Anyone offroading with an extended hitch?

[SunilD]

I recommend a regular hitch and the Kuat Pivot. The pivot provides enough clearance for the spare tire, and has the added bonus of swinging/pivoting the bike rack out of the way so you can open your tailgate.

It's easy enough to remove when you go wheeling, doesn't rattle.

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[Brian_B]

How much effort IE time does it take to install? I have to loosen or remove he bumper to install this hitch.

The receiver is just the square box the hitch hooks into - I leave that in - unhooking it would be 4 bolts and may or may not need your rear bumper dropped depending on your bumper.

The hitch is just the bar with the ball on it. It usually just attaches via a hitch pin that is a quick release, sometimes they have a lock on them.

So to pull the hitch off is just pulling the pin, maybe with a key.

 

[Jdyount]

I'd vote standard hitch, with an extender, with an anti-rattle plate (search "hitch extender anti rattle" on Amazon).

Another option no one has covered is relocating your spare inside the cabin like this:
Interior Spare Tire Storage Solution | Bronco6G - 2021+ Ford Bronco & Bronco Raptor Forum, News, Blog & Owners Community

 

[superchar1982]

I recommend a regular hitch and the Kuat Pivot. The pivot provides enough clearance for the spare tire, and has the added bonus of swinging/pivoting the bike rack out of the way so you can open your tailgate.

It's easy enough to remove when you go wheeling, doesn't rattle.

This is my setup as well. Curt hitch, kuat pivot v2 and 1up HD. Nice to be able to open the tailgate when you have bikes loaded.

 

[SmallCrawler]

Couldn't fit my anti-rattle plate for my Bodyarmor skid since Ford jams all the wiring too close to the hitch. So I got this aluminum gizmo off of Amazon. Plenty of departure angle on a 2 door Sasquatch so it didn't get scraped on my most recent trip.

 

[indio22]

A problem with hitch extensions that no one has mentioned yet is rear end collisions. I left my extension in and was rear ended. The extension took the brunt of the impact and twisted the crossmember. That crossmember is available from Ford so the truck was repaired. Get the removable extension and remove when not in use. For anti rattle, B&W makes the only one that works and its available from etrailer.

This. My Bronco got rear ended as well and the hitch took a lot of the hit, along with the OEM tow hook that got bent. Fortunately not enough to bend the rear crossmember.

I also vote for use of a removable extender, at least that works fine for my bike rack. Eventually I'd like to incorporate a receiver higher up integrated with the bumper.

 

[vrtical]

I have this on all the time for my bike rack which clears my spare, have it in raise position never any issues.

 

[murphtron]

I use the standard short receiver with the Kuat Hi-Lo extender. The extender has an internal cam you rotate to keep from rattling. There is no rattle.

https://kuat.com/products/hi-lo

the downside of the extender, vs the Kuat Pivot, is the rear hatch cannot open when the rack is installed. But that’s not an issue with me as I mostly transport my bike to a trailhead and ride. I don’t use the bike rack for extended trips.

I have forgotten to remove the extender while wheeling. And yes you can get yourself into a bit of a bind if going up a slope/rock as it can prevent you from backing up to re-position.

I would not wheel (aside from fire roads) with a loaded bike rack + extender. That’s a lot of force with two bikes bouncing around. Unless you reinforce the hitch. One member has done that @TeocaliMG

I haven’t been rear ended yet with the extender. I was wondering if it would be a help or a hindrance. Sounds like more of a hindrance

 

[Hammerli22]

I have a bike mount that attaches to the spare tire, it worked well on my Isuzu rodeo 4x4. It came with a extra mounting hardware that allows for different wheel lug patterns, unfortunately I couldn't use it because the bronco has a rear view camera. I paid $50 on craigslist for this and I didn't want to buy another bike mount, so I took out the plasma torch and welder went to work. I don't think Ii could carry an electric bike without a tailgate reinforcement.

 

[diamonddawg21]

Lots of great feedback and ideas, and I appreciate everyone for taking a moment to assist. I am going with the standard short receiver and will try with no spare and with an extender and spare. The long receiver just screams PITA for offroading as we frequent OHV off-road park in bridgeport TX, a lot. I will keep you posted as parts are arriving later this week.

 

[the poacher]

Hey OP,
I do extensive mtn biking and I have also tried to run bike racks off of the hitch with an extender and I can tell you that whether it is a vertical or horizontal rack, it will not work. You will drag the rack or the tires of your bike on the ground, unless you are 4 wheeling some basic trails.
But, if you are doing any type of technical trails to get to some good trail heads, the only way it will work is with a rear tire delete (which I now have) and a vertical rack that angles upwards. Such as the Thule Vert rack. Any horizontal rack will really limit your departure angles.
Living in the Whistler area, we have some great shuttle routes, but they require some aggressive wheeling to get to the trail heads, and horizontals get hung up all the time.
Good luck on finding your right solution...

 

[diamonddawg21]

I have this on all the time for my bike rack which clears my spare, have it in raise position never any issues.

Do you have a link to this or the mfg name?

 

[diamonddawg21]

Do you have a link to this or the mfg name?

I found it
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08664YMDS/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A9J79VT8FJLOG&psc=1

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