Yakima Sparetime

I picked up a Sparetime from a very nice couple on Craigslist. They had picked it up this year and barely used it. Now that they were getting rid of their Jeep, they didn't need it. It was practically brand new.

The install was easy. I took off the spare tire, put on the plate with the large tongue and placed the tire back on. After placing the rack on with the knob fully tightened, it was very loose. I then took everything off and swapped in the medium tounge. With everything placed back on again, it fit perfectly.

Now I can open my trunk without having to swing out the old rack and I can use my rear parking sensors. The old rack sat behind the sensors and they would beep continuously if they were on while backing up. The old rack will still be used for family rides where I will carry more than two bikes.

I also noticed that the short tongue piece was missing. After contacting Yakima via email, they sent me the tongue, the bolt and a hex key to me the next day - free! This is one of the reasons I only buy Yakima products.

I might swap out the hitch next since I don't need to use it now. I noticed, when I bought it with the FJ, that it was crooked. I took a look under it recently and saw that it was bent underneath which caused a tilt towards the right.