EXO SwingBase

Heavy, not fully secure, well made

This swing base is heavy which makes it difficult to install. It is not fully secure (lockable) to the trailer hitch. There is one lock on the tongue (the part that goes into the receiver), but there are two other bolts that attache the SwingBase to the tongue and these bolts can be removed with tools. The Swingbase looks to be very well made in quality of design, function and finish. It is just so heavy.

Quality Concerns & Customer Support Hurdles: A Buyer's Experience

Upon eagerly receiving my Exo Swingbase, my excitement was quickly dimmed by discovering that the product was Broken/Defective right out of the box. I understand that manufacturing flaws can occur, but this seems indicative of potential quality control lapses at Yakima as this is a known issue for this product. Attempting to resolve the issue proved to be a taxing experience. After reaching out to Yakima's customer service, I was asked for photos and videos of the defect. Despite providing these immediately, I was left in limbo for nearly two weeks, having to initiate almost daily follow-ups. While a later representative eventually addressed my concerns (providing a replacement locking arm assembly overnight), the protracted process up to that point was disheartening. To give credit where it's due, the locking arm assembly was shipped promptly once the issue was finally acknowledged, and installation instructions were provide however were incomplete. But the overall journey left a bitter taste in my mouth. Now, I find myself second-guessing the idea of investing further in Exo Swingbase attachments, wary of both potential product quality and the reliability of the support support. In conclusion, while Yakima rectified the situation in the end, potential buyers should be cautious. One can only hope that with feedback like this, Yakima takes the necessary steps to enhance both product quality and customer support. Would think twice before a future purchase.

It's great, but comes with a few setbacks

Overall I'm very happy with this product. It seems bomb proof, it's very versatile, and is the type of hitch mounted system you could have for 10-20 years easy. There are a couple things that annoy me. First, it's kind of a pain in the rear to take on and off. You've gotta get down under your car and struggle to wrench it in. Second, It's not really secure. For a system I spent $3K+ on, it should have locking bolts on every connection and bolt, not just the main. It'd be easy for anyone to wrench 90% of it away in five minutes. Living in denver, the bums here will steal anything given the chance. Also, because I tend to keep the base on the hitch when I'm not using it, because it's annoying to take off and store, it's really annoying for anyone with a backup camera/sensors. My car sensors on my 2023 nissan frontier are basically useless in reverse with this attached, and with the top shelf and accessories mounted, forget about it. I've got to turn off the parking sensors every time I reverse, which is just annoying. The other downside is that it takes more time to access my truck bed when I need to quickly access it. With a tonneau cover, it becomes a chore to unlock it, open it up, get what I need from the bed, close it, secure it, etc. Overall, if you're looking for a system that is versatile, built to last, and high quality, I'd still recommend this system to anyone that skis/bikes/camps/needs more storage capacity.