ggbo951a

I have two bike thule rack for several years. The problem is the rack's pin that is screwed into rack hitch is stuck at some point while removing. Becaues the head is not hex or any other shape but round, it has become extremely hard to remove it. Poor design from thule!! Tried metal plier but kept slipping, looked around several rubber plier but nowhere to be found and tried putting two sided scotch but tha tis too soft. Any idea?

JoeTBM 

A picture of your issue would help..... There are many versions of a Thule rack

Andrew R Stewart 

The usual pins are a smooth round shaft, sometimes with a spring loaded ball at their end to help retain the pin in the hole. There's a bit of a tight sliding fit that if left moist and/or salty can end up with corrosion issues tightening up the pin's hold. Often these pins are replaceable (as they are usually made for general industrial use and "borrowed" for bike stuff) so if you damage the OEM one no big deal. My usual method is first try with just my fingers, next up might be a pair of pliers (slip lock ones tend to have more tightening leverage than simple plumbing ones). If the pin won't even rotate then I'll use some shock and lube. This penetrating oil and a hammer's tapping can loosen up corroded tight parts enough to allow the movement needed to work the pin out with those pliers. Failing that method the pin might be able to be drilled out but my experience with this sort of method is not very good. It's easy to have the drill bit go off center and the stainless steel that most of these pins are made of is challenging to drill with a home hand held drill. The last resort is to replace the complete assembly and remove and reinstall that new pin far more often to keep it from ending up the same way. pins | McMaster-Carr is a link to an industrial supply company that offers a wide range of pin types. Andy

ggbo951a

Imo, this round design simply sucks and turned seemingly minor job of removing it into a major task. I did not pay ++++$$ to have this. i for huge plier and managed few turns it is no longer working

ggbo951a

Imo, this round design simply sucks and turned seemingly minor job of removing it into a major task. I did not pay ++++$$ to have this. i for huge plier and managed few turns it is no longer working

Bill Kapaun

Did you try wiggling the square section while trying to pull the pin?
You may need to support the weight-

dedhed

https://www.farmandfleet.com/product...E&gclsrc=aw.ds

and a hammer

ggbo951a

none helped, is there a class action lawsuit against anything like design flaw like this. Thule is a premium brand which I chose over other cheaper types of rack for convenience and ease of installation but not expecting something like this. FEels like being shortchanged by thule.

TiHabanero

There is an old mechanics axiom that states, "Grease before insertion." I guess that applies here. Something so simple, yet so often overlooked in the effort to get it on provides a deep frustration when it is removal time.

rm -rf

That ball end looks like it fits a hitch lock. So I googled Thule hitch pin, and found these for sale:




Is there a hex bolt head on the other side, like this pin?

Your hitch pin removes from the other side.
My Kuat has an L shaped bend instead of a screw in bolt, with a similar lock, so it just slides out.

mpetry912 

oh good catch there rm -rf (and yes I do know what that means, | grep * )

@OP has two problems workiing there, the rack is a 1 1/4 and looks like there is an adapter for a 2" receiver, so you've got 3 things binding.

I think I'd shoot a bunch of your favorite spray lube in there and then wiggle the rack around, back and forth, maybe while having "a friend" struggle with the pin.

good luck

/markp

dedhed

My Yakima has a factory adapter that bolts to the 1.25 arm so it can be used in either a 2 or 1.25" hitch

dedhed

After heating and beating peoples receiver inserts out of hitches here in the midwest rust belt I don't insert anything in a receiver without liberal greasing.

Shadco 

FWIW I wouldn’t call Thule bike racks a premium brand, a step up from Amazon china junk but far from premium. See evidence based on your photo.

.

Troul 

I it's not threaded, you will want to douse it with pb blaster not wd40.
after a few soaks, few hours, apply hefty swings from a sledgehammer on it.

ggbo951a

breakthrough yesterday!!! called some welders, went this far to weld-attach some cross bar to get better grib. But my, welders cost a lot (labor, travel etc).
So what I did is grab 1) mill file from HW store and 2) adjustable wrench from my toolset and I strated filng away the round so that it created hex shape at the end. Used adj. wrench to lock and viola i was able to get it out after few turns. It was not very hard turns but definitely impossible when it is round with massive pliers. Anyways, I am not going to buy thule crap from now on, set me back almost a month!

ggbo951a

mine was round for sure, not hex shaped.
10$ unknown brand from local hw store, worked like a magic, since it os slightly narrower, will never have stuck problem.

JoeTBM 

Moral of this story is too keep the threads greased and use a proper-size wrench rather then pliers or adjustable wrench.

veganbikes

No there is no "class action lawsuit" because you didn't grease threads, haven't removed your rack ever and when you finally did you used the wrong tools and maybe the wrong practices. There is nothing wrong with that rack just with the initial install process and then not checking it regularly and removing it. Unless you are using your rack DAILY it should not live on the car and if it must live on the car any rubber should be removed and stored out of UV light and it should be regularly inspected and the bolt re-greased (because it will have been greased the first time) and in general the hitch moved around so it doesn't have issues.

Because of one sample size that is rusted probably from never being removed and never being greased of an age we haven't determined they are now just a step up from Amazon junk? Sorry but NO. They are a quality brand but if you install it incorrectly it can have problems down the line especially if it sits out exposed to the elements constantly at the bottom of the car. It is not a fault of Thule that the user of the rack made decisions that caused that.


That is the moral of your story? The moral of my version of that story would be maybe I need to take better care of my stuff and use the proper tools to remove the bolt (never pliers or vice grips or adjustable wrenches) and make sure the bolt is properly greased as I said above. Thule makes good quality products but unfortunately salt and road detritus and moisture from humidity can damage things left outside exposed to the elements and speed especially when those things are no cared for.

If you take good care of your stuff it will take good care of you. Thule is not the issue here and that could have happened to any rack without proper care. As much as they make a quality product anything under those conditions can get rusted and hard to remove when never prepped. You try and be outside under a sometimes moving vehicle all the time in the same position and not look haggard and hard to remove.

What I would recommend is the Thule XT system which will make your life easier as it is an easy to use knob to tighten and works quite well. However more to the point remove your rack when not in use or at least check it more than once after years of sitting in the same position. Thule racks come with a tool you could just leave in the car or just buy a ratcheting wrench (I believe 19mm but double check) and keep that in the car or get a full Metric set so you have tools in case something happens.

I know it sounds harsh but I am not mad at you I am just being honest about the situation at hand because it had nothing to do with Thule and was completely preventable and easily solvable. Keep in mind racks are safety equipment and like any safety equipment that do need to be maintained and checked every so often. Good luck out there and have a great day and a great rest of the week : )

Shadco 

But I see a sample size of many, daily customers show up with floppy, rusted up barely functional Thule racks. On the other hand the kuats , and one ups I see are never in that condition.

.

veganbikes

Many daily customers with floppy rusted barely functional Thule racks? I am sorry but I cannot believe that, maybe an occasional rack but daily seems so over the top. Küat makes a good rack and the few 1UPs I have seen seem good though.

ggbo951a

Yeah grease may help but i would count on hex shape more than anything. Round design is a big risk i should have forethought b4 buy, but now i will.

StanSeven

ggbo951a - personal insults are not allowed. I suggest you just move on from this now that you’ve received some good advice.