What To Do If A Swagman Bike Rack Fits Loosely In The Trailer Hitch Receiver And Has Wobble

Updated 04/10/2025 | Published 03/30/2021

Products Featured in This Question

Locking Anti-Rattle, Threaded Hitch Pin for Swagman 2" Hitch Racks

(612)

$37.50

Anti-Rattle Hitch Lock and Cable for Swagman Bike Racks w/ 2" Shanks - 8-1/2' Long

(383)

$55.00

Question:

When I ed this bike rack into my two inch receiver, the rack rollsfoot from side to side. I feel it should be stable, even rigid in fit. I dont think I am doing anything wrong, since it appears in videos and in my assembly, that the operation is a simple and lock with the pin. Yet, my bike slants in the mount and has a great deal of bounce when Im driving. Im not afraid the rack will come off but it seems a more secure, tight fit without the bounce should be the situation. Do I need a sleeve to make the fit tighter? I looked for one on the website but didnt find one.

asked by: Dr. E

Expert Reply:

I understand your concern and annoyance with the Swagman Original - 3 Bike Rack # S64152-2 fitting loosely in the hitch receiver and causing bounce/wobble. This can happen due to the fact that not every trailer hitch receiver is made to the exact same dimensions. Luckily, there is a perfect solution for this!

You will need to install the Locking Anti-Rattle, Threaded Hitch Pin for Swagman 2" Hitch Racks # S64027. Not only will this lock your bike rack to the receiver, but it will also take out the bounce and wobble that your bike rack is experiencing. This simply threads into the receiver and bike rack shank and then provides a lock on the other side. I attached a detailed demonstration video; you can see this being installed towards the end of the video.

You could also just go with # S64030 which is a kit that includes the anti-rattle receiver lock mentioned above and also a cable lock for the bike. The attached video goes over both products.

expert reply by: Andrew N

Brent

4/9/2025

I have the locking pin but it still has upward play in the receiver, should I just add some duck tape to the insert to make it tighter.

Andrew N.

4/10/2025

@Brent are you using the correct anti rattle pin for your bike rack? What parts are you using exactly? Only thing I can think of right off the bat is that either the threads are damaged or you're not using the correct pin for the rack. The # S64027 mentioned in the previous answer needs to be tightened all the way snug until the rack doesn't move. It doesn't actually matter if your receiver's hole is slightly bigger since that is pretty normal, you can see this by looking at the In Use / Installed photos on the hitch pin page.