Big props to Ratha for this excellent design, which is also conveniently packaged with drawings and videos to make assembly easier. Every element of this product is well thought out and delivered. I am a carpenter who works in composite shop with welder/fabricators, so I had access to some great fixture tools that a smooth process. As a non-welder, it took me about 4 sessions after work to put this together. I’d say this is not a beginner friendly project, but Rathas videos do a good job of taking some of the guess work out. Only part where I got stuck scratching my head was sorting out the gap and offset around the latch and wear pad. The video does not go over this, but there are some notes in the drawing that recommend tacking the swing arm in a bit off kilter to account for the weight that will pull it down in line with the fixed arm. You can see in my photos I may have overshot this, so will need to modify with a thicker wear pad. At one point I sent a question about this in using his website chat feature and he responded to me almost instantly and helped problem solve my issue. Very impressive customer service! All and all, great value for the cost. — If I were to build this again, I think I’d cut both arms to be about 4-6” longer so that a.) the latch was easier to reach and not directly under the tire, and b.) to give room to mount an auxiliary hitch for a bike rack on the swing arm. As is, a bike rack in the aux hitch prevents the swing from functioning.
Great piece, well worth the purchase, will send pictures once my spare carrier is completed.
Great kit, everything fit perfectly and the small template they include is perfect for notching the tube. Complete overkill for 99% of builds, but you know it will never fail!
Hi everyone, this kit was great! It came fast delivered. The instructions are pretty good and easy to follow if you handy. Ratha has some solid instructions on his YouTube channel and the pdf that comes with the kit as well. Over all, 2 thumbs up!
The fit was perfect and the craftsmanship top notch as always. Thank you