Will the Blue Ox Hitch Immobilizer Work w/Hitch Reducer Sleeve in a F350 w/Thule Epos Bike Rack?

Published 11/11/2026

Products Featured in This Question

Blue Ox Hitch Receiver Immobilizer II - 2-1/2" Hitches

(491)

$79.12

Curt Anti-Rattle Hitch Clamp for 2-1/2" Trailer Hitches

(324)

$51.68

Question:

BX88225 antirattle clamp - will it fit? 2027 F-350, using a 2 sleeve for a Thule Epos 903211 bike rack. Racks own antirattle works good in the sleeve, but the sleeve has a fair amount of play both directions. Clearance between truck receiver and bumper is very tight. Rack has its own pin, that fully engages, but unclear as to whether it will clear the clamp, if installed. Can include pictures if needed.

asked by: Ted S

Expert Reply:

Hi Ted,

The Blue Ox Hitch Receiver Immobilizer part # BX88225 will not work with your Thule Epos bike rack. The BX88225 has a 7" wide steel cross plate with four U-bolts and it will make contact with the spring-loaded stinger arm that fits into the hitch pin hole. There's also potentially clearance issues with the factory hitch on your F350 Super Duty. The Ford OEM hitch on the Super Duty sits very close to the bumper and doesn't have much of a gap around it. We've had issues with external anti-rattle clamps not having enough space to install because they make contact with the bumper.

I think the best alternative would be to switch to a different style U-bolt clamp that doesn't go around the entire receiver, like the Curt Anti-Rattle Hitch Clamp for 2 1/2" Trailer Hitches part # C34FR85HY. You can have the U-bolt over the top of the bike rack and the plate underneath to apply downward pressure that'll push both the bike rack and sleeve down to stop rattling. Since the plate would be under the receiver there shouldn't be any clearance issues with the Ford's hitch. You could also shim the sleeve by wrapping it in aluminum foil tape or UHMW tape.

Would you consider a reducer with an extension in order to reduce the rattling?

expert reply by: Claire H