# Kuat Sherpa doesn't clear my car.



## w0rd (Jul 15, 2010)

This sucks. I got a hitch extension, think I am going to try and get it threaded so I can use something like this... http://www.etrailer.com/Locks/Swagman/S64029.html

That should work right? I am afraid it will still have too much wobble even with that thing in.

Right now if I lift up on the rack and push the bike toward the car, I can make the pedal touch the car.

I am also going to have to cut a little bit of plastic off of the front tire tray, because the rack won't fold up without that hitting the bumper.


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## wilonpill (Aug 19, 2009)

Just bungee a piece of foam or a sock or something to the pedal.


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## willrace4food (Jan 11, 2009)

Remove pedal, or switch to clipless?


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## pimpbot (Dec 31, 2003)

Position the cranks in 12/6 positions?


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## w0rd (Jul 15, 2010)

The pedal is currently in the position with the most room because the car rear is rounded, 12'oclock doesn't work at all and 6 o'clock will fit in the license plate recess, but because of the curvature of the car, it is almost touching the license plate.

I bought that swagman anti-rattle hitch pin, going to try and get my hitch extension threaded. Because the hole in the hitch extension is already larger than the bolt, I guess it's going to have to be drilled and then a heli-coil installed?

-Taking off the pedal wouldn't be too bad, but I'd rather not. 
-Bungee'd padding might also work ok also, I was just worried about denting the trunk. Since it does have a little clearance, by the time it did contact the trunk it would be very little force hopefully.

I just think Kuat should have designed the rack with a little more clearance, especially since it's a 1.25" rack. I know it's my fault also, I was so worried about exhaust clearance, that I didn't pay much attention to clearance from the car. Good news is that it clears the exhaust fine!


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## whybotherme (Sep 12, 2008)

i had to trim plastic on the rack to clear my bumper too. just make sure if you do that you add a "safety strap" to the bottom of the front wheel. due to the amount of plastic i had to trim, the front wheel could roll backwards if pushed hard enough. a simple strap around the bottom of the wheel and the rack gives me peace of mind.

as for the pedal clearing the bumper, i have that problem also. i just make sure to place the cranks in the right orientation before loading my bike. I also have thought about adding a piece of clear protectant (you can get it from crankskins.com) to make sure i don't mess up my bumper if the cranks rotate.


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## w0rd (Jul 15, 2010)

Wow. Your car sounds worse than mine in the bumper area. I think I will only have to trim a very small part of the corner of the tire tray. It almost fits with me just pulling on it a little. 

Thanks for all the advice so far.


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## irv_usc (Mar 16, 2011)

is that the chase race hitch for the s2k?

these things are pretty good for anti-wobble, if it fits your hitch. http://www.hitchrider.com

I went with a custom solution using a strut to beam clamp from fastenal.


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## w0rd (Jul 15, 2010)

I have the Curt hitch. Looks like hitchrider makes something for it!


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## irv_usc (Mar 16, 2011)

my solution involves a strut to i-beam clamp and ended up costing me about 12 dollars for two clamps.


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## whybotherme (Sep 12, 2008)

w0rd said:


> Wow. Your car sounds worse than mine in the bumper area. I think I will only have to trim a very small part of the corner of the tire tray. It almost fits with me just pulling on it a little.
> 
> Thanks for all the advice so far.


yeah, i don't mind though. looks great and works great IMO!


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## theOceanBlue (Jul 30, 2011)

I am very interested in getting this bike rack...but I'm afraid it may not clear my honda accord either...gonna have to see if I can find a store that carries it to try on. Did you figure out an easy way around it?


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## w0rd (Jul 15, 2010)

theOceanBlue said:


> I am very interested in getting this bike rack...but I'm afraid it may not clear my honda accord either...gonna have to see if I can find a store that carries it to try on. Did you figure out an easy way around it?


I've been too busy to mess with it yet. If you look on etrailer's site they have a bunch of measurements, as well as on kuat's website, they have a fit guide. Using info from both of those places you should be able to mock something up to give you a better idea. If it's close it's probably going to be hard to know for sure because of all the variables.


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## whybotherme (Sep 12, 2008)

it isn't tough to cut the plastic with a Dremel tool to fit.

IMO it is worth a little bit of work to have a way better rack that is much lighter than the T2.

weight means lots when you have a car loaded to the max with bikes and gear.


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## wuzilla (Sep 9, 2008)

My Yakima rack has the same issue with my BMW 3-series wagon. The bike is just far enough to not hit the car - but the rack cannot fold up (I unbolt the part that hits when I fold it - plan on trimming it down).

I think it has more to do with how the hitch is designed for the car then the rack itself. My car's hitch is a good 2-3" back from the edge of the bumper. I think these things are designed with an SUV in mind where the hitch is typically flush with the bumper edge.


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## w0rd (Jul 15, 2010)

Do any of you guys use the stabilizer screws that are threaded into the rack? Even with my cam system pretty tight (scared of over-tightening) there is still some play in the rack. Thinking if I drill into my hitch I can use one of the threaded screw holes on the rack itself and that might eliminate some of the play that allows me to push the bike and make contact with the car.


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## whybotherme (Sep 12, 2008)

w0rd said:


> Do any of you guys use the stabilizer screws that are threaded into the rack? Even with my cam system pretty tight (scared of over-tightening) there is still some play in the rack. Thinking if I drill into my hitch I can use one of the threaded screw holes on the rack itself and that might eliminate some of the play that allows me to push the bike and make contact with the car.


weird. the cam system holds my rack super tight. the only play i get is from the folding mechanism. i did use the through hole in the rack to ensure some security with the supplied lock, but it is really loose in there and only provides peace of mind that the rack won't simply fall off.

one thing I did to ensure that i got proper tension on the cam was greasing it. when i first tried to tighten the cam bolt it felt dry and didn't want to tighten much so i took the whole cam and screw apart and greased it with some super icky sticky axle grease. after loading it all up on grease it cinched right up tight and has only needed a bit more tightening after contacting the ground (clearance issues due to the ride height of my car combined with all the weight we had in there for our road trip)

good luck!


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## Knight511 (Nov 26, 2010)

FWIW, I drive a 96 Accord right now with a Kuat Sherpa and I have the same problem. I think the problem is less in the rack and more in the hitch. I say this because I also have a 91 Integra that I use the same rack on and have enough clearance on the bikes to even open the hatch up (much less bumper clearance). When I installed the hitch on my Accord last week, the first thing I said to my wife is that it was tucked WAY back into the car.... so I think the fit has a lot to do with the hitch itself.

What brand hitch do you have on the S2K? Curt by chance?

EDIT: I see that you already answered that you have a Curt... I think it may be Curt hitches.... my Integra uses a Hidden Hitch brand. I think I would rather have the less clearance and have a hitch that doesn't stick out like a wart.... but I have thought about an extension too.


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## robbybird (Oct 18, 2008)

*Pics of the cut tray?*

Hi,

I just got the Sherpa for my 2011 Jetta Sportswagon TDI and the Sherpa won't fold up. It just barely hits the bumper :madman:

I am thinking about cutting the plastic wheel tray, but I was hoping someone could send pics of their cut tray.

The other option is to get the 6 or 7" extension, but I read that cuts the load capacity of the hitch. Anyone have problems when they tried this?

Thanks!


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## whybotherme (Sep 12, 2008)

robbybird said:


> Hi,
> 
> I just got the Sherpa for my 2011 Jetta Sportswagon TDI and the Sherpa won't fold up. It just barely hits the bumper :madman:
> 
> ...


i will see if i can capture some crappy cell phone pics of my trays today. i did have to cut them pretty heavily to clear but that might have been due to Curt's hitch location (far under car).

i would personally stay away from extenders because it would be another source of "wobble"


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## robbybird (Oct 18, 2008)

Thanks, you can PM me if you want. I just want to see how you did it. Can you also tell me how? A dremel tool?


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## whybotherme (Sep 12, 2008)

robbybird said:


> Thanks, you can PM me if you want. I just want to see how you did it. Can you also tell me how? A dremel tool?


sorry.. been pretty busy. yes i cut it with a dremel and a cutoff wheel.

i mounted up the rack and then folded it up till just before it touched the bumper. i then marked the plastic part on the conservative side with a sharpie and started cutting. because i didn't want to remove too much material all at once it took a few re-mark and cuts.

the tray closest to the car (forward tray) needed a lot more trimming than the one on the back due to the shape of the bumper and the arc of travel. once i was satisfied with the forward tray, i then cut away enough of the rear tray so that when folded the trays had a little more than 1" of clearance from contacting the bumper (to allow for wobble and stuff).

after cutting i deburred the plastic with a sanding wheel and a sharp knife.

due to the amount of plastic removed i decided to play it safe with our expensive race bikes and when i am doing longer drives, freeway speeds, or twisty roads i have added a nylon strap that goes around the bottom of the front wheel and the rack (sort of like how the rear tires are held on). i did this because i found that if i pushed hard enough on the bike i could get the front wheel to jump over the back of the plastic tray. the rear wheel strap held the bike on but it was no longer held properly on the front. with the strap there it is not going anywhere!


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## twin (Oct 29, 2005)

w0rd said:


> This sucks. I got a hitch extension, think I am going to try and get it threaded so I can use something like this... Locking Anti-Rattle, Threaded Hitch Pin for Swagman Hitch Racks Swagman Locks,Hitch Accessories S64029
> 
> That should work right? I am afraid it will still have too much wobble even with that thing in.
> 
> ...


Hi
I almost buy his rack but I want to be sure that it can fit my car , can you send me pictures the location of you hitch , how far is it for the end of you bumper? I really apreciate

Thansk


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## w0rd (Jul 15, 2010)

From the hitch pin to the end of the bumper is ~5 inches. 
From the bumper to the trunk is ~3 inches,

I could use about 3 more inches clearance to be happy. So pretty much you want your hitch pin to be lined up with whatever surface the pedal is going to rest at. 

Per the numbers above, mine is sunk in ~2 inches behind the trunk line.


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## twin (Oct 29, 2005)

*these are the pictures*

I put the pictures here of my car , prius 2008

What do you think ????

http://forums.mtbr.com/car-biker/prius-2008-rack-better-sherpa-1up-thema-737025-post8540055.html


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## w0rd (Jul 15, 2010)

It's probably not going to clear your bumper. But it might fit if you rotate the pedal away from the bumper. It's hard to say. Plus I can't see your hitch pin hole in the pictures and that dictates how far your rack will stick out, not the end of the receiver.


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