This article will read somewhat like a comparison between the Yakima Bighorn 4 and the Thule 934/935 because I bought both and returned the Yakima.

First, let me explain why I chose a hitch-mounted rack instead of a roof-mounted one. First and foremost, I am short at 5'5". Even on the roof of a Subaru Legacy Wagon (as opposed to an SUV), the bikes will be difficult to access. Second, I have a soft roof-top carrier that gives me 11 cubic feet of space, and I don't want to sacrifice that. Third, I just got a hitch installed recently, so I am all set for a hitch mounted bike rack.

Although there are many more brands than Thule and Yakima in the hitch mount bike rack market, these are the two most popular brands carried by many sports store, including REI and Sports Rack. The price of the name brands isn't all that much more than the other brands, one accident (of a bike falling) will cost much more!

The Thule 934/935 (2" or 1 1/4" hitch, respectively) is a "fork" style rack with two arms, as is the Yakima Big Horn 4 (BH4). I find this design more stable as it spreads the torque of twisting over almost the entire length of the top tube of a bike. On the other hand, if you have an expensive odd-shaped bike, this may not work well. I only have the relatively inexpensive "conventional" bikes with straight top tubes.

The 934/935, at $10 more than the BH4, has two features that makes it superior from my perspective. First, the hitch shank of the 934/935 is long. It is equivalent to having a 6" extension. This may not be important for most people, but the hitch on my wagon is recessed all the way in. The BH4 has a "regular length" shank, which requires a 6" extension to get to the receiver. NEVER use an extension with a bike rack because it will wobble badly! Even if you car/wagon/SUV has a regular hitch receiver, the extra 6" may mean that you don't need to fold the rack to access the trunk.

This brings me to the second advantage of the 934/935. It has fold-down arms that reduces the amount of length you need to the rear of the car. This is a great feature if your garage is barely long enough and you don't want to install and uninstall the bike rack often. The BH4 does not have this feature.

Note that BOTH the 934/935 and BH4 folds the entire rack down so you can access the trunk. You are supposed to unload the bikes first, though. This inconvenience is inherent to all hitch-mounted racks. Some expensive models have a swing-out design that swings (horizaontally) so you don't need to unload the bikes first. Personally, having to unload the bikes first is just fine with me.

Installing the racks is relatively easy for both the 934/935 and the BH4. The 934/935 has a threaded shank, so there is no need to first insert a nut into the shank like the BH4. Otherwise, attaching the rack to the hitch is about the same for these two products. The included wrench of the 934/935 is next to useless if you don't have a lot of room around the hitch, use a socket drive instead.

By the way, you should consider getting a lockable bolt (instead of the included bolt) to attach the rack to your car if you plan to park your car with the rack for any extended period of time. Otherwise, anyone with a socket drive can quite easily remove the rack AND all the bikes on it within seconds (with a powered socket drive).

Attaching the arms is a little more challenging for the 934/935 because the included security Torx wrench is a little too big. I had to use a hammer to tap the wrench into the bolt before I could exert enough torque to turn it. The
BH4, on the other hand, uses two pairs of regular bolt/nut, which were easy to tighten.

Once you have the rack set up, it is time to load up your bikes. Both the 934/935 and the BH4 are 4-bike racks. The BH4 has 8 bike cushions/seats/cradles with 8 separate rubber straps. The 934/935 has 8 bike cushions/seats/cradles with built-in rubber straps. I like the 934/935 better because I cannot lose the straps this way! Yakima does sell extra straps in case you need them.

The BH4 is somewhat annoying when I tried to load my bikes because the seats/cradles had attachments that keep getting in the way. By comparison, the 934/935 is very easy because (1) the arms are closer together and (2) the unused seats/cradles can fold in so they get out of the way.

Both racks come with a loop so you can secure your bikes onto the rack. The BH4 has the loop at the top, while the 934/935 has it at the bottom. In either case, get a long and thick cable (I use a 7' Kryptonite) to lock your bikes. A chain can easily be cut by a bolt cutter. My cable has two loops at the ends (instead of a lock. This is perfect, because I feed the loops into a U-lock that locks the frame and front wheel of one bike to the cable. Don't use a cheap lock if you value your bike, use a quality U-lock!

Both the 934/935 are quality racks, but the 934/935 is definitely better from my perspective. Don't forget about security in either case!
Amount Paid (US$): 169