Shipping a Car with a Bike Rack
Take the rack off. Almost every carrier will ask you to, most will refuse the load if you have not, and the ones who accept it will charge you for the length it adds. A hitch mounted rack extends 2 to 3 feet past the bumper, which changes where the car can sit on the trailer and how many vehicles fit behind it. Ten minutes with a socket set is the whole answer, and everything below is really about the cases where removal is not straightforward.
Why Carriers Object
It is not fussiness. A rack causes three separate problems on a hauler.
It adds length at exactly the point where length is scarce. Vehicles on a car hauler are positioned nose to tail with very little between them, and 2 or 3 feet of protruding steel means the car behind has to move back, which can cost the carrier a slot.
It fouls the securing points. Wheel straps and tie downs work to fixed positions on the deck, and a rack sitting over the rear of the vehicle gets in the way of both the straps and the driver working around them.
And it is fragile in a way the car is not. A rack is bolted to a receiver, it moves independently on rough road, and a loaded rack over a long journey stresses the mounting. If it works loose the damage is to your car and to whatever is behind it.
Roof Racks Are Different
A roof rack raises a separate issue, and the answer depends on the rack.
Crossbars alone add only an inch or two and are usually accepted. A roof box, a cargo basket or a roof mounted bike carrier adds a foot or more of height, and on a hauler height decides which deck the car can use. A car that would have gone on the upper deck may no longer fit, and that changes the price.
Remove a roof box if you can. Bare crossbars can usually stay, but declare them so nobody is surprised.
Ship the Bikes Separately
The bikes themselves have to travel some other way, because they cannot go on the rack and they should not go loose in the car.
Personal items inside a vehicle are not covered by cargo insurance, and bikes move around, mark interiors and are worth stealing. If a bike must travel in the car, remove the wheels, wrap the frame, and lay it on padding rather than propping it against a seat, and accept that it is uninsured.
The cleaner answer is shipping them as freight. A boxed bike travels well and the cover actually applies to it.
Taking It Off
On most hitch racks this is a five minute job, and the two things that go wrong are both predictable.
The hitch pin seizes in the receiver, usually from road salt. A little penetrating oil the night before and a tap with a mallet is normally enough, and it is far easier done in your own driveway than by a driver at the curb. If the rack has an anti rattle bolt, back it off before trying to withdraw the rack.
Then keep the parts together. The pin, the clip and the anti rattle hardware are small, and a rack that arrives without them is a rack that cannot be refitted. Bag them and tape the bag to the rack itself.
If the Rack Cannot Come Off
Occasionally it genuinely cannot: a seized receiver bolt, a welded mount, or a factory integrated system.
Say so at booking rather than at the curb. It can usually be accommodated, but it needs a carrier expecting it, and the quote will reflect the extra length. Give the measured overall length with the rack fitted, not the manufacturer’s figure for the car.
Then protect it. Remove any moving or removable parts of the rack itself, fold it flat if it folds, and secure any strap or arm that could flap at highway speed.
Document It
Whether the rack travels or not, photograph the rear of the car in daylight before collection.
Include the receiver, the bumper below it and the paint around the mounting points, because that area is where rack related damage shows and it is the hardest to attribute afterwards. Make sure the condition report notes the rack specifically if it is staying on.
Common Questions
Do I have to remove a bike rack? In almost all cases yes. It adds length, fouls the tie downs and can work loose in transit.
Can I leave a roof rack on? Bare crossbars usually. A roof box or basket adds height and may move the car to a different deck.
Can the bikes stay on the rack? No. They have to travel separately, ideally boxed as freight so they are actually covered.
What if the rack will not come off? Say so at booking and give the measured length including the rack. It can be accommodated at a price.
Where do I put the rack? In the trunk or the cargo area, secured. It is a personal item and not covered, so pad it.
Get a Quote
Call Ship A Car, Inc. at (866) 821-4555 with both zip codes, or price the move with the instant calculator.
