Whether you're on a family day out or a Grand Tour, knowing how to fit a towbar bike rack is a must, and this rack will provide a safe and secure addition to your kit list.
This cycle carrier is superbly designed to make operation and installation as simple as possible. But to ensure safety, and to avoid any damage to your vehicle or bikes, we're going to run through the installation procedure.
What do you need to get started?
- Witter Towball ZX300 Mounted Bike Rack
No additional tools or accessories needed
Installing the bike rack
- Begin by making sure your tow ball is clean and free of grease. We need to ensure that no grease or dirt impacts the connection points between the towball and the rack clamp.
- Start by lifting the clamp lever on the bike rack so the tow ball locator is completely open. To do so, turn the key anticlockwise and hold until the lever is released.
- Make sure the main cycle platform is level before closing the lever. Now check the tow ball locator is secured to the hitch ball.
- Loosen the two star knobs on the mounting bracket, then flip up the mounting bracket and tighten both knobs.
- Now its level, attach and tension the support straps. Then attach the other hooks to the tailgate or boot at a suitable point. Make sure this position is stable and strong enough to hold the weight of the carrier and cycles.
- Fit the protective cap onto one of the plugs, then attach the plug to the vehicle using the appropriate seven or 13 pin electrical connection. Ensure the plug is fully inserted and that the cable cannot touch the floor.
- Now it's time to load your bikes. Always place the heaviest bike on the carrier first, closest to the vehicle. Position the wheels into the wheel locators.
You'll want the fixing arm attached to the cycle support frame at one end and the bike frame at the other. Now we can secure the wheels into the wheel locators by feeding the ratchet strap into the buckle and pulling it tight like so.
- For the second bike, use the second set of wheel locators and clamp it in the same way as the first bike, securing it tightly with the ratchet straps. The last bike should be the smallest and lightest of all of them.
- As an extra safety precaution, mount and fasten the anchoring belt to the whole load.
- If you need to access your boot at any time you can do so with ease. Loosen the support straps and unhook them from the vehicle. Then whilst holding the weight of the carrier with one hand, pull the red release handle with the other.
To close the cycle carrier, lift it until the red release handle and mechanism click back into the transit position.
Note: Remember, always check your bikes are fully secure before beginning your journey.
