MTPockets
Well-known member
We ordered the 1 1/4" hitch reciver on our Big Horn and have towed so far from Florida to Texas to Indiana and now in North Carolina. We have two bikes on a very sturdy, $275 bike rack. From the beginning, I noticed that the factory receiver was a bit flimsey, as it would bounce up and down all along the tubes mounted to the Big Horn frame with a slight push of the hand with the bikes on the rack.. The bike rack frame was stiff, but the entire factory receiver would flex causing the bounce. I could only imagine the bouce when we crossed some railroad tracks or those dips in the highway and certain bumpy roads.
Today, we stopped for lunch and I do my walk around and find the bikes nearly on the ground. I had to take the wheels off the bikes and put them in my truck bed. I'm glad I always used some hefty straps to secure them to each other and the bike rack. My bike rack has a vertical support that keeps the bikes upright. That vertical support was gone and I could see where it broke, near the bottom where it attached to the bike rack frame. All that flexing finally caused it to break, like bending a paper clip back and forth until it gives way.
My plan was to re-inforce the factory hitch when we got to Florida so I would not have this problem, but the flexing was just too much...... If you have this receiver, I can only suggest to you to watch your rack so you don't have the same issue.
Today, we stopped for lunch and I do my walk around and find the bikes nearly on the ground. I had to take the wheels off the bikes and put them in my truck bed. I'm glad I always used some hefty straps to secure them to each other and the bike rack. My bike rack has a vertical support that keeps the bikes upright. That vertical support was gone and I could see where it broke, near the bottom where it attached to the bike rack frame. All that flexing finally caused it to break, like bending a paper clip back and forth until it gives way.
My plan was to re-inforce the factory hitch when we got to Florida so I would not have this problem, but the flexing was just too much...... If you have this receiver, I can only suggest to you to watch your rack so you don't have the same issue.