Best hitch rack for 2021 MYLR to hold my e-bikes and current weight limit?

[cbo111]

After spending several hours pouring over previous threads regarding how much weight can be placed on the factory installed hitch receiver, I remain confused. The latest MY manual I found on the interweb (2020.44, Oct 29,2020) says:
"The hitch receiver is designed to support vertical loads up to 160 lbs (72 kg). When carrying bicycles, skis, or other items on the Model Y hitch, always check to ensure that the maximum weight is not exceeded. When calculating weight, remember to include the weight of the accessory carrier. For example, assuming the carrier weighs 40 lbs (18 kg), the weight threshold is sufficient for carrying two bicycles weighing approximately 60 lbs (27 kg) each, or four items weighing approximately 30 lbs (14 kg) each."

Is there any actual Tesla documentation out there that reduces that 160 lb limit to 120 lbs? This is critical to my purchase decision. I have two bikes that weigh 55lbs (sans battery) and need recommendations for a rack that works on the MY. Anybody out there that transport two heavy bikes on their MY and have found a hitch rack that works well? Thanks for any recommendations.

 

[glide]

Go with a 1UP. Assuming the rack itself is less than 40lbs, which I think it is.

 

[Stavinski]

So… the Y hitch receiver can’t tolerate a normal size person standing on it? Now you got me curious. I thought the Y could tow 3000 lbs or something? Surely tongue weight would be greater than 160 lbs.

 

[carguy84]

160 lb tongue weight limit?? Model X is 500 which is pretty much the standard. I've seen 350 as well, but never 160??

 

[glide]

So… the Y hitch receiver can’t tolerate a normal size person standing on it? Now you got me curious. I thought the Y could tow 3000 lbs or something? Surely tongue weight would be greater than 160 lbs.

Tow capacity is 3500 lbs
Tongue weight is 350 lbs
Vertical tongue weight, which is what OP is talking about, is 160 lbs

 

[glide]

160 lb tongue weight limit?? Model X is 500 which is pretty much the standard. I've seen 350 as well, but never 160??

That is not correct. MY tongue weight is 350 lbs. where do you come up with a 500 lb “standard”.

 

[Stavinski]

From a load on the hitch hardware standpoint, why is vertical load different than tongue weight? What’s the physics behind that?

 

[carguy84]

That is not correct. MY tongue weight is 350 lbs. where do you come up with a 500 lb “standard”.

On your MY?
Model X is 5000 lb towing capacity / 500 pound tongue weight standard. Optional is 3500 with the bigger rims. That's where I came up with it. Well Tesla did.

 

[glide]

From a load on the hitch hardware standpoint, why is vertical load different than tongue weight? What’s the physics behind that?

Just guessing here but something like a trailer has an axle on the other end which serves to distribute the load.

Something like a bike rack has no 2nd point of contact.

 

[glide]

On your MY?
Model X is 5000 lb towing capacity / 500 pound tongue weight standard. Optional is 3500 with the bigger rims. That's where I came up with it. Well Tesla did.

You said 500 lb tongue weight is “the standard”

It is not. That is simply what the MX is rated for. The MY is rated for 350 lbs.

Most SUV-sized tow vehicles have a tongue weight of between 350-500 lbs but there is no “standard” between vehicles or manufacturers. Any difference in tow capacity on the MX has more to do with the tires than the rims.

 

[Stavinski]

Just guessing here but something like a trailer has an axle on the other end which serves to distribute the load.

Something like a bike rack has no 2nd point of contact.

Yes, but consider when braking the trailer axel brakes. the weight shifts forward as the trailer tries to tip into the car, increasing the tongue weight beyond the 10% static load. A bike weighs what it weighs, why is it less less than half the weight a trailer can put on it? I’m missing something. Zero chance I thought about ten seconds and know more about than Tesla automotive engineers!

 

[glide]

Yes, but consider when braking the trailer axel brakes. the weight shifts forward as the trailer tries to tip into the car, increasing the tongue weight beyond the 10% static load. A bike weighs what it weighs, why is it less less than half the weight a trailer can put on it? I’m missing something. Zero chance I thought about ten seconds and know more about than Tesla automotive engineers!

Why would you think that? The trailer brakes and the vehicle brakes should be activated at the same time via the brake controller. If the trailer is pitching down on the hitch, you’re doing something wrong.

Or you’re not using a brake controller. Which, when towing a 3500lb trailer, is asking for trouble.

 

[DrDispatch]

i have used a this rack since last september and carry two specialized como 3.0 e-bikes
rack weighs 52 lbs and i think my bikes are about 48lbs each, so its under the 160 lb limit on hitch. works fine, no issues at all.

Kuat NV Base 2.0 Hitch Rack

Kuat's NV 2.0 Base is loaded with features that make it one of the most equipped platform racks on the planet. This darkened brute features Kuat's foot lever pivot release, adjustable cradles for...

www.reserbicycle.com

 

[ecarfan]

After spending several hours pouring over previous threads regarding how much weight can be placed on the factory installed hitch receiver, I remain confused. The latest MY manual I found on the interweb (2020.44, Oct 29,2020) says:
"The hitch receiver is designed to support vertical loads up to 160 lbs (72 kg). When carrying bicycles, skis, or other items on the Model Y hitch, always check to ensure that the maximum weight is not exceeded. When calculating weight, remember to include the weight of the accessory carrier. For example, assuming the carrier weighs 40 lbs (18 kg), the weight threshold is sufficient for carrying two bicycles weighing approximately 60 lbs (27 kg) each, or four items weighing approximately 30 lbs (14 kg) each."

Is there any actual Tesla documentation out there that reduces that 160 lb limit to 120 lbs? This is critical to my purchase decision. I have two bikes that weigh 55lbs (sans battery) and need recommendations for a rack that works on the MY. Anybody out there that transport two heavy bikes on their MY and have found a hitch rack that works well? Thanks for any recommendations.

I don’t have a Y but this may help you (I posted this in the Model 3 forum, search for “Model 3 bike rack”).
—————————————————————————
I installed the Torklift Stealth Ecohitch on my Model 3 and am using the Thule EasyFold XT2. I chose it because I have two 50 lb e bikes so needed a rack capable of supporting them. The rack is rated for up to 130 lbs and the hitch is rated for up to 210 lbs load 12” out from the hitch (I contacted Torklift and that is what they told me). The Bosal hitch on my Model X is only rated at 120 lbs for a rack plus bikes, according to Bosal.

The Torklift rack can barely accommodate the 50” wheelbase and 29” wheels of my Giant Trance X E+ Pro 29 1 bike (a ridiculously long model name). Had to get the longer tire straps, but it feels rock solid and I’m not worried about it.
—————————————————————————

So the difference between my setup and yours is that your hitch can support a greater vertical load and your bikes are heavier. The Thule EasyFold XT2 rack weighs 45 lbs and your bikes together weigh 110 lbs for a total of 155 lbs. So that should be okay for your hitch.

And yes, a “vertical load” like a bike rack is very different from a trailer tongue weight load.

 

[ecarfan]

i have used a this rack since last september and carry two specialized como 3.0 e-bikes
rack weighs 52 lbs and i think my bikes are about 48lbs each, so its under the 160 lb limit on hitch. works fine, no issues at all.

Kuat NV Base 2.0 Hitch Rack

Kuat's NV 2.0 Base is loaded with features that make it one of the most equipped platform racks on the planet. This darkened brute features Kuat's foot lever pivot release, adjustable cradles for...

www.reserbicycle.com

Nice looking bike rack! For those considering it, note that it won’t work on bikes with fenders close to the tire. My wife has a “gravel bike”, a hybrid road/trail bike with fenders less than an inch off the tire. I spent quite a while searching for a rack that could support two e bikes weight a total of almost 100 lbs, one of which has fenders. The Thule EasyFold XT2 was my solution.

 

[kishkaru]

Is there any actual Tesla documentation out there that reduces that 160 lb limit to 120 lbs? This is critical to my purchase decision. I have two bikes that weigh 55lbs (sans battery) and need recommendations for a rack that works on the MY. Anybody out there that transport two heavy bikes on their MY and have found a hitch rack that works well? Thanks for any recommendations.

Many months into the ownership of my MY, I'm still confused about the 160 lb vs 120 lb tongue weight (vertical load) limit of the factory hitch.
Assuming it's 160 lb:

I use RockyMounts MonoRail 2". It carries 2 bikes, up to 60 lbs per tray (120 lbs total).
The 2” variant is expandable to 3 bikes up to 45 lbs per tray, with MonoRail Add-On. (135 lbs total)
Limited Lifetime Warranty on all RockyMounts hitch racks.

There are some other great suggestions in this thread, but the RockyMounts MonoRail is the lightest hitch rack at only 39 lb, and still supports 2 60 lb e-bikes. So in your case, it would be 39 lb (rack) + 2 * 55 lb (bikes) = 149 lb. Comfortably well under the max rating of the 160 lb of the factory hitch. It's also quite affordable at only $450.

I have also spoken with their customer service and they have confirmed that there is no issues with max-loading it with 2 60 lb e-bikes (and in fact a little more!). They have load-tested their hitch racks to their limits and the weight limits are a comfortable limit, and they stand behind their lifetime warranty on that. They did recommend removing the battery on e-bikes before mounting them on the rack (which I always do, as it shaves off 10-lb per bike). My bikes are ~65 lb each, so with the battery removed they are ~55 lb bikes like yours.

Now whether the MY factory hitch can support all this weight is another matter...
The weight of 2 e-bikes and a steel hitch rack is no joke. They exert some serious vertical pressure on hitch, especially when going over freeway bumps at higher speeds.

From RockyMounts CS:

Here lies the challenge for bike racks, as the rack itself can take anywhere from 3-4 G's of force when going over a speedbump, or in a situation where the suspension compresses and rebounds dramatically. So under normal driving conditions receivers with a normal load (60-90lbs) should suffice. However, in extreme use cases a receiver will actually be far outside of its working weight rating, even with a normal load. This is why certain products are limited in the way that they are; in order to attempt to take the outlier situations out of the equation and inhibit people from potentially damaging their vehicle by overloading a hitch and causing structural damage. Our racks are not the limiting factor, it is the variances in design and attachment of the receiver itself.

All of that said, can you put two 60lb bikes on a MonoRail? It will work, and with all of our products we typically design with a 200% safety margin in mind. The chances of that situation breaking our rack are slim, especially under normal driving conditions... My recommendation would be to remove the batteries from the bicycles to reduce the weight.

 

[Daekwan]

1UP. Solid chunk of aluminum. Any part can be replaced for any reason.

Just looking at the rack I know it will outlast any of us.

 

[Fidalgo]

I use a Thule platform rack to carry two electric bikes with no problem, but I remove the seven pound batteries for transport. No idea what the total weight is, but probably under 120 pounds. (55 pounds for an e-bike without its battery seems very heavy.) Rack is several years old, so I don’t remember the model number, but I like that the arms you attach to the bikes can lock. It cost about $400 but the quality has been worth it. The Tesla factory hitch seems very sturdy.

 

[cbo111]

Many months into the ownership of my MY, I'm still confused about the 160 lb vs 120 lb tongue weight (vertical load) limit of the factory hitch.
Assuming it's 160 lb:

I use RockyMounts MonoRail 2". It carries 2 bikes, up to 60 lbs per tray (120 lbs total).
The 2” variant is expandable to 3 bikes up to 45 lbs per tray, with MonoRail Add-On. (135 lbs total)
Limited Lifetime Warranty on all RockyMounts hitch racks.

There are some other great suggestions in this thread, but the RockyMounts MonoRail is the lightest hitch rack at only 39 lb, and still supports 2 60 lb e-bikes. So in your case, it would be 39 lb (rack) + 2 * 55 lb (bikes) = 149 lb. Comfortably well under the max rating of the 160 lb of the factory hitch. It's also quite affordable at only $450.

I have also spoken with their customer service and they have confirmed that there is no issues with max-loading it with 2 60 lb e-bikes (and in fact a little more!). They have load-tested their hitch racks to their limits and the weight limits are a comfortable limit, and they stand behind their lifetime warranty on that. They did recommend removing the battery on e-bikes before mounting them on the rack (which I always do, as it shaves off 10-lb per bike). My bikes are ~65 lb each, so with the battery removed they are ~55 lb bikes like yours.

Now whether the MY factory hitch can support all this weight is another matter...
The weight of 2 e-bikes and a steel hitch rack is no joke. They exert some serious vertical pressure on hitch, especially when going over freeway bumps at higher speeds.

From RockyMounts CS:

Excellent information. Thanks for the help.

 

[ecarfan]

Many months into the ownership of my MY, I'm still confused about the 160 lb vs 120 lb tongue weight (vertical load) limit of the factory hitch.

And I’m confused as to where the 120 lb figure comes from. The OP quotes the Y manual as stating that the vertical load of the Tesla hitch is 160 lbs.