking for a second hand hitch Towbar and a bike carrier to transport 3 bikes on Toyota Kluger (2014)
Could you please share your experience, how did you go about buying & installing these accessories?
Please advise venues (online, shops, wreckers) where you may picked up these items & how much you end up paying? I’m based in Sydney, NSW
Your guidance will be much appreciated.
Thanks heaps!
Have installed two tow bars on different vehicles. One was from eBay from an online wrecker. The other was also eBay and think it was new, but cheaper than anything local. Both were supplied with all bolts and wiring. Wasn’t a very difficult job, but require a bit of strength to lift the heavy bar. Wiring was just an adaptor plug that piggy backed into the tail light harness.
Once you’ve got the towbar on pick up a bike rack. I’m not a fan of the ‘beak’ style that you hang bikes from. It’s not easy loading kids or ladies bikes. I have a platform rack and find it quite good, but still requires a bit of adjustment to get bikes on efficiently. I think Buzz rack is similar to what I have.
Tow bars are generally model specific and when I looked into it I decided it was too complex a job to do myself. I gave up on the idea until I bought an new car and had it fitted as an option.
Tow bar hitches are not cheap as they are designed to trailers which means they are over engineers for just carrying bikes. There are no lightweight bike only tow hitches. The cost of fitting generally includes wiring of a plug for auxiliary lights.
If the bike carrier or bikes will obscure the number plate or indicator lights you will need a rack mounted number plate and/or lights. Many of the bike carriers sold in Australia don't have these fitted as standard and the lightboards are overpriced.
I bought a Thule carrier second hand for $400 from ebay. The seller had fitted DIY lights and number plate holder and done are really good job. It's an older model, but looks like the Thule T2 Classic in the current range. It works well. One thing I was not prepared for since I purchased without much research was how heavy it was and how much space it takes up when not fitted to the vehicle.
One thing I was not prepared for since I purchased without much research was how heavy it was and how much space it takes up when not fitted to the vehicle.
Agree. Not sure what actual model I have, but have a Thule such as the one you've referenced. While it's not a massive job to get it on and off, it certainly takes a bit of getting used. And the thing is not light! If you haven't got the knack of getting it on and off … and are dealing with it on a warm day … you can work up a sweat just getting it on/off.
Tow bar hitches are not cheap as they are designed to trailers which means they are over engineers for just carrying bikes. There are no lightweight bike only tow hitches. The cost of fitting generally includes wiring of a plug for auxiliary lights.
Bike racks can put quite a load on a tow bar. Tow bar is designed for dragging a load along behind a car and support a vertical load of the trailer hitch point. a bike rack puts a significant twisting force on the bar with 30-40kg bouncing up and down and often a metre or more of leverage.
Gumtree and Facebook Marketplace would be good places to look for second-hand bike carriers.