I would definitely not trust that on a tailgate pad. The weight of it will make it want to sway side to side, and only having a velcro strap won't be enough. You could use tie down straps to supplement, but I'd rather use a tray type of hitch rack.
nice bikes! you've got some big ol' brakes on that Heckler. my bike is a '17 Santa Cruz Bronson and it has pretty much the best of anything you can get, also.
I still use my hitch rack now and then, it's a Yakima Dr Tray with the +1 add-on. I have noticed as it's aged the trays can move with moderate force; that's a major feature of the rack to be able to move them around to prevent bike-to-bike contact, and then when you lock it down, they should stay. they mostly do, but I bet another 5-10 years they won't stay put at all.
since I last replied to this thread, I upgraded my tailgate pad to a new Fox Mission, which is the same as the RaceFace T3, except for graphics. It is about 1.5" wider than my old Fox Overland and if you have it centered perfectly the tailgate latches fine, but if it's skewed at all the pad is wide enough (probably Ranger/Tacoma sized) that it will prevent the tailgate from latching. I like that the lower section is adjustable so you can make it cover the entire Maverick tailgate so you won't have any tires or other parts rubbing on the truck, and if you put this same pad on a Ridgeline, which is a very short tailgate due to the swing-out function, it fits also.
edit: I can't upload pics from my work laptop lol. not sure when happened but editing on my phone seems to work.
That's a great set up #DIY ?!Made this so I can have the tailgate closed. Actually when hauling a single bike, it fits in the bed with tire on if angled diagonally, no rack needed. But for 2 bikes I would use one of these racks on each side.
Can you open your tailgate all the way down without touching the NV? I have a Sherpa and the tailgate will rest on the bike rack when open.Great thread, still workin' through it all, here is where I ended up. After taking delivery of the Maverick my OG yakima rack was looking a little beat.
Looking at new racks, damn, the days of a rock solid $400-$500 dollar rack are LONG GONE apparently, everything i liked was $800- $1k+++
I looked at the pads but I have an ARE shell that wont allow a pad to work. I looked at the vertical mount type racks but the ones I liked were like $1500 ++ damn,... they are pretty nice tho!..
On a whim, I checked craigslist, and a guy had just posted a 3yo Kuat NV 2.0 for $400 that morning. I messaged him, I could be there that afternoon with cash, he called, accepted my offer...90 min and $325 later:
Works great. very clean and robust design. MUCH lighter, nicer, and easier to mount and lock into position solidly than the old yakima. I had to order keys for the cable locks for $15 and I got a new arm as one had some solid wear under the hook, with some pretty bad scratches and grindage I cant imagine how they happened. The replacement arms were $55... so just under $400 all in.
FWIW im riding a fully modded 2017 Devinci Troy Carbon (My Big Bear special for the most part anymore ;-) a similarly upgraded to the hilt 2020 SC Heckler as my daily.
...also on that 3-4 rides / 45 + miles a week plan these days... need to burn some ass away.....
Ride fast and safe my friends!
