Originally Posted by
Reflector Guy
I've been to Boulder many times (my brother lives there), and it seems every third vehicle on the road there is a Subaru of one kind or another. This seems like the kind of mishap that has probably happened before, unless it was a totally random freak occurance.
My 1up rack doesn't even use a through bolt, just a wedge ball to keep it secure. On the one hand, I can make it extremely tight if I so choose. But it is events like the OP's that worry me, in case that thing ever decides to wiggle its way loose.
The wedge ball is similar to my failed Thule, which can loosen during the two miles of washboard dirt road we traverse. Even the current Kuat loosens most of the time. We have used a tow hitch with racks for decades and always check them when we get to pavement. The majority of time the "wedge-ball" needs a bit of snugging up. I can't imagine a receiver based rack without a hitch pin for back-up.