Reese63138 Q-Slot 4-Bike Carrier

While I have a nicer, easier, WAY more expensive 2 bike rack, there are times where it just doesn't fill my needs. Most particularly, we have a couple of beach cruisers with fenders front and rear that simply won't fit in our more expensive rack. This rack works perfectly for that. There are also times where we need to carry more bikes than our expensive rack can (without very expensive add-ons) which is the other use case for us with this one. I fully trust this rack with our multi-thousand dollar carbon fiber mountain bikes. And it is actually 3 racks in 1 to boot! You get a 2" 4 bike rack and when separated, a 2" 2 bike and 1.25" 2 bike rack. How can you beat that value?I will say that based on some other reviews, I did have some concerns about the foam on the arms. I found that I could get Hollywood Racks pads for $5 each from their website which fit perfectly and are much higher quality. I would recommend making this upgrade and the need to do this is my only reason for taking a star off.

PROS:- Excellent build quality; steel components are well built, coated- Convertible from 2 bikes to 4 bikes in a flash; not many others can do this without $$$$ conversions- Easily adjustable for any combination of bikes- Multi tier sections allows for more room and greater ground clearance- Price comparison: way more affordable than other "top brands" and way more adjustableCONS:- Frame mounts are not lockable- Foam on frame mounts are cheap; loosely mounted causes them to slip- Cannot pivot rack upwards for better storage while on your vehicle- Anti rattle pin on 2" hitch non compatible with 'lockable' pins- Velcro straps are not heavy duty; durability may be an issueI've done plenty of research on tray style racks and The Q-Slot 4-Bike Carrier (QS4BC) is the best value for the money! The build quality is excellent, utilizing thick gauge steel for its construction. The tire trays are well built and definitely borrowed from another manufacturer's design. They are solid, easily adjustable to any configuration and provide a sturdy platform, even with 4 bikes mounted.The QS4BC is also convertible from 2 to 4 bikes in a flash! This was a HUGE selling feature for me as I generally hit the trails without the family, so I don't need to lug all 4 spots. It is a simple 1 bolt connector (anti rattle to boot!) and voila - you have a 2-bike rack! The CURT tray carrier was the only other carrier to have this feature in this price range. All other convertible carriers are charging more than double for this feature!Another plus is the clearance. The 3/4 attachment is mounted several inches higher, allowing for proper ground clearance, especially for those who encounter sloped driveways. It wasn't an issue for me, however I've read about other carriers and this always caused an issue. I'd hate to drag the carrier if I encounter any sloped driveway or roadway.The price: bar none, this carrier is much more affordable than other tray style carriers. CURT, Swagman and Sport Rack are comparable, but all three still price higher than the QS4BC. You can't beat it with the features this carrier has.There is some assembly required, but it only took me 15 minutes to put together (essentially the second half is broken down).Now, I ranked it 4 stars because there are a few things that could be improved (I would gladly give it another half star if I could). Firstly, the frame mounts can be tightened, but cannot be locked. I have another tray style rack and it has a ratchet system which is easily locked with a padlock. Also, the padding that come with the frame mount arms is low quality. They are loose (so they slide a lot) and the foam is cheap; on my first use the foam already worn down and started to tear. Of course, you can buy different padding, but it is a concern.Another questionable part is the Velcro strap for the tire trays. The concept is good and simple, yet the build quality is questionable and may have durability concerns. I've put in 1000kms on highway driving and so far the straps held up well. I do, however, use in conjunction additional straps (toe straps to be exact) to tie down the wheels to the trays.One last detail that would be nice is the anti-rattle pin. They provide one for both sections, making them nice and tight (minimal movement), however the welded threaded tube is not compatible with other anti rattle pins, most notably Trimax's lockable anti rattle pin. Both Trimax and the included pins are 5/8" threads, but the included pin is a coarse thread (#11) while the Trimax is not. I prefer the extra security of a lockable pin, so this is a bit of a bummer. My solution for now is to use a combination lock with a narrow shackle (Master makes one that fits perfectly in the pin hole). It is not as secure as Trimax's lock, but it will do... for now. The anti rattle pin for the second section is only ½”, so I could only find a luggage padlock that would fit. Not enough to deter a true thief, but enough to deter most people from simply unbolting the section away.Now, if you are concerned about how far this protrudes from your vehicle, keep in mind that you are using a 4 bike carrier, so of course it will stick out fairly long. I wish it had a built in pivot like the CURT model so that I could keep it out of the way while parked, however it wasn't a deal breaker for me.It is heavy as well, but then again, if you are looking for a 4-bike tray style carrier, this is what you get. Okay, maybe an aluminium version would be lighter, but not by much and it would be really expensive. You want to make sure it can support all 4 bikes and not worry if the carrier can handle the weight.Overall, this has been an excellent tray style carrier. The features and simplicity on top of the great price makes the Q-Slot 4 Bike Carrier one heck of a deal. I have a 2011 Honda Pilot and I can still access the tailgate as long as there aren't any bikes in the first two positions. Otherwise, I can always resort to the glass door instead to gain access to the trunk if there are bikes loaded. I am very impressed with this carrier and I'm sure you will be too. The QS4BC is an great carrier and definitely worth considering!

I generally like the product however, I LOST THE THREADED HITCH PIN, to secure the rack to the2"receiver. I can not find another that fits the threads. Where or how do I buy a replacement Hitch pin.Does anyone have a phone number for the manufacturer?

Overall I like it. It fits our bikes well (mens and womans 24" and 26" wheel sizes), and it appears it could handle smaller or larger bikes just fine. I set it up but haven't driven with it yet, though it seems very study so I don't expect any problems there. What I really like is the two-part bike rack, so we can just use half of it when we only need two bikes. Plus, the back half can fit on its own in a 1 1/4" hitch which our other vehicle happens to have (2" hitch needed for the front half or for all 4 bikes). The only thing keeping me from a 5 star is the box included one wrong part and the customer service is slow getting a replacent. Amazon told me they need to send me an entire new bike rack, then I take what I need and return the rest (at no cost to me). That's fine, but the date they will get it to me is 6-8 weeks after I alerted them to this issue! They said this is the fastest that they could get me one, even though I can see the same rack is available still at Amazon with about a 1 week delivery time. Despite this, I am happy with the purchase and will increase the stars once I get the replacement part.The part they got wrong it the wheel holder. They sent 5 of one side and 3 of the other, rather than 4 of each. With my pictures you can see how the wrong part holds the wheel not quite as securely. However, I don't expect this to be a problem as it still seems pretty secure. I will add an extra rope or velcro strap on this wheel until the replacement part arrives.UPDATE: They delivered the replacement faster than they originally said. It arrived in 2 weeks rather than 6-8 weeks, thankfully. We have used it a few times now and it works great.Update: Warning, be careful to tighten the top securing hook very tight, especially with womens bikes where the top bar of the bike is at an angle. With the angled top bar of the bike, if the bike shifts left or right a bit the bike bar can slip under the securing hook. As my wife and I were recently taking advantage of the split design with each of us taking a 2-bike holder, we both discovered this issue separately on the same weekend! The back bike slipped under the upper hook and the bike was angled 45deg, with the two wheels being wedged into the lower holders being the only thing keeping the bike in place. No bikes fell off and nothing was damaged, and now I'm careful to make sure there isn't any left/right play when tightening the top hook, and push the top hook down as far as I can. In general my wife isn't a big fan of this bike rack but I still like it.