bigbadwullf

https://www.amazon.com/Allen-Deluxe-4...uct/B001PLG7UK

Not the best rack in the world. So, why did you buy it? Local discount(leftover), "we sell stuff other retailers wanted to get rid of" place had it for $19.00. Yup $19. Was missing the bolts that hold it together(3) and one side of one bike mount. $3 in bolts and hitch pin later......a usable rack.

Edit: No design flaw as stated below:
There is an odd design flaw of the rack. The holes in the receiver part are smaller than the holes in a standard 2" receiver. With the pin that fits the holes in the rack, the rack will sway because the pin is too small for the receiver. Gonna drill them out and get another hitch pin. Easy enough to fix.
But for the money...

dbg

Be careful loading heavy bikes on the outside spots. On our annual WI trip I've seen several cheaper racks bend from the weight when loaded up.

bigbadwullf

Oh definitely. I use it for the mountain bike mainly so I don't have to put a muddy bike in my vehicle. I always put it on the last(inner-most) position. But you are right about that.
The road bike will fit in my vehicle with both wheels on easily and most times I ride it out of my garage anyway. So no rack needed. If I were to travel and carry multiple bikes I'd opt for something else. But for what I do 95% of the time(when needing a rack), this is perfect.

Bob Pringle

Allen uses a special anti-sway bolt instead of a hitch pin. Its shank diameter nearest the hex head fits the holes in the receiver but is then reduced to fit through the holes in the tongue of the rack (the part that slides into the receiver). The shoulder where the diameter is reduced bears on the side of the rack tongue, pushing the tongue up against the opposite wall of the receiver when the nut is torqued on the other end of the bolt. I think the two diameters are 1/2 inch and 3/8 inch, so a standard 3/8 inch bolt with a 1/4 inch long spacer with an inner diameter of 3/8 inch and an outer diameter of 1/2 inch pushed up against the back side of the hex head would serve the same purpose.

As an alternative you might be able to purchase the anti-sway bolt from Allen.

Nice find, though, on a pretty good bike carrier!

Regards,
Bob P.

Edit: The above applies to a 1 1/4 inch receiver (using a 3/8 inch Allen(!) head bolt eliminates the need for a spacer! The head of the bolt goes through the pin hole in the receiver and seats against the side of the tongue, forcing the tongue against the opposite wall of the receiver.)

For a 2 inch receiver, a 1/2 inch Allen head bolt would work if one side of the receiver had its pin hole enlarged to 3/4 inch diameter so the head of the bolt could pass through it.

Perfectly clear, huh?

bud16415

I have one quite similar from a different manufacture, but I think they mount about the same way. You don’t use a regular hitch pin because rack will bounce around. The reason the hole is smaller is because it’s a threaded hole. As mentioned above when a bolt is screwed in it tightens against one side in the receiver and won’t move. A standard bolt won’t have long enough threads to go all the way thru and take a safety nut on the far side. If you can’t find a bolt long enough I made one by using a piece of threaded rod and welded a nut on it as a head.

Another tip for hanging the bikes on is to get a swimming pool noodle and cut it into a couple pieces and then split the length on one side with a pocket knife so it can slip over the top tube and protect the paint and the cables.

bigbadwullf

Yeah I see now their "design flaw" was built in. Seems a goofy way of making something snug up when all you need to do is get the dimensions right in the first place. Maybe there's more irregularity in the dimensions of the "standard" receiver? Although every ball attachment I've put in it has fit properly in the first place. Just seems an odd way of doing things.
Or maybe this is brilliant in the fact it makes the rack mount tighten up to get rid of slop. Got on their site and read up on it. I'm either going to get their "hitch pin" or see if I can find a bolt that will work. But I don't want to bolt it be because that seems like a PAI when you need to take it off to put a trailer behind the vehicle. And if you leave it there and things rust up, then you've got a problem.

bradtx

Having had several vehicles equipped with recievers, there is some variance as to how my hitches have fit. My Softride reciever rack uses a bolt to attach and has worked on all of the recievers.

Brad

bigbadwullf

I can see now this the way it is and I guess it's a bit of brilliance although maybe a bit of a PIA. I guess the problem I had was the fact there were no instructions with it and I'm a "do it and figure it out" kind of person, not an instruction reader. But I must say in my defense I got on their site and read the instruction booklet. Kinda glad I didn't drill it out.
Thanks for the explanations.

bud16415

Now that you see how it works I will elaborate on what I did with mine to take the PITA part of taking it on and off out of the equation. What’s not fun is the bolt head being tight up against the side of the receiver hard to get anything but a socket on, hard to get started etc. I bought a grade 8 bolt about 5” long and a nut and ran the nut all the way on the bolt and wrenched it down added a flat washer and now the head you tighten is out where you can get at it and also its long enough to screw it in by hand before tightening it up.

I had one that mounted in the loose receiver hole and trust me this method is better. A 1/16 of an inch of wobble turns into a couple inches out at the bikes. They give you 4 sets of mounts but about 3 bikes will be pressing it. I normally haul 2 and that’s perfect. Get a couple bungee cords put one thru the front wheel and hook the ends back to the chain ring or something to keep the front pointing straight and not flopping around. After you protect the top tube with the foam swim noodle swing the bike tilted a little bottom to the car and bungee from the pedal to the post. I put the second bike facing the other direction and look for points where they might smack together and pad those spots somehow.

bigbadwullf

Already did the bungee cord thing. Will work on the noodle thing too. Will see what bolt combination works. Thanks for the great info!

bigbadwullf

You didn't ask how I got around having 4 mounts on one side and three on the other . I simply put a zip tie at the end without a bike mount and that keeps the others from sliding.

bud16415

I didn’t think to ask because mine is missing straps and mounts and the snaps that hold the mounts have broken and I have them zip tied myself. I don’t really trust the straps and take my cable lock and go thru the frames and thru the hole in the rack. Keeps the bikes safe and its extra protection to keep the bikes attached and also I don’t have to worry about the bikes not being there when I leave the car.

overthehillmedi

Try sourcing pipe insulation for tube padding, comes pre cut saving that hassle. Check your local pluming supply store.

bigbadwullf

And it has a smaller overall diameter.

bud16415

I have tried the plumbing stuff and it doesn’t hold up, at least the type we have around here. It’s an open cell foam and the pool noodles are a closed cell. Plus the plumber foam has a sticky edge to reclose it and it collects dirt. Actually my bikes that have a lower RD cable run wear the pool stuff out fairly fast. I go thru a couple of the $1 noodles per summer. I also use on my cleaning rack.


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