Bike Rack Wobbles in receiver.

I have a Thule T2, but this probably applies to any hitch rack. Side to side it doesn't wobble or have any play, but once the bolt loosens just a bit (Takes just a bit of driving)

I can yank the rack up, let it fall back down, pull it up again, etc. Now I find myself going extra slow over speed bumps, etc... Do any of you have this problem? Seems like I could just put a spacer in the bottom of the receiver and solve this issue. Any thoughts are appreciated.

Thanks - Ill post a video to show the up/down movement if necessary

 

shim it.

 

Yep, like Chewyeti said. I used the plastic tire packaging that Specialized and Kenda use and it snugged it right up.
Greg

 

Plastic Tire packaging ? Bought a tire yesterday came zip-tied to a piece of cardboard :?:

 

Seriously...
A thin gauge of metal, a piece of flat plastic, anything you can WEDGE between the reciever and the rack will help.

You can do it

(WTB tires come with a plasticized package usually)

 

Thanks Mr Blunt Realist. I wanted to hear what he is talking about

 

I used the plastic card that the tire was zipped tie to that hangs on the hook in the display. I think an empty antifreeze container would probably be good too.

 

Use then 2nd bolt (vertical) to hold the rack. That should solve the wobbling.

 

A hitch-vise works well.

http://www.hitchrider.com/hitch-vise-fit-guide-2.htm

 

If you want, give me a shout next week. You're close and could drop by my shop. I'll tack a shim in for you.

 

Check this out

http://www.etrailer.com/tv-demo-locking-hitch-pin-63232.aspx

it should do the trick

 

The Thule T2 already has a threaded pin. Aside from locking, how does this improve on the Thule?

 

It tightens the shank against the inside of the receiver to get rid of any excess play.

 

i just put a penny or quarter in there

 

penny is cheaper

 

Refresh blue loctite on Hitch pin threads, and make sure anti wobble bolt is tight.

 

And get a real 3/4" wrench on that bolt instead of that cheap stamped steel wrench that comes with the rack.

 

1st hand experience with this problem!

We had the same problem and there was no fix. It seems as though it was from wear and tear and shuttling mountain roads with 4 DH bikes!!!! It would bounce really bad even when it was tight and it got so bad, we had to replace it. We tried to warranty it through Thule but they said no. You can still use the 2 bike rack on it, but not with the extension, it just puts too much weight on it. I think it actually bent over time (2 years maybe) from all of the bouncing.

We did ask them about shimming and they said not to use metal. We never did find anything that worked btw.

 

I bought one of these for my moto rack. Works good! Bought it at Rack n Road in Costa Mesa

 

I've got some vertical play in mine as well and tried a shim, but it didn't help much. My bolt used to loosen up too, but putting the bolt in through the passenger side versus the driver side keeps it tight. Since it stays tight now there isn't as much play.

I also think where the bolt hole is in the hitch receiver also affects how much vertical movement there is.