Bike Racks

[CJL42]

Is anyone out there using a trunk/hatch mounted bike rack? Want to get a 2 or 3 bike rack and the guys at REI claimed a trunk/hatch mounted rack is not recommened for the Journey and that we should be looking at either roof or hitch mounted. Either one of these is going to be a $400+ option (Thule/Yakima etc.). I have an R/T with the factory fit siderails.

Any help or suggestions appreciated.

[mozetti]

My wife and I decided on the hitch-mount Thule 914 rack. Niether of us felt comfortable with the cross bar resting on the glass and the universal trunk rack we have would angle downward when we slid it down far enough to be below the glass.

Yes, it's an expensive upgrade. We didn't have the hitch so that was a few hundred dollars to have it installed. We opted for the Dodge dealer-installed option, but I've seen posts here for people who've gone after-market for $100-$150 and installed it themselves. We made a 150 mile round-trip with it over the weekend and it worked very well. Only a little bit of movement on the big bumps and that was from the play between the Dodge hitch and Dodge hitch adapter - the Thule rack was a tight fit in the hitch. Even so, it was no big deal and worked very well.

[Remline]

most of the weight should be on the bottom cross bar not the one resting on the glass. I just picked up a hatch mounted one. The lower bar can easily be made to rest on the bumper thus all the weight is resting on the bumper instead of the straps. The straps just keep it from moving at that point. Going on a 2000 mile round trip with 2 smaller bikes for the kids. I have fitted everything and gone out for a test drive. Seems solid.