I'm thinking of getting a tow hitch, mainly for the purpose of carrying my bike. I've been thinking, since tow hitches cost $350 + the price of the hitch rack, I could just get a yakima roof bike rack. Does anyone have any advice about using either a roof bike rack or a tow hitch mount bike rack???

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$350 for tow hitch???. try to visit uhaul in your area, they're much cheaper + the lifetime warrantee is kinda cool. i have a tow hitch and a hitch rack setup and the access to my bike is a no sweat. im 5'8" and i think putting my bike on the roof of my X is gonna be hard since its kinda high for me.

Go to U-Haul. I paid $120 for a tube hitch. I use mine to carry my bikes. Works great.

What's wrong with this one? Seems pretty legit and says it has a max of 500#. Looks like the factory, although doesn't mention frame stiffeners. Tow hitch off eBay

I carry my bikes on a hitch rack (Rhode Gear Highway 2). I love it. I wouldn't like having to deal with roof racks on the Xterra.

I just went on a pretty lengthy road trip over the 4th holiday, with a broken hand and sore collar bone, chest, and back from a bike wreck. I was in enough pain dealing with the hitch rack. I couldn't imagine trying to lift weight way up there on the roof with the condition I was in.

I advise that you get a hitch rack that tilts, so that you can access the rear of your X. I am constantly going in the back with my bikes mounted. It would be a major pain to have to remove the bikes and rack everytime you want in the back.

Just thought of something, wouldn't your bike be totalled if someone a-holed you? Your bike wouldn't be covered under insurance, would it? That would suck if you have a bike worth a lot of ca$h, and most are.

I always thought that if someone rear ends you, its their fault no matter what and they are liable. If you have a bike back there, their insurance should pay for it.

I don't think that's true, about it being the person in back being at fault all the time, I remember a story on XOC or the other Xterra message board about a guy slamming on his breaks and the woman behind him that slammed into him was pregnant and lost the baby, he was hit with some kind of involuntary(sp?) murder or manslaughter charge and LOST.

If he slammed on his brakes to avoid in accident, that is truly a damn shame that he had to go to prison for that.

Here in SC, and rearending is the fault of the person in the back. Period. I'm not sure, but I believe if you are rearended and the bike's are damaged, your insurance will NOT cover it, and you will have a bitch of a time trying to get the offender's insurance to pay up.

Myself, I have a 500 deductible on any personal objects that get damaged inside my truck should I get in a accident.

Using a hitch rack does expose your bikes to a rear-end impact. However, I'm just dumb enough to drive through a low overhang (like try to drive into a garage) with bikes on a roof rack.

Another point about hitch racks. You need to be careful about your brake lights and turn signals. Your rack/bikes may affect their visibility. You may need to hook up supplemental tail lights when using it.

I still prefer a hitch rack.

Turn signals ?
hmm, My truck did not come with that option
In places like NY, turn signals are optional, and not used very often
(i think i use it 10 times (tops!) on my way home from work (40 mile trip))

if you show the intention of merging, there will be some one who will jump in the space you intended to merge into, but if you dont use your turn signals, you surprice them, and you will have space to merge.

I have the Yakima hitch mount bike rack and it works fine. It holds four bikes in the middle of the back of the X It doesn't need any extra brake lights.

My mother was rear ended in a snow storm and it was declaed a no fault accident. It didn't matter that the woman who rear ended her was speeding and didn't have any insurance. Just some information that might be interesting.

I have the whole X-tower set up for my bikes and if I had thought it out more, I would have gotten the tow hitch, and a hitch mounted bike rack. It is easier to mount the bikes on and probably would have ended up being cheaper. You can do some research and do the math, I'm to tired to figure it all out. But I bet on it that it's cheaper. Oh and go with the U-Hual hitch unless you plan on hauling something really big.