# Buying 1UP Parts vs Complete Rack to get Roof/Hitch Rack in One



## gundrted (Nov 6, 2017)

It is time to invest in a new hitch rack and 1UP is the front runner. My Saris is 8+ years old and showing its age and weight. This could also replace my very old Yakima roof trays. I'm looking for something that maximizes the functionality of my investment.

We mainly use the rack on the 2in hitch on my 4Runner and some times we need a roof rack (but not all the time). We have both road and mountain bikes (26in, 27.5+ lite, and 29). We normally carry 2-3 bikes, but may need 4 bikes if a friend joins us. I park on the street and often remove the rack for security concerns (hitch rack only).

What is attracting me to 1UP is the roof trays can work with both roof and hitch mounting. This means that if you order items in the correct order, you can get two racks for the cost of one. Mind you its still a pricy rack, but not having to buy a hitch rack and roof trays will save money in the long run.

From what I can tell in the 1UP photos, the roof trays will mount to the two holes in the mounting plate on the hitch chassis. Those holes are normally used to mount/pivot the hitch chassis specific trays. The only down side I see is you can't 'fold' the roof trays. This is not important to me.

Roof Rack specs from the 1UP site:


> Product Description
> - Single tray carrier
> - Roof Rack weight 14 lb.
> - Total carrying capacity of up to 50 lb.
> ...


Has anyone done this?
Did all the hardware come with the various parts?
Is there a forum discount code?

Here are the parts I'm looking at getting:


QTYItemCost12" Double Hitch Assembly
https://www.1up-usa.com/product/2in-double-hitch-assembly/$2752Add-On Frame
https://www.1up-usa.com/product/add-on-frame/$1504Roof Rack
https://www.1up-usa.com/product/roof-rack/$756*Total*$1,181


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## gundrted (Nov 6, 2017)

gundrted said:


> Has anyone done this?
> Did all the hardware come with the various parts?
> Is there a forum discount code?
> 
> ...


I just got off the phone with 1UP. They were super helpful and knowledgable about their products. I would have been worried if they weren't.

They confirmed that all of their replacement parts include all required hardware. There is no need to purchase other assemblies or nut/bolt packs. For example: the 2" Double Hitch Assembly contains all the parts to install and secure the rack to the hitch of a car. It also comes with the bolts to mount the roof trays to the hitch assembly.

They also confirmed that roof trays were designed to 'converted' into hitch racks by using the parts in the 'replacement part' sections. She outline that they often have customers looking to so exactly what I outlined and use the trays in both locations.

I asked about any discounts for rack orders or possibly upgrades to a black rack. They said they normally don't offer anything like that because their volumes are pretty high. Sometimes they will do off season discounts, but even that is rear.

Overall I'm extremely happy with the customer service and will be ordering the setup. Once I get the order finalized I'll place a parts list.


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## gundrted (Nov 6, 2017)

I ordered the below parts list on Friday night (2018/3/31). I got confirmation of the order ship Monday morning (2018/4/2) The order should be delivered by FedEx on Thursday (2018/4/5). That is an amazing turn around time 

While it doesn't not appear cheap, in the big picture its a really good value.

With one purchase I'm getting:

A 4 bike hitch rack
A 4 bike roof rack
A mixed two vehicle application (1 roof / 1 hitch)
A rack that is future-proofed against changing axle, wheel and tire sizes.

A rack with similar features from any other manufacture would require the purchase of detected roof trays and hitch rack.


ProductQuantityPriceRoof Rack
Color: Silver
Bolt Size: 1.5"
2$378.00Roof Rack
Color: Silver
Bolt Size: 1"
2$378.002" Double Hitch Assembly
Color: Silver
1$275.00

Add-On Frame
Color: Silver
2$150.00

*Sub-Total*$1,181.00
ShippingFree Shipping*Total*
$1,181.00


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## stevelim (Jul 23, 2008)

Thanks for the super helpful post! I’m looking at buying a couple of 1up roof racks for similar reasons. How easy is it to convert between the roof tray and the hitch add on? I’m looking at using the two roof trays most of the time but then using the 4 bike hitch setup for longer trips (and when we get a car with a 2” hitch). Is it a 5 min job to convert or is it more involved than that? 

Also any feedback on how easy it is to load the bike on the roof tray? My wife is 5’ and sometimes struggles with our Thule sidearm


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## gundrted (Nov 6, 2017)

stevelim said:


> Thanks for the super helpful post! I'm looking at buying a couple of 1up roof racks for similar reasons. How easy is it to convert between the roof tray and the hitch add on? I'm looking at using the two roof trays most of the time but then using the 4 bike hitch setup for longer trips (and when we get a car with a 2" hitch). Is it a 5 min job to convert or is it more involved than that?
> 
> Also any feedback on how easy it is to load the bike on the roof tray? My wife is 5' and sometimes struggles with our Thule sidearm


I have yet to swap between the hitch racks and the roof rack. We both have a 4Runner with a hitch rack. When I was assembling the hitch assembly, it took maybe a few minutes to put the tray on. I would assume it would be faster with more practice. the biggest pain in the butt was just making sure that the tray was centered on the hitch assembly. I was a little anal about giving them perfectly centered.

As for loading the bike on the roof, it depends on your bike and your car. I could not imagine putting a 30 lb mountain bike on the roof of my 4Runner. I'm 6-2 and that is a task I would not want to do.

My friend has a 1up rack on the cap of his Tacoma and puts his mountain bike up there all the time. He is about 6 foot and his bike weighs around 25 lb. Personally, I think it's comical watching take it off the roof.

In contrast, I met a woman with a Volvo station wagon and 4 1up racks on her roof. She had no problems loading the bikes on the roof of that car. I think she was between 5-4 and 5-6.

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## Fahrvergkevin (Mar 24, 2017)

Sorry to drag up an old thread, but I'm trying to do this in reverse. I have a 2 bike hitch version and two single add on units. I was hoping to convert the add on units to roof racks units for my new car. I emailed 1up and they said it was impossible? I can't find replacement parts for the roof rack on their website so it seems that you can only do this if you start with the roof and convert to the hitch?

Thoughts?


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## jimglassford (Jun 17, 2018)

Just looking at the pictures of the roof rack versus the hitch rack, isn't the roof rack rails one piece and the hitch rack rails two pieces so it folds?


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## HEMIjer (Jul 17, 2008)

jimglassford said:


> Just looking at the pictures of the roof rack versus the hitch rack, isn't the roof rack rails one piece and the hitch rack rails two pieces so it folds?


Correct. I doid the same went from roof rack to hitch rack but also have one add on that is the fold up version. I will note 1UP is very good to deal with on the phone, call them tell them what you are trying to do they will help or at least give you honest recommendation.


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## jimglassford (Jun 17, 2018)

HEMIjer said:


> Correct. I doid the same went from roof rack to hitch rack but also have one add on that is the fold up version. I will note 1UP is very good to deal with on the phone, call them tell them what you are trying to do they will help or at least give you honest recommendation.


You did the reverse of what the previous person wants to do. Converting the roof rack to a hitch rack, you only lose the ability to fold the rack. The previous posting asks to go from a hitch rack (I assume folding) to use as a roof rack. I don't see an easy way to bolt the two wheel cradles into a light weight straight line that is rigid.


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## Robik (Sep 26, 2017)

HEMIjer said:


> Correct. I doid the same went from roof rack to hitch rack but also have one add on that is the fold up version. I will note 1UP is very good to deal with on the phone, call them tell them what you are trying to do they will help or at least give you honest recommendation.


Any chance you can post some pics of the roof trays on the hitch? I have 2 roof rack that I think of converting to hitch

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## Nick_M (Jan 16, 2015)

Subscribed


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## Val Garou (Mar 12, 2008)

jimglassford said:


> The previous posting asks to go from a hitch rack (I assume folding) to use as a roof rack. I don't see an easy way to bolt the two wheel cradles into a light weight straight line that is rigid.


I reached out to them about this last summer, and they were very clear that it's not possible. You can go from roof to hitch, but not from hitch to roof.


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## REZEN (Aug 7, 2020)

^Correct as the hitch rack trays does not have the T-bolt recess on the underside.


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