Softride Dura Hydraulic Assist Hitch Bike Rack

Reviewed by stephen m (BAY SHORE, NY) — Jan 05, 2013 10:36 AM

This bike rack is great. I am very happy with this product.

Reviewed by Sam V (Folsom, CA) Reviewed for a 2004 Acura MDX — Oct 06, 2012 1:04 PM

When you order make sure to look for Hydraulic-Assist Access Dura Rack. The one without hydraulic-assist is cheaper by about $40. Softride shipped me the one w/o hydraulic-assist but AA helped get the right product quickly. For installation you will need a deep-socket (13mm or 0.5") and a ratchet with an extension. It is a great rack overall - solid build quality, ease of use, offers easy access to back of SUVs, great price. AA provided great customer service.

Reviewed by Jason K (Oregon, WI) — Sep 04, 2012 8:23 AM

Very nice bike rack; high quality. Love the tilt back feature while bikes are on to access our hatch on our cross over vehicle. Only reason for 4 stars, is that the rubber straps are a little tough/not as stretch as other bike racks I've had, the 1 1/4" adaptor holes were slightly off so I had to re-drill myself, and the locking cable could be a few inches longer.

Reviewed by Robert G (MALVERN, PA) Reviewed for a 2009 Honda Pilot — Aug 08, 2012 1:03 PM

Well designed. Easy to assemble. Came with everything needed. The ability to lower the rack away from the car to access the rear hatch worked great and was a big help on our 8 hour trip. Carried 2 bikes and made several stops and the bikes were safe. I highly recommend this rack.

Reviewed by Tim M (Windsor, CO) Reviewed for a 2012 Ford Explorer — Jun 25, 2012 10:21 AM

Hello, We have used this now on our 2012 Ford Explorer for a few short and long trips. The rack is sturdy and can easily hold 4 bikes. The hydraulic assist which allows the rack to move away from the rear hatch is convenient for both loading the bikes and for providing access to the rear. The locking mechanisms for both the bikes and the rack itself are great ideas in case you leave your car out overnight or just go into a restaurant for a meal. Loading the bikes does take time, but that gets better after practice. We have a couple of smaller kids bikes which don't exactly fit the bar settings but you can use the tie downs creatively to attach them to the rack. There are plenty of tie downs which come with the rack to give you options on how you load your bikes. Overall, exactly what we wanted.

Reviewed by Karen S (Bloomingdale, IL) Reviewed for a 2007 Toyota Sienna — Jun 06, 2012 2:28 PM

This bike rack does not fit our bikes 1 out of 4 work. Your staff never said and still doesn't know that you have to rig stuff up to get your bikes on. That's a problem. Now They won't take it back. Really nice. The mfg. I left 4 messages before I called their corporate office. No one there cares after they get their money. The best part is that it easily moved away from the car.

Reviewed by Gene L (Glen Ridge, NJ) — May 15, 2012 6:41 AM

seems to work well for my 3 bicycles. can't wait to use it on a long trip.

Reviewed by Tommy N (Los Angeles, CA) Reviewed for a 2012 Lexus RX 350 — Apr 25, 2012 4:36 PM

For anyone who has a lift gate door, this is the perfect system to have! After hours of research, I came upon the Softride Dura Hydraulic system and was amazed that you could still open the back without removing the entire rack unlike other systems. The best thing about it, is that there is an attachment for skis/snowboards which was perfect! I recently drop up to Big Bear with 4 snowboards which was very secure on the way up and back down! I was skeptical, but in the end was very impressed! I'm glad I bought this system. It's like killing two birds with one stone! This is a must have for all you outdoor peeps!

Reviewed by Dominique B (Santa Barbara, CA) Reviewed for a 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee — Jan 03, 2012 11:11 AM

We received this hitch rack in great shipping time from AutoAnything. It looks great and I really like the gray/silver color next to our Jeep Grand Cherokee. Putting it together wasn't difficult but does take some time. The straps that hold the bike to the rack are EXTREMELY tight, which is great for keeping bikes in place I suppose but a bit of a challenge when putting on/taking off. Also, I was expecting that by paying for the hydraulic assist that it would be super easy to push bikes up. I'm a pretty strong female, lift weights a ton and have used other hitch racks like this and I don't think that the assist helps at all. Kind of disappointed we paid extra for that feature...

Reviewed by Lynn L (Modesto, CA) Reviewed for a 2009 Subaru Forester — Nov 15, 2011 9:57 PM

I really like that the arms with the rubber straps come out and are stored out of the weather. It works very well. I'm easily able to get things out of the back of my Subaru Forester without taking the bikes off. It s very sturdy and quiet. Less expensive than the two competitor brands. I'm extremely happy that I kept on looking a little longer and found this one.