# Swingout Hitch Adapters: Kuat Pivot vs. Yakima Backswing vs...?



## MarcusBrody (Apr 1, 2014)

Does any one have any experience with the new generation of swinging hitch adaptors? I have a van which has a very large door that doesn't clear tilting racks with the bikes on.

Is there anything to differentiate the Kuat and the Pivot offerings? They look pretty similar and are about the same price. I'll initially be using it with a Swagman rack (the adapter will cost more than the rack), but I like the idea of the swingarm adapter rather than rack replacement as I can use it with future racks (or other hitch accessories) as well.


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## gundrted (Nov 6, 2017)

I have seen several RakAttach and talked to a few people with them. They loved them. 

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## MarcusBrody (Apr 1, 2014)

That's another option, though it doesn't seem to be nearly as easy to buy them. 

One thing I worry about is the added tongue weight. The Kuat and RakAttach are ~46 pounds (57 if you get the RakAttach large). Thet's a decent chunk of my van's 200 lb tongue weight limit.


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## gundrted (Nov 6, 2017)

What kind of van are you thinking of putting this on? Is your hitch a 2in receiver?

200lbs is a very small hitch. Most class 3 hitches are between 4-500lbs.


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## zombinate (Apr 27, 2009)

yeah... 200lbs is a class 1 rating, and should be relegated to a 1.25" hitch.


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## MarcusBrody (Apr 1, 2014)

It's a Ford Transit Connect, the small commercial van apathetically converted to a minivan.

The hitch is definitely a 2 inch hitch (it's actually a class 3 hitch). I'm under no illusions as to the towing capacity of my van, but I like the two inch hitch much better for my bike rack. The factory installed hitch (which I don't have) is apparently actually a 2 inch hitch that they put a "class 1" sticker on with the weight limits.

I would be a bit more likely to push the tongue weight recommendation a bit given the vehicle's configuration/payload capacities, but I'd like to keep it below the limit if I can. 

Thanks!


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## River19 (Jul 3, 2007)

We have the Kuat Pivot, it is the medium RackAttach unit.......

Love it so far. Use it on our Lexus GX with our Yakima rack that we have had for a while. Will eventually swap to a 1Up next year but I like that the Pivot lets us choose what rack to rock vs. limiting ourselves to pivoting racks as one unit, like the Rocky Mounts etc.

Very solid unit.....only downside is that with your rack attached to the unit, it will be very awkward to take on and off the rig with one person. It is heavy and weighted to the side of the pivot mechanism. Of course you could unbolt your rack then do the Pivot next but that is also a PITA....... found the best way is 2 people or leave it on the rig for long periods.


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## MarcusBrody (Apr 1, 2014)

River19 said:


> We have the Kuat Pivot, it is the medium RackAttach unit.......
> 
> Love it so far. Use it on our Lexus GX with our Yakima rack that we have had for a while. Will eventually swap to a 1Up next year but I like that the Pivot lets us choose what rack to rock vs. limiting ourselves to pivoting racks as one unit, like the Rocky Mounts etc.
> 
> Very solid unit.....only downside is that with your rack attached to the unit, it will be very awkward to take on and off the rig with one person. It is heavy and weighted to the side of the pivot mechanism. Of course you could unbolt your rack then do the Pivot next but that is also a PITA....... found the best way is 2 people or leave it on the rig for long periods.


Thanks for the feedback! The Kuat being the medium RakAttach explains why they weigh the same...


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## River19 (Jul 3, 2007)

MarcusBrody said:


> Thanks for the feedback! The Kuat being the medium RakAttach explains why they weigh the same...


One other thing.......it has plenty of clearance for the GX but I also put it on my 2014 Ram 2500 with cap and it had plenty of clearance on that rig as well, specifically the bike will clear the truck enough when opened to allow for the tailgate to drop etc.

With the GX the side opening door works well as well


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## Oktavius (Nov 8, 2006)

The Yakima is a really new so doubt will hear many reviews. Would like to hear some myself.

Recently picked up a Grand Cherokee and it has larger tires than stock. So can't carry a proper spare in the tire well. Been debating on getting a rear tire mount on a swing mount. Would be nice if someone had a tire and bike rack swing combo. Just swing both out of the way as one unit. Might eventually break out the welder and create something.


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## gundrted (Nov 6, 2017)

Oktavius said:


> The Yakima is a really new so doubt will hear many reviews. Would like to hear some myself.
> 
> Recently picked up a Grand Cherokee and it has larger tires than stock. So can't carry a proper spare in the tire well. Been debating on getting a rear tire mount on a swing mount. Would be nice if someone had a tire and bike rack swing combo. Just swing both out of the way as one unit. Might eventually break out the welder and create something.


These things are not cheap, the people who have them seem to love them. It's to rich for my blood.

https://www.wilcooffroad.com

For a combo carrier, I'm thinking of using 80/20 parts and making a 'platform' for the first two bike spots on my 1up. The 1up should easily be able to to handle the weight of some water/gas cans or a tire.

https://8020.net

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## Dropper (Mar 1, 2018)

I have the kuat pivot and love it!

The only advice i have is really lighten up the lever. It should take some force to lock it in place without it the rack will bounce. This isnt a design flaw or anything just something i noticed after maiden voyage. Bike bouncing alot. Got home and shortened up the lever and then locked it in place and rack doesnt move anymore than if it was directly in the hitch in the truck.

The pivot has been great being able to get into the back of the excursion. One more little added benefit is it sits the rack further away from the vehicle so i can flip up the rear window if i just need to grab something with the bikes on it. Before bikes were too close to the rear to allow that to happen.

Like others have said its burly to remove rack and pivot all at once. Sure you could do it but its awkward and a back injury waiting happen.


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## Oktavius (Nov 8, 2006)

gundrted said:


> These things are not cheap, the people who have them seem to love them. It's to rich for my blood.
> 
> https://www.wilcooffroad.com
> 
> ...


I've seen the Wilco adapters. Would be good if they combined a tire rack and hitch rack adapter. Even though it is pricey, could be cheaper than buying a steel rear bumper.


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## MarcusBrody (Apr 1, 2014)

Looking at the Yakima vs. the Kuat, I'm leaning toward the Yakima. It's a bit lighter and it looks like it rides a bit higher than the Kuat, so you lose less ground clearance (my van isn't that high off the ground).

I do like Kuat's slightly simpler design though.


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## MarcusBrody (Apr 1, 2014)

Well, I just bought a Backswing. We'll see how it works. Competitive Cyclist had a 15% off for new customers and $50 off $250, so it was just a bit over $200 rather than $300.


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## River19 (Jul 3, 2007)

MarcusBrody said:


> Well, I just bought a Backswing. We'll see how it works. Competitive Cyclist had a 15% off for new customers and $50 off $250, so it was just a bit over $200 rather than $300.


Solid deal.....

Somehow I paid $63 for the Kuat.....REI....$150 gift card, 20% off and like $25 in dividends.....couldn't say no to that lol


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## MarcusBrody (Apr 1, 2014)

River19 said:


> Solid deal.....
> 
> Somehow I paid $63 for the Kuat.....REI....$150 gift card, 20% off and like $25 in dividends.....couldn't say no to that lol


Nice! I always find giftcards so much easier to spend than actual cash.


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## martinizer (May 2, 2011)

Bumping this. I like the lower weight of the Yakima and the fact that there’s no pin to lose, but according to Etrailer.com, the backswing moves the bike rack mounting hole out over 14”. That seems like an awful lot—making my 4 bike rack hang too far off the back of my truck. 

Wondering if anyone with a backswing can weigh in on this.


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## MarcusBrody (Apr 1, 2014)

martinizer said:


> Bumping this. I like the lower weight of the Yakima and the fact that there's no pin to lose, but according to Etrailer.com, the backswing moves the bike rack mounting hole out over 14". That seems like an awful lot-making my 4 bike rack hang too far off the back of my truck.
> 
> Wondering if anyone with a backswing can weigh in on this.


The Backswing does move the rack out a good bit. I'm not quite sure why, though having it back that far does help a bit with handle bar clearance in some situations (though you can also just have the inner bike's bars going towards the outside of the swing path and there shouldn't be issues). I've considered shortening the tube and drilling another hole (or getting a shop to do it for me), but after using it for a little while, the extra foot of length doesn't bother me enough to do it. In any case, you're going to get some lengthening, so I'd only probably be gaining 6-8 inches.

On the plus-side, it actually makes the inner bike easier to load on my rack.


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## Cerpss (Sep 13, 2015)

I've been toying with the idea of picking up a Yakima Backswing to use with my Saris Superclamp 2. My rack doesn't fold down or up so it makes getting in the back of my Rav4 pretty much impossible. I was about the pull the trigger and then saw the Backswing says it's not to be used with 1.25" racks with adapters. Does anybody know why? Saris only comes in 1.25" and ships with an adapter.

I'm thinking it has something to do with the top tightening bolt it uses needing a solid surface to tighten against. It appears Yakima adapters are a little off center and might not give a good mating surface. I think the Saris might be OK.

I thought about just selling the Saris and getting a new rack but I'd like to see if the new Mach 2 comes out or how the new Saris clone looks. Next rack would probably be a 2+2 rack or 4 bike in a couple years.


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## zombinate (Apr 27, 2009)

Cerpss said:


> I've been toying with the idea of picking up a Yakima Backswing to use with my Saris Superclamp 2. My rack doesn't fold down or up so it makes getting in the back of my Rav4 pretty much impossible. I was about the pull the trigger and then saw the Backswing says it's not to be used with 1.25" racks with adapters. Does anybody know why? Saris only comes in 1.25" and ships with an adapter.


I asked the local Yakima rep about this, and was told the same thing. Yakima only suggests their use with 2"racks. The concern is that adding the 14" to the existing receiver pushes the rack further from the axle, and therefore adds more stress to the system. It is the same reason the using a hitch extender is not recommended. Thus all racks that are 1.25 with a 2" fitting block are not "allowed" (including those that Yakima makes)


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## gundrted (Nov 6, 2017)

I saw the Yakima swingarm at REI. I have to say, it's not the heavy duty option but it does look well-built. I was thinking of using it on the back of a full-size pickup with a truck camper. Does anybody have experience with the Yakima swingarm and a one up rack on the back of a full-size truck?

On a side note, REI does have 20% off all Yakima right now. If you order online, it does qualify for free shipping. There's no upcharge for an overweight item.

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## Cerpss (Sep 13, 2015)

zombinate said:


> I asked the local Yakima rep about this, and was told the same thing. Yakima only suggests their use with 2"racks. The concern is that adding the 14" to the existing receiver pushes the rack further from the axle, and therefore adds more stress to the system. It is the same reason the using a hitch extender is not recommended. Thus all racks that are 1.25 with a 2" fitting block are not "allowed" (including those that Yakima makes)


Thanks for the info. I can understand where they're going with it. I'm not totally sure I buy it would be an issue and my statics/dynamics is really rusty and I don't have FEA modeling on my solidworks. Your moment arm get's longer so your receiver sees more weight. But that's the same whether it's 1.25" or 2" so we can rule it out being a receiver issue. So then if it's strictly a rack issue the only difference is the rack now moves up and down a longer distance because the moment arm is longer from the rear of the receiver so potentially more travel (roughly 10") for the weight to accelerate. Still not sure how unsafe it would be.


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## Oktavius (Nov 8, 2006)

Cerpss said:


> Thanks for the info. I can understand where they're going with it. I'm not totally sure I buy it would be an issue and my statics/dynamics is really rusty and I don't have FEA modeling on my solidworks. Your moment arm get's longer so your receiver sees more weight. But that's the same whether it's 1.25" or 2" so we can rule it out being a receiver issue. So then if it's strictly a rack issue the only difference is the rack now moves up and down a longer distance because the moment arm is longer from the rear of the receiver so potentially more travel (roughly 10") for the weight to accelerate. Still not sure how unsafe it would be.


Maybe they aren't talking about fitting blocks but extension adapters which does lengthen the arm. My Yakima Dr Tray is a 1.25" rack and it will not work with the simple shim-type fitting block. I have to use an extension to adapt the 1.25" rack to my 2" receiver.


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## SLCpowderhound (Jul 12, 2010)

Just in case anyone was curious now or in the future, but I bought a Yakima backswing to go with my one up rack on our sprinter van and it doesn't really work too well. When it is fully extended and locked open you can't quite get the rear doors to lock in the open position. I've moved it over to my Outback and it works great on that, but if you are looking for an option for a sprinter van look at Rak attach. FYI.

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## trombs21 (Mar 2, 2017)

SLCpowderhound said:


> Just in case anyone was curious now or in the future, but I bought a Yakima backswing to go with my one up rack on our sprinter van and it doesn't really work too well. When it is fully extended and locked open you can't quite get the rear doors to lock in the open position. I've moved it over to my Outback and it works great on that, but if you are looking for an option for a sprinter van look at Rak attach. FYI.


So 1up + Yakima Backswing works fine in general for a typical SUV?

The mounting process for the Yakima looks more complicated than the equivalent from Kuat or RakAttach. That's the one thing that gives me pause: I don't want to have to deal with wrenching it down every time I mount and unmount the rack, which will be frequent. This isn't going to stay on the car most of the time. Thoughts?


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## Briareos (Aug 2, 2011)

zombinate said:


> I asked the local Yakima rep about this, and was told the same thing. Yakima only suggests their use with 2"racks. The concern is that adding the 14" to the existing receiver pushes the rack further from the axle, and therefore adds more stress to the system. It is the same reason the using a hitch extender is not recommended. Thus all racks that are 1.25 with a 2" fitting block are not "allowed" (including those that Yakima makes)


I can see the logic in this, but it falls down a bit considering the distance from the rear axle to the receiver hitch also varies from vehicle to vehicle. On my FJ Cruiser, the rear axle is closer to the receiver than on our Tacoma, so I feel like I can get away with more on the FJ. On another note, I have been using a 1 1/4" 2-bike rack (Performance transit flatbed) with no issues on the Yakima backswing. The performance carrier has a plastic fitting block to adapt it to a 2" hitch. All I did was super-glue a dime on top of the plastic fitting block so it is directly under the bolt you tighten down to eliminate vertical slop. Works fine, and prevents the bolt from digging a hole in the plastic, but this band-aid still doesn't address the concern of a lightly built bike carrier moving through a larger arc due to the added length, so..

In addition to the longer arc of motion for the bike carrier, I was also concerned about the overall leverage on the toyota hitch. A class three hitch with a 500lb tongue load would see about 375 ft-lbs torque if the hitch ball is 9" from the hitch pin (that's where I measured mine), so I used this as a benchmark. After measuring the pin-to-pin length of the Yakima (14") the length of my carrier (about 22") and accounting for the weights and conservative estimates for the center of mass for everything including bikes, I calculated 354 ft-lbs (94% of the hitch "benchmark" torque). That led me to shorten the tongue on the backswing by 2", and shorten the tongue on the bike carrier by another 4" after calculating this would bring me to 296 ft-lbs torque on the hitch (79% of "benchmark" torque). So I am breathing a bit easier now, and the modifications did not impact any ease-of-use for me, except that the Yakima clamping lever is really close to my spare.


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## gundrted (Nov 6, 2017)

Briareos said:


> I can see the logic in this, but it falls down a bit considering the distance from the rear axle to the receiver hitch also varies from vehicle to vehicle. On my FJ Cruiser, the rear axle is closer to the receiver than on our Tacoma, so I feel like I can get away with more on the FJ. On another note, I have been using a 1 1/4" 2-bike rack (Performance transit flatbed) with no issues on the Yakima backswing. The performance carrier has a plastic fitting block to adapt it to a 2" hitch. All I did was super-glue a dime on top of the plastic fitting block so it is directly under the bolt you tighten down to eliminate vertical slop. Works fine, and prevents the bolt from digging a hole in the plastic, but this band-aid still doesn't address the concern of a lightly built bike carrier moving through a larger arc due to the added length, so..
> 
> In addition to the longer arc of motion for the bike carrier, I was also concerned about the overall leverage on the toyota hitch. A class three hitch with a 500lb tongue load would see about 375 ft-lbs torque if the hitch ball is 9" from the hitch pin (that's where I measured mine), so I used this as a benchmark. After measuring the pin-to-pin length of the Yakima (14") the length of my carrier (about 22") and accounting for the weights and conservative estimates for the center of mass for everything including bikes, I calculated 354 ft-lbs (94% of the hitch "benchmark" torque). That led me to shorten the tongue on the backswing by 2", and shorten the tongue on the bike carrier by another 4" after calculating this would bring me to 296 ft-lbs torque on the hitch (79% of "benchmark" torque). So I am breathing a bit easier now, and the modifications did not impact any ease-of-use for me, except that the Yakima clamping lever is really close to my spare.


I get the math, but what exactly are you worried about failing?

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## Briareos (Aug 2, 2011)

gundrted said:


> I get the math, but what exactly are you worried about failing?
> 
> Sent from my SM-G930U using Tapatalk


At this point, I am not really worried about anything failing. Prior to shortening things up, the most likely failure point was probably the 1 1/4 carrier, not the backswing.


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## martinizer (May 2, 2011)

How did you shorten the backswing? Was it as easy as drilling a new hole (assuming it’s not threaded inside).


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## Briareos (Aug 2, 2011)

martinizer said:


> How did you shorten the backswing? Was it as easy as drilling a new hole (assuming it's not threaded inside).


I first removed the internal plastic block/nut from the tube. You just press in the two circular tabs and simultaneously pull it out. The circular tabs engage smaller holes that are 2" back from the receiver pin hole. If you drill a new hitch pin hole 2" closer to the swing, the original hitch pin hole serves as the (now oversized) hole for the circular tabs to fit into. For this reason, 2" is probably the optimal amount to shorten. It also happened to be the maximum I could go before the cam lock lever would interfere with my spare.

Amazon has a pretty good picture of the plastic block (I didn't take any pics).

https://www.amazon.com/Yakima-Hitch...D=51%2BXQ4AXdlL&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch

I simply glued some large nylon nuts on the tabs of the plastic block. I think the nylon nuts I used were 5/16 thread or something like that, the important part was the outer hex just fit inside the original receiver pin hole. This centered the tabs on the plastic block in the original pin hole, which in turn centered the nut with the new hole. It would work fine without adding something to center the tabs, as it doesn't float enough that you couldn't insert the pin to center the nut anyway.

I also had to cut 2" off the backswing receiver tube, because otherwise it would hit the vehicle frame when bottomed out in the receiver hitch.

I was nervous about doing this, but it worked fine. I first marked the hole location on both sides, center punched them, and drilled both sides out using a hand drill and a smaller 1/8" bit to act as a pilot. After that, I just kept stepping up the bit size until I got to the final one.


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## martinizer (May 2, 2011)

Very helpful—thanks!


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## MarcusBrody (Apr 1, 2014)

zombinate said:


> I asked the local Yakima rep about this, and was told the same thing. Yakima only suggests their use with 2"racks. The concern is that adding the 14" to the existing receiver pushes the rack further from the axle, and therefore adds more stress to the system. It is the same reason the using a hitch extender is not recommended. Thus all racks that are 1.25 with a 2" fitting block are not "allowed" (including those that Yakima makes)


I'm a little late to this, but I use mine with a 1.25 rack and adapter. So far, so good. I might worry a bit more if I was using it on a Jeep which I was driving fast down really rough roads, but for my uses, I don't see the 1.25 rack arm failing. I'll be keeping an eye on it for bending though and if it starts to, upgrade.


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## SLCpowderhound (Jul 12, 2010)

trombs21 said:


> So 1up + Yakima Backswing works fine in general for a typical SUV?
> 
> The mounting process for the Yakima looks more complicated than the equivalent from Kuat or RakAttach. That's the one thing that gives me pause: I don't want to have to deal with wrenching it down every time I mount and unmount the rack, which will be frequent. This isn't going to stay on the car most of the time. Thoughts?


Yeah, the Yakima backswing and 1up work great together. It is a total pain if you will be constantly moving the backswing off and back on to your vehicle, but the 1up rack itself is as easy as it gets.

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## BackBeach (Sep 27, 2018)

That's helpful, thanks! I've got a Sprinter and was about to buy the BackSwing to pair with our Yak HoldUp Evo...but now I think I'll look at RakAttach.


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## trombs21 (Mar 2, 2017)

SLCpowderhound said:


> Yeah, the Yakima backswing and 1up work great together. It is a total pain if you will be constantly moving the backswing off and back on to your vehicle, but the 1up rack itself is as easy as it gets.


Thanks for the feedback. Given my intention to remove this relatively frequently, I'll go with the Kuat + 1up.


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## niknas (Apr 25, 2012)

BackBeach said:


> That's helpful, thanks! I've got a Sprinter and was about to buy the BackSwing to pair with our Yak HoldUp Evo...but now I think I'll look at RakAttach.


If you go with RakAttach order the driver side swing. You will be able to open the passenger side door fully and not have to walk around the bike rack and door to access the back. Easy.....:thumbsup:


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## MarcusBrody (Apr 1, 2014)

trombs21 said:


> Thanks for the feedback. Given my intention to remove this relatively frequently, I'll go with the Kuat + 1up.


What makes the Kuat easier? I take the Backswing one and off the vehicle with my rack as a unit. It's only hard as they're kind of heavy together. Attaching the rack to the Backswing isn't hard at all, nor is attaching the Backswing to the car.


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## Wombat (Jan 25, 2004)

1up now sells the RakAttach (https://www.1up-usa.com/product/rakattach/). Does anyone know if this is still the same (or very) similar to the Kuat pivot? The RakAttach is ~$60 more, but I guess you get to choose the side it swings to and the size.

Thanks Tim


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## Wombat (Jan 25, 2004)

I decided to buy the Kuat pivot. Jenson had a 20% off deal and reasonable shipping to Australia. I've fitted it and taken it and a rack (ISIS Carrier) with 1 fat bike for a short ride and it seems very solid. It weights 47 lbs and is a heavy beast.

It's easy to assemble. You need to bolt the toggle clamp onto the pivot and then adjust the tension on the clamp with the included spanner. This also makes the 2 arms parallel.









I found it difficult to get sufficient tension on the clamp to get the arms completely parallel and still be able to close and open it. It may be that my muscles that lacking, but I suspect not.

The supplied hitch pin can only bolt in from the left hand side (this isn't mentioned explicitly in any of the Kuat literature I saw before buying), which makes things a bit tight on my Toyota Prado. It's a neat setup with a nut welded inside the LH side of the pivot's "stinger"(?) and then a lock slips onto the RH end. I suspect a good wack with a hammer would break the lock, but it adds a level of security.

I doubt I will use Kuat's bolt and instead use a normal M16 x 90mm bolt with a nyloc nut that fits in from the RH side and makes attaching things much easier and just as stable.

For my car it would be nice if the pivot slid ~2" closer into the hitch, but this obviously varies from car to car. The pivot has 2 holes where the rack slides in, about 2" apart, and I used the inner most one to get the rack as close to the car as practical.

I was pleasantly surprised that that the car's rear door just cleared the top of the pivot's clamp handle so you can open the door when the pivot's attached without a bike rack, and when one is attached you can open it a reasonable amount without having to swing the pivot.

Pivoting the rack is really easy, and it allows the back door to open completely.

If I had lots of money I'd have bought the Rack Attach from 1-Up, but shipping was eye-wateringly expensive to Australia. It allows you to choose the side the rack pivots towards, and as we drive on the LH side of the road, it might be easier if it pivoted in that direction, although slightly awkward getting to open the door.

I am impressed with and relieved that it fits my rack and car so well. Now to try it out properly.

Tim


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## moabmark (Sep 19, 2018)

Does the Kuat pivot have the anti rattle tensioner device on it like the racks do?

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Went and did a little more research and it looks like it has a threaded bolt that bolts into it that sucks it up tight?


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## Wombat (Jan 25, 2004)

moabmark said:


> Does the Kuat pivot have the anti rattle tensioner device on it like the racks do?
> 
> Went and did a little more research and it looks like it has a threaded bolt that bolts into it that sucks it up tight?


Yes, you're right: it has the same bolt, and the stinger has an internal nut so it removes all play. Like the rack, the bolt goes in only from one side, I think it's the left.

The bolt is only partially threaded so it won't reach the nut if threaded in from the RH side. On my car it's a tight fit from the left so I just use a fully threaded bolt from the RH side.

Tim


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## Faz123 (Mar 31, 2019)

Wombat, 
I'm looking at a swing away option and rack for 2 bikes. The Rakattach was preferred however at approx $940 delivered to Canberra its a bit excessive. I see you have the Kuat Pivot, this looks like an option -especially since its only about $450 from blue globe alliance. How is that going? does it get hot or covered in filth from the exhaust?

cheers
Faz123


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## JimmyAsheville (Oct 21, 2018)

I have a Kuat NV 2.0. If you’re only going to carry two bikes, know that on some vehicles such as my Toyota 4Runner, you can open the rear hatch with a bike on the inboard tire tray just by tilting the rack down, away from the bumper. The same release lever that folds the rack up and down also drops it away from the car with bikes on it. May not need the swing away.


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## Liquidmantis (Jan 5, 2008)

I have a 1Up on my 4Runner, and yeah, it tilts out of the way, but it's still a huge pain in the ass to _really_ get access to the cargo area. I got the Kuat Pivot, which was apparently licensed (or some sort of arrangement) from RakAttach, but had no lead time and I was able to get it at REI last year with my dividend and 20% coupon. I love this combo. It's not as compact as I might like, the Pivot adds depth, but it's rock solid even without an anti-rattle tensioner. The bolt for the Pivot barely goes through the 4Runner's hole, and it draws the Pivot up tight as it cinches down.


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## Wombat (Jan 25, 2004)

Faz123, the Kuat Pivot is working well. I have it on a Prado and it doesn't seem to get hot or covered in exhaust filth. It allows the rear side-opening door to open fully. I've done about 700 kms on trips with it. 

It looks like it's slightly cheaper from Jensonusa (around A$480 with GST delivered to Australia vs A$500 delivered from blue globe). I got mine from Jenson and it arrived very quickly. I agree that the Rakattach seems more robust, and it has the option of pivoting to the left hand side which is my preference, but the Kuat at 1/2 price was too hard to pass up. 

Tim


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## Faz123 (Mar 31, 2019)

Thanks for the info. Looks like the PIVOT is the way to go, especially since its half the cost of the Rakattach. Now I've just got to pick a rack.


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## rider997 (Feb 5, 2004)

Is the Kuat made in China?


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## Rackguy (Mar 23, 2011)

All of KUAT is made in China


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## rider997 (Feb 5, 2004)

Rackguy said:


> All of KUAT is made in China


Thanks for the note.

I read somewhere that the Kuat was going to "continue to" be made in the USA, but since it retails for almost $100 less than what 1UpUSA is charging, I question that premise. If the Kuat is made in China, I'll go straight to the RakAttach branded version.


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## PHeller (Dec 28, 2012)

I got a Kuat Pivot for cheap used. I think I paid $180 for it. 

It's a beast, for sure. I don't leave it on, as it's too bulky for daily use. 

I'm planning on drilling a new hole on the hitch side to minimize the amount of space it hangs out. Then doing the same on my bike rack to move the handlebars as close to my camper shell window as possible.


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## flam3job (May 6, 2008)

I bought a backswing for our Honda Element and it was hilariously long. Added about three feet to the length of the rack (a Yakima Holdup), so I cut the tongue off the rack and welded it directly to the top of the backswing. 

By the way, the backswing is not very well designed, the latch mechanism is extremely unrefined and the parts dressing up the hinge burnt off after the first drive. It’s also rusting internally like the rack that is sitting on it.


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## flam3job (May 6, 2008)




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## Kayakguy23 (Aug 13, 2019)

Swingaway and Northshore? Anybody has r oerience with the RakAttach or Pivot with a Northshore rack? It seems like the perfect solution to get the bikes out of the way of the door on my slide-in camper. 

Northshore said “We do not have firsthand experience using any kind of swing hitch with our racks, ... Unfortunately you are going to have to use your own discretion here.“

What is the wisdom of the crowd? Thanks.


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## Sanchofula (Dec 30, 2007)

I just ordered a Pivot 2.0, not released yet, so waiting for it to arrive


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## Kayakguy23 (Aug 13, 2019)

Nurse Ben said:


> I just ordered a Pivot 2.0, not released yet, so waiting for it to arrive


Do you know what the Pivot V2 weighs? I can't find weight on the Kurt website (kuatonline.com). Thanks.


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## Sanchofula (Dec 30, 2007)

Kayakguy23 said:


> Do you know what the Pivot V2 weighs? I can't find weight on the Kurt website (kuatonline.com). Thanks.


It's not that heavy, maybe 25-30# at most.

I saw a V1 Pivot on a subaru, it is quite a bit bulkier than the V2.

The V2 works really well, no complaints, though it only opens to 90 degrees.

The racks will sit ~ 2.25" higher than the hitch.

The racks will sit out ~6" more than a direct mount.


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## Sanchofula (Dec 30, 2007)

Kayakguy23 said:


> Swingaway and Northshore? Anybody has r oerience with the RakAttach or Pivot with a Northshore rack? It seems like the perfect solution to get the bikes out of the way of the door on my slide-in camper.
> 
> Northshore said "We do not have firsthand experience using any kind of swing hitch with our racks, ... Unfortunately you are going to have to use your own discretion here."
> 
> What is the wisdom of the crowd? Thanks.


It'll work fine, it's just a rack, just don't overload the Pivot so six DH bikes might be excessive.


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## Sanchofula (Dec 30, 2007)

Kayakguy23 said:


> Swingaway and Northshore? Anybody has r oerience with the RakAttach or Pivot with a Northshore rack? It seems like the perfect solution to get the bikes out of the way of the door on my slide-in camper.
> 
> Northshore said "We do not have firsthand experience using any kind of swing hitch with our racks, ... Unfortunately you are going to have to use your own discretion here."
> 
> What is the wisdom of the crowd? Thanks.


It'll work fine, it's just a rack, just don't overload the Pivot, so six DH bikes might be excessive.


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## JimmyAsheville (Oct 21, 2018)

Nurse Ben said:


> It'll work fine, it's just a rack, just don't overload the Pivot, so six DH bikes might be excessive.


Received my Kuat Pivot version 2 yesterday. Weights +-38 pounds. It does pivot beyond 90 degrees to 120. Two things: the original Pivot had a long vertical bolt with a nut on it where the pivot action took place. Anyone with an adjustable wrench could just take the thing apart and throw it with your bikes in the back of a truck. The new Pivot has an axle looking hollow spindle there, much larger diameter. Very tight tolerances for rack sag when open with their new design. Also, the locking hitch pin is a new design, looks a lot beefier than the old one.


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## Qanuk (Jan 23, 2006)

Can anybody confirm whether the Backswing or Pivot sticks out further? 

I've had a backswing mounted to a HoldUp for the past year. Loved the backswing in concept. Recently purchased a new NV 2.0. Left the Backswing on - MAN!!! That sucker seems to stick out there Waaayyyy further than the Yakima HoldUp. It's a bummer too, because when folded up... the NV 2.0 has an extremely tight profile to the back of the truck! I'm wondering how things change if I were to use the Pivot V2 instead of the Backswing.

Anyone?


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