BigBikeMike Posted June 17, 2005 Share Posted June 17, 2005 I have a bike hitch rack taht I want to sit a bit closer to the back of my vehicle. not much, just like 2 inches. is it a really horribly bad idea to drill another hole in one side of my hitch to accomodate this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trialsin26 Posted June 17, 2005 Share Posted June 17, 2005 (edited) I wouldn't. Why the don't you cut the bike rack down and drill a new hole in it? Edited June 17, 2005 by Trialsin26 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trainman Posted June 17, 2005 Share Posted June 17, 2005 I wouldn’t if I used the hitch to tow with, may weaken it too much. I would suggest you look at modifying the bike carrier to make it sit closer rather than mess with the hitch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigBikeMike Posted June 17, 2005 Author Share Posted June 17, 2005 (edited) The bike rack has an anti-wobble feature that is supposed to fit inside the hitch, but it doesnt. it sits right on the outside. Edited June 17, 2005 by BigBikeMike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigBikeMike Posted June 17, 2005 Author Share Posted June 17, 2005 another view Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Runnerman Posted June 17, 2005 Share Posted June 17, 2005 Hey BigMike why don't you shorten the draw seems if you cut about a few inches off you'll be fine. That's if that draw in the pic is all the way in there. Can you take some pics without it in the hitch? Then I can show you what I mean. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trainman Posted June 17, 2005 Share Posted June 17, 2005 I agree, lets see more of the hitch. Is that brass button that you are pointing at supposed to be pushed down so the bar will slide in farther? Not sure how this is supposed to work but it does stick out quite a way. I would be tempted to just cut the bar back and drill a new hole in the bar that lines up with one of the holes in the hitch (my hitch has two holes for the pins, maybe yours does not?). Depends what that big nut is for! Or go back to the place you bought it from and see if they have any ideas, it looks pretty new. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigBikeMike Posted June 19, 2005 Author Share Posted June 19, 2005 OK, the way it works is, the brass thing that the arrow is pointing to is supposed to be INSIDE the hitch. its an anti wobble thing. you tighten down the bolt next to it, and it presses up against the top of the reciever. The reason I can't just drill a hole in the rack, is because it it not for a regular hitch pin. The hole in the rack is threaded, and a bolt goes through one side of the reciever and threads into the rack, pulling it tight against the side of the hitch. This is a moot point now anyway, because I went out there and looked, and there is no real way to drill a new hole in the hitch anyway. On to plan B......................who has a plan B? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Runnerman Posted June 20, 2005 Share Posted June 20, 2005 BigMike can't you just shorten the draw on the Bike rack. If you post a pic without it in the pathy I'll show you what I mean. Then the draw will go all the way in and you can use the anti wobble feature which by the way I think is a great feature as I know how annoying the trailers are that I tow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigBikeMike Posted June 20, 2005 Author Share Posted June 20, 2005 BigMike can't you just shorten the draw on the Bike rack. If you post a pic without it in the pathy I'll show you what I mean. Then the draw will go all the way in and you can use the anti wobble feature which by the way I think is a great feature as I know how annoying the trailers are that I tow. Its not that the rack doesnt slide all the way in, that is where the hole for the bolt lines up with the hole in the hitch. I'll take a picture later, and hope you can come up with an idea, but if it involves cutting off part of the rack and drilling a new hole, taht wont work, because its not just a regular hitch pin....... Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigBikeMike Posted June 20, 2005 Author Share Posted June 20, 2005 Here is how it works, a picture cut from the owners manual Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
88pathoffroad Posted June 20, 2005 Share Posted June 20, 2005 The simple answer would be to drill another hole in the hitch itself so the rack slides in far enough to fit properly. I can't vouch for the hitch's towing capacity after that if the holes are too close together, but it should still be good for towing stuff that the Pathy can tow in the first place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Runnerman Posted June 21, 2005 Share Posted June 21, 2005 Ok hopefully this works for you. I would drill a new hole right where the blue is circled and you might have to cut where the red line is. As it might be to far in and hit your tire underneath. This way you don't have to drill into your pathy hitch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trainman Posted June 21, 2005 Share Posted June 21, 2005 Runnerman, I don't think that will work for BigBikeMike if he wants to keep the anti-wobble feature. The best bet is as 88 says, drill a new hole as far back as it can be in the hitch itself but as Runnerman points out, watch out for the spare tire. Looks like a great rack, you may just have to put up with the way it sticks out because of how our spares are set up underneath. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigBikeMike Posted June 21, 2005 Author Share Posted June 21, 2005 Runnerman, I don't think that will work for BigBikeMike if he wants to keep the anti-wobble feature. The best bet is as 88 says, drill a new hole as far back as it can be in the hitch itself but as Runnerman points out, watch out for the spare tire. Looks like a great rack, you may just have to put up with the way it sticks out because of how our spares are set up underneath. Yeah, I didnt think about that its the spare that was in the way.... Although, if I get bigger tires, and a rack on top for the bigger spare, I dont have to worry about it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CanadianPathyNut Posted June 21, 2005 Share Posted June 21, 2005 I have the same bike rack, incredible rack!!!, but you need to loosen the top bolt and push the hitch in farther, mine goes all the way in and sits just a little but out, I can take a picture of mine if youd like, let me know there is no need to cut or dril another hole!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now