Rear clearance & hitch positions
Three pin holes in the hitch bar set how far the swing arm and rack sit behind your vehicle. Two numbers matter: how far the bar sits back (anything low — recovery points, rear bars) and how far the rack sits back (anything high — a spare on the rear door, a canopy overhang).
Where the bar itself sits. Check against anything low on the back of the car: recovery points, an aftermarket rear bar, tow-ball tongue.
Where the vertical rack sits. Check this against anything high: a spare on the rear door, a canopy overhang. It's also the depth you have inside the rack for a Drop Table or 20L tank.
From the centre of your hitch receiver's pin hole straight back to the furthest point of whatever sticks out. Compare it with A or B.
Three holes, 40 mm apart
Use when nothing sticks out behind the car — hatch, tailgate, flat rear door. Rack sits tightest to the vehicle.
Use when a rear bar, recovery points or a short receiver (Ranger, MU-X) stop the bar sliding fully home. Clears most canopy overhangs.
Use when the spare stays on the rear door (Prado, Jimny, Grenadier and similar) or you want maximum room inside the rack.
What each position changes
Nothing about what you can carry. Every hole takes the same rack, wheel holder, cargo carriers and load rating. Moving out only does two things: it shortens your departure angle, and it moves the weight further behind the rear axle, which loads the axle and tow ball a little more. So the rule is simple: use the closest hole that clears.
| Position | A · Pin hole → bar | B · Pin hole → rack | Reach for it when |
|---|---|---|---|
| P1 | 75 mm | 130 mm | Nothing protrudes. Hatch, drop tailgate, flat side-opening door, spare on the Wheel Holder. |
| P2 | 115 mm | 170 mm | Rear bar or recovery points behind the pin hole, short receiver, modest canopy overhang. |
| P3 | 150 mm | 210 mm | Spare stays on the rear door (≤ 200 mm from the hitch pin hole), deep canopy overhang. |
On the Ranger and MU-X the factory receiver is short and the spare sits right behind it. With the spare in its factory spot the hitch bar can't slide all the way home, so run P2. Want P1? Move the spare forward or onto the Wheel Holder.
Measure from the hitch pin hole back to the furthest low point and compare it with A. The bar has to clear it before the rack even comes into it. Aftermarket rear bars with recovery tabs are the usual culprit — send us a photo and we'll call it.
Room inside the rack
The gap between your bumper and the rack face is where a Drop Table (20 mm folded) or a 20L Slim Line Tank (100 mm) lives. It's simply B minus your hitch-pin-hole-to-bumper distance, so each hole further out adds 40 mm of room.
Can I keep the spare on my rear door?
| Vehicle | Spare on the door? | Run it |
|---|---|---|
| Toyota Prado 120 / 150 | Stays on | P3 · passenger-side swing clears the door |
| Jeep Wrangler JL | Wheel Holder | Over 200 mm — spare moves to the rack, P1/P2 |
| Land Rover Defender L663 | Wheel Holder | Over 200 mm — spare moves to the rack, P1/P2 |
| Mitsubishi Pajero NW / NX | Wheel Holder | Door sits too low over the receiver — rack only |
| Jimny, Grenadier, FJ Cruiser, Patrol Y61, LC76 and the rest: measure C and compare — or send a photo. | ||
Spare stays on the door. Run P3 — the rack sits 210 mm behind the pin hole, with room to spare.
Spare goes on the Novaa Wheel Holder, run P1 or P2. Still fits — rack sits closer.
Side clearance & the 800 mm rule
When the arm swings fully open, the mounting rack ends up beside the car, not behind it. The only question is whether your rear door can open past where the rack sits. One tape measure, one point to check — no fitting, no guessing.
Find the centre of your tow hitch receiver — the square tube the hitch bar slides into.
From that centre, straight out to the side the arm will swing to. Mark the spot. That's where the mounting-rack upright sits when the arm is fully open.
If the door, fully open, clears that mark — the rack clears too. It fits. If the door would hit it, try the other swing side, or send us a photo.
Four kinds of door
Opens upward, never reaches the 800 point. Most wagons and SUVs — no measuring needed.
Dual cabs and utes: the tailgate still drops fully with the arm open. The rack sits beside the tub, not behind it.
Prado, 70 Series, Wrangler, Jimny. Swing the arm away from the door's hinge so the door and the rack open in opposite directions.
Only the door on the swing side matters. If it clears the 800 point it fits — and that door may cover part of the rack when open.
On our confirmed list? Skip the measuring.
Every vehicle on our Pick Your Vehicle page is already checked. The 800 rule is for vehicles we haven't fitted yet, modified rears, and anything with a bar, ladder or carrier already on the back.
Door clears the point → it fits. Pick your swing side and build it.
Try the other swing side first. Still tight, or 750–850? Send a rear photo, we'll call it.
Hitch height
Measure from the ground to the bottom of your hitch receiver. The swing arm hangs below the hitch, so this sets your clearance over gutters, ruts and ramps with the system fitted.
Under those, the arm is the first thing to touch down. Factory tow bars on 4x4s and most wagons are comfortably above; lowered vehicles, airbags on their lowest setting and some vans are the ones to check.
Two locks, any angle
Driving position. The 350 kg compression latch holds the arm shut, by hand or foot. Everything sits behind the car.
Campsite position. Locks open past square so the rear door clears and you can get into the back. The one you'll use most.
Set it where you want it. The pivot runs on Oilite washers, not ball bearings — tension the pivot bolt and the arm holds at any angle, right out to fully open.
Swing radius & towing
From the hinge, the arm sweeps a ~1.15 m radius through the space directly behind the car before it comes to rest beside it. Anything parked in that arc — a trailer drawbar, a jerry can on the ground, the neighbour's awning — is in its path.
The pass-through hitch keeps your 3.5 t tow rating, and you can tow with the system fitted. But before you swing the arm, check the drawbar and jockey wheel are clear of the sweep. On most setups that means unhitching first. Never swing the arm toward a coupled trailer.
The default. Keeps the passenger side free for an awning and puts the open rack on the traffic side at a roadside stop.
Kerb-side unloading, a driver-side awning, or a side-hinged rear door that opens to the right (Prado 150). The arm is handed — choose at order; it can't be swapped later.
Not sure? We'll check it for free.
Email a photo of the back of your vehicle and one of the hitch, with make, model and year. We'll confirm clearance, height and the swing side. Most replies go out within the hour on weekdays.
↓ Download the 2-page PDF guide