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| Allen Deluxe Swing Away 4-Bike Hitch Mount Rack (2-Inch Receiver) | 
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| Brand: Allen Bike Racks
Category: Sports
List Price: $569.99
Buy New: $239.95
You Save: $330.04 (58%)
Buy New from $239.95
Avg. Customer Rating:  (11 reviews)
Sales Rank: 30807
Color: Blk/ Silver
Media: Sports
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Batteries Included: No
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0
Dimensions (in): 0.4 x 0.3 x 0.3
MPN: 740RR
Model: 740RR
UPC: 076527740002
EAN: 0076527740002
ASIN: B000ELOKWO
Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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| Features:
| • | Model 740RR | | • | Bicycles swing completely out of the way for eazsy lift-gate access. | | • | Patented folding arm system. | | • | Patented tie-down system indivi- dually secures and protects bicycles | | • | Lifetime on workmanship and materials |
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| Accessories:
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
Swing away allows for easy access to the vehicles lift-gate w/out having to remove bicycles. Rigid control arms guide bicycles through a 90 deg arc when opening and closing. Spring loaded pop-up pins secure rack in open or closed position. Zero counter of gravity (centered around hitch).
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| Customer Reviews: Read 6 more reviews...
Good buy for the money January 6, 2009
The good: This rack works exactly as advertised. It's all steel and will certainly last many years. The price is the most attractive feature. This is a fraction the cost of the popular name units and performs just as well.
The bad: The thing is heavy. Really heavy. Don't forget to regularly check the tightness of nuts and bolts. A few more lock washers or nylock nuts might be a nice addition. The hitch piece needs to be a couple inches longer to clear the spare tire of a land rover discovery. (Or buy a small hitch extender.) It fits my pickup fine.
The ugly: Some of the welds look a little rough. Nothing that would compromise the ability to carry a few bikes, but it's certainly not perfect. The powder coat finish isn't the most durable. After a couple summers riding on the back of the wifes land rover it looks a bit faded and scratched.
For the price, I would certainly buy it again if I ever need to replace it.
 Credit Due! December 8, 2008
After much research I purchased this bike rack in need of a "swing-away" in order to access the trunk without removing all the bikes. I was skeptical of what quality I would be getting for such a relatively low price. But I must admit, I am impressed with the sturdiness and high grade construction of this rack. This is a heavy duty rack, and a well-engineered rack to boot.
The rack is very sturdy when driving loaded up with bikes. It fits extremely snug and tight (no wabble whatsoever) into the hitch receiver - very sturdy.
To be mindful of:
1) There are a few hinges and moving parts, as inherent to the design allowing the swinging movement. But the bolts and hinges seem very durable and secure.
2) When attaching the rack into the hitch, you need a wrench set to make the snug fit. It's not a quick release pin/bolt or anything like that. The nut/bolt must be wrenched on tight. However, that nut/bolt set does provide a VERY secure mount.
3) This is a relatively heavy rack - approx 55 lbs. It's probably not difficult to mount for most people, but just be mindful, it's not light. Again, that weight adds to the sturdiness and durability of the rack.
Even given those things, I cannot see why else this rack doesn't deserve 5 stars. If you're looking for a "swing away" design and don't want to have to take off the bikes every time you access the cargo area of your SUV, then this is the rack for you. I cannot see any sacrifice in quality for the relatively low price tag compared to the more commonly sought Thule or Yakima.
Best rack ever! October 12, 2008
I love this bike rack. I don't need my husbands help loading the bikes. It's great!
 overly complicated design prone to failure September 1, 2007
12 out of 13 found this review helpful
The 740RR (MSRP: $400) is a swing-away hitch-mount bike carrier that permits access to the rear of a vehicle without first dismounting the rack or its load of bikes, a convenience that you'll wonder how you ever got along without. The 740RR folding design is unique from other competing swing-away bike carriers, admittedly very cool to see in action though it provides no obvious advantages. An animated video of the 740RR movement is available on the manufacturer's website.
However, the 740RR seems to suffer from a few design flaws that quickly become apparent during typical use, raise concerns about the product's safety, and may eventually render the rack unusable. My observations after using the 740RR:
1) Unnecessarily complicated swing-arm.
The 740RR folding swing-arm requires more component hardware and pivot points than competing single-hinge swing-away carriers. More pivot points mean over a half-dozen lubrication spots, more mechanical points of failure, and several exposed and potentially serious pinch hazards.
2) Swing-arm flex.
The 740RR swing-arm flexes considerably when it is swung out from the vehicle under a full load of bikes. The flex can cause permanent misalignment of the locking mechanisms that hold the rack safely closed. When this happens, the 740RR is unusable.
3) Poorly designed locking and safety mechanism.
The locking mechanism is the most significant problem with the rack. The 740RR clicks closed by use of a spring-pin. However, this pin does not secure the carrier to the vehicle. Instead, the owner must subsequently hand-tighten an ordinary threaded bolt before the rack is safe for transport. Forget to tighten that bolt and the carrier will swing away from the rear of the vehicle at the first bump regardless if the rack is empty or carrying bikes, an unnerving thing to experience.
Note that securing the rack with a threaded bolt appears to be a typical safety feature of most swing-away bike carriers. However, the 740RR's implementation seems poorly applied:
- The long threaded bolt must be tightened from the front of the swing-arm, access to which is difficult and awkward when the rack is loaded with bicycles;
- The bolt threads become stripped under normal use and eventually can no longer be tightened, making the rack unusable;
- Neither the spring-pin or the bolt will engage if the swing-arm is misaligned, again rendering the rack unusable.
4) Significant weight.
The 740RR is heavy and cumbersome to attach/remove from the receiver hitch, and awkward and bulky to move when detached. The carrier does not stand up on its own when not mounted. As an alternative to hefting the thing up onto wall hooks, the manufacturer sells a stand which allows upright storage of the 740RR.
5) Instructions contain errors.
The 740RR design has apparently changed since the instructions were last updated. A few images do not match actual rack components, and some parts are mislabeled.
Great Warranty.
The manufacturer warrants their products as such: "If one of our products fails to function properly due to defect in materials or workmanship over the lifetime of the original purchaser, return the product and we will repair it or replace it free of charge." Indeed, to my satisfaction, the manufacturer replaced my first problematic 740RR (on which this review is based) without any hassle and free of charge including shipping. The replacement rack has lasted longer than its predecessor, but the threaded bolt again shows signs of eminent failure.
Buying a Used 740RR.
It is probably a very bad idea to purchase the 740RR used. The original owner may be unburdening themselves of a rack afflicted with one of the many inherent problems I mentioned above. Also, you would loose the protection of the manufacturer's warranty.
A good rack for the physically able July 9, 2007
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
We bought this type of swing out rack for easier access to the rear hatch of our SUV. Once attached the rack works very well, although we have not used it yet fully loaded with 4 bikes. We have only had this rack a few weeks so it has not been extensively tested by us. The rack swings out easily under load and locks in place as it should. Everything seems heavily constructed and very solid. For small frame mountain bikes you may want to buy an adjustable bar in place of the existing top bar since it can be hard to get small frame mountain bikes on the the rack. The bikes seem to be held securely on the rack and with everything anchored they do not swing around.
Cons -- the heavy construction makes for a very heavy rack. If you have back issues or other problems carrying a heavy load you might want to leave the rack on your car. It is also not an easy load to get a hold of when moving it. While the overall construction was very good, two of the holes that should allow the mounting bolts to fold into the swing arm were misaligned slightly. A little grinding on the holes brought everything into alignment.
Overall a very good rack for the price and it seems solid enough to provide years of service.
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