# Do you always keep your bike rack attached to your vehicle?



## dadstoy (Feb 18, 2010)

One thing that slows me down when Im trying to leave the house is attaching my bike rack back onto my car. I don't use my trunk at all, so keeping it on there shouldn't both me. What does, is the possibility that some a**hole will steal my bike rack. I thought about somehow locking it, or chaining it to my car. 

What do you guys do? Leave the rack on all the time? Ever had it stolen when you were out riding or when you're at work? Do you lock it to your car and have had good results?


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## Dugg-E (Jul 9, 2009)

Have you thought about a roof rack?

My rack stays attached year round. Bikes in the spring/summer/fall and skis in the winter. 

Yakima Q-towers on a G35X. Massachusetts.


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## Guest (Feb 14, 2011)

Yes...it is attached year around...


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## dadstoy (Feb 18, 2010)

A roof rack?? Hmm, I'll have to check on that one. I cant remeber ever seeing one ontop of a Toyota Camry,..that's what I have


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## Trail Ninja (Sep 25, 2008)

Mine would be attached all the time, but I'm worried about someone stealing my bike. I bought a van with no windows and I keep my bike inside it (locked to the floor).


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## dadstoy (Feb 18, 2010)

Trail Ninja said:


> Mine would be attached all the time, but I'm worried about someone stealing my bike. I bought a van with no windows and I keep my bike inside it (locked to the floor).


Oh yeah, yeah,..I meant keeping the bike rack attached,..not the bike .


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## lumber825 (Sep 4, 2009)

I've seen trailer hitches on cars like a Camry. It wouldn't be cheap but a possibility would be a hitch and a hitch mount rack like a Thule and a lock kit. My Thule stays on most of the summer and comes off in the winter months.

Before the SUV my trunk rack always came off and when at a trail head it went into the trunk. I have a real distrust of my fellow man.


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## thestig_wj (Nov 5, 2010)

dadstoy said:


> A roof rack?? Hmm, I'll have to check on that one. I cant remeber ever seeing one ontop of a Toyota Camry,..that's what I have


http://www.orsracksdirect.com/toyota-camry-roof-rack.html

the only problem is you will have to buy the base rack if your car doesnt already have the side rails and then the bike rack attachment


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## AaronK (Dec 21, 2006)

Hitch rack is always attached....always ready.


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## m85476585 (Jun 7, 2007)

Yakima makes a security strap that loops around the rack and into the trunk. I got one, but it doesn't feel very secure. It is made up of two steel cables inside a nylon strap, all of which could be easily cut. No one has taken my rack yet (had it on for at least two months), but I haven't heard of many bike racks being stolen in general. My car sits in an unsecured garage on a college campus in a major city.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003EMADH6

Another option if the car has a tow hook attachment point is to get a steel cable and a lock and loop it around the rack and lock it to the hook point. That might get in the way of the trunk opening, though.

I looked into getting a hitch type rack, but it was prohibitively expensive. A bolt on hitch for my car would be a few hundred dollars, and a hitch rack is also a over hundred.

A roof rack wouldn't work for me because I'd have to take the bike off before pulling into the garage.


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## dadstoy (Feb 18, 2010)

m85476585 said:


> Yakima makes a security strap that loops around the rack and into the trunk. I got one, but it doesn't feel very secure. It is made up of two steel cables inside a nylon strap, all of which could be easily cut. No one has taken my rack yet (had it on for at least two months), but I haven't heard of many bike racks being stolen in general. My car sits in an unsecured garage on a college campus in a major city.
> http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003EMADH6
> 
> Another option if the car has a tow hook attachment point is to get a steel cable and a lock and loop it around the rack and lock it to the hook point. That might get in the way of the trunk opening, though.
> ...


Thx Matt,...I was just outside staring at my trunk and bike rack area,...and thought of the exact samething! Tomorrow, Im gonna get one of those 1/2" thick steel cables with loops on the end, and lock it to the hook attachment under the trunk. I should need about a 6' of steel cable. Im not too worried about opening the trunk. I actually can't remember the last time I did. :thumbsup:


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## Trail Ninja (Sep 25, 2008)

dadstoy said:


> Oh yeah, yeah,..I meant keeping the bike rack attached,..not the bike .


I knew what you meant.

I suppose there is less chance of a rack being stolen than a bike simply because they aren't worth that much. If you add cables and make it difficult to steal, that lessens your chances of rack theft.

Speaking of bike theft off racks. A friend lost his GF Cake off his hitch rack when he went back in the house to get his glasses. He didn't lock it on because he was going straight to the trail. I've also seen them go off those racks on the front of the bus at stop lights. The driver won't chase a bike thief and by the time you get off the bus, they are long gone.

Safety tip: Put your bike in a really high gear before you put it on a rack. It's really sad to watch your bike being stolen but it's really satisfying to knock some turd off your bike because he couldn't pedal it away because it was in high gear.


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## m85476585 (Jun 7, 2007)

Racks are expensive; maybe they just don't have a high resale value. Around here people cut cable locks to steal bikes and break into cars to steal valuables, so I'm surprised that they don't walk off with bike racks that are essentially free for the taking.

I bought an armored cable lock to attach my bike to my rack. It is nearly an inch thick and long enough to go around three bikes. When I'm not using it I usually just keep it in the car, so it's always there if I need it.

Changing to a high gear all the time would be a pain given that the change of actually getting your bike stolen is relatively low. Unhooking the brakes (assuming V brakes) is another good one, but again too much trouble and too much risk of forgetting to put them back and riding off with no brakes.


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## Ouchy The Clown (Jan 29, 2011)

dadstoy said:


> Do you always keep your bike rack attached to your vehicle?


No.

When I need to carry a bike they go on. When I'm done they come off.


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## dadstoy (Feb 18, 2010)

LMAO,...putting the bike in high gear and, unhooking the v-brake cable!....That's awesome! I just had a mental picture of some dumbass going through all that. 

Im gonna practice all those. And besides,..I always take a lil'roll around the parking lot before hitting the trail head to get comfy, and check everything out first. 
Thx guys.


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## AllMountin' (Nov 23, 2010)

It would be priceless to see a thief steal your bike and ride off- only to speed brake-less into the next intersection. Maybe even worth the mangled bike that would result. 

In today's litigious society- I'm sure the thief could sue you for his injuries for not having the bike theft ready and in ride-able condition. 

I keep my hitch rack on until I need to haul a trailer. Mine is a one-off fabrication, single bike, seat post mount rack that attaches to a hidden hitch behind the bumper of a Mazda Miata. There are only a handful of people in the world who would find my rack useful, so I feel safe leaving it out. Could always get a hitch lock if necessary.


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## jasonball (Nov 9, 2010)

I keep my trunk rack on all the time. bike or no bike attached. never had a problem with theft. but when I run into the store I park close as possible. and make it quick.


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## roxnroots (Aug 12, 2010)

lumber825 said:


> I've seen trailer hitches on cars like a Camry. It wouldn't be cheap but a possibility would be a hitch and a hitch mount rack like a Thule and a lock kit. My Thule stays on most of the summer and comes off in the winter months.
> 
> Before the SUV my trunk rack always came off and when at a trail head it went into the trunk. I have a real distrust of my fellow man.


Exactly what I have ('98 Camry, U-Haul-installed 1.25" hitch for $225 total, and Thule rack with lock) and it works great. Drop the rig in the tray and go.

Doesn't affect gas mileage too much and I haven't had any problem with idiots screwing with it. I keep it on year-round because I ride nearly everyday as long as there isn't a foot of snow on the ground like right now or if the trails are slop. Only problem is that your ride will catch a lot of slush and road salt with a hitch rack if you do a lot of winter riding in 1
to 3 inch snowfalls.


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## dexetr30 (May 8, 2008)

I leave it on year round. I have a Jeep Wrangler with a spare tire mounted rack. I make sure it stays secure by permanently wrapping a ratchet strap around the spare tire and the top of the rack and then ratchet it down good and tight.


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## dkbikes4life (Nov 20, 2010)

I now use a roof rack so it does stay attached all the time. I drive a Grand Am so I cant fit anything big in my car. They rack came in handy one day when I needed to move a 8 foot long piece of 3" X 1.5" 3/16" wall rectangle steel tubing. Weighed probably 60 or 70 pounds. I just slid it on the rack and tied it down.

Before I had the roof rack I used a normal trunk mounted bike rack. That one I would always take off. Heck I even would take it off when I got to the trails for the same reasons you mentioned. I thought someone would steel it.


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## jmmUT (Sep 15, 2008)

I now have a roof rack (find a used one-way cheaper) but before I had a weird thing about not wanting to advertise to the world that there would be bikes at that house. I don't live in a shady area but occasionally people get bikes stolen that appear to have been cased out in advance. Maybe I was just paranoid.


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## equalme (Sep 8, 2010)

roxnroots said:


> Exactly what I have ('98 Camry, U-Haul-installed 1.25" hitch for $225 total, and Thule rack with lock) and it works great. Drop the rig in the tray and go.
> 
> Doesn't affect gas mileage too much and I haven't had any problem with idiots screwing with it. I keep it on year-round because I ride nearly everyday as long as there isn't a foot of snow on the ground like right now or if the trails are slop. Only problem is that your ride will catch a lot of slush and road salt with a hitch rack if you do a lot of winter riding in 1
> to 3 inch snowfalls.


Curt MFG makes come great hitches that are typically completely bolt-on. Prices for their hitch are roughly ~$125-150. If you can work on your bike, it will be easy for you to bolt-on the hitch; loc-tite the bolts and torque to spec.


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## o0adam0o (Oct 10, 2010)

Yup.. all year. It would suck to take that thing off and on.. not to mentionw here to put it unless u got a garage.


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## Tony777 (Jul 19, 2010)

I spent a little bit more $ over the thule trunk rack to get a saris bones rs for my '04 Imprezza. Abosultely love it. Takes me one minute to set it up and to remove. I leave it in my back seat once I hit a trail to make sure that no one steals it.


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## Scott O (Aug 5, 2004)

Hitch rack is attached year round. It holds (held) 2 bikes and one of the mounts is pretty much rusted away. Salt is a killer.


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## dadstoy (Feb 18, 2010)

Ho Crap!! I just thumb thru the Yakimoto,....or was it Hashimoto:???: ,..I don't remember. But man!,..that stuff is expensive! Looked into a roof rack for one bike $$$

I did call my local police dept. The officer told me that it's perfectly legal to keep my bike rack mounted on my vehicle. HOWEVER,..it is not ok to cover or partially cover my license plate. All digits and letters must be readable by an officer from his car if he's behind you. BUT,..in his opinion,...99.9% of officers would just ask me to take it down. The "others", would actually write me a ticket . He also mentioned, that he himself would not ask me to take it down, but only if he had a suspicion that the car was stolen. 

So a roof rack shopping I shall go,.....I'll check out Craig's List and eBay.


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## equalme (Sep 8, 2010)

dadstoy said:


> Ho Crap!! I just thumb thru the Yakimoto,....or was it Hashimoto:???: ,..I don't remember. But man!,..that stuff is expensive! Looked into a roof rack for one bike $$$
> 
> I did call my local police dept. The officer told me that it's perfectly legal to keep my bike rack mounted on my vehicle. HOWEVER,..it is not ok to cover or partially cover my license plate. All digits and letters must be readable by an officer from his car if he's behind you. BUT,..in his opinion,...99.9% of officers would just ask me to take it down. The "others", would actually write me a ticket . He also mentioned, that he himself would not ask me to take it down, but only if he had a suspicion that the car was stolen.
> 
> So a roof rack shopping I shall go,.....I'll check out Craig's List and eBay.


FYI, with a roof rack, some cars can take a huge hit in MPG. Don't forget you will also have to make sure to use a fairing or you will have a lot of wind noise. And if you're living in a bad area, you're going to be SOL as most roof racks can be pried loose with a flathead.

IMO, most officers really don't care about blocking the rear plate as long as it doesn't seem like you're doing it for that sole purpose.


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## dadstoy (Feb 18, 2010)

Agreed. Im just gonna keep the booger on there until Im told to take it down.


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## Bro (Dec 20, 2010)

I've had the hitch rack on for a while. It has a locking pin so that it locks to the hitch too, which is nice. Only thing I don't like about that is since it's a van, I can't see the rack at all when I'm driving and it's folded down, not being used. Makes for tricky backing up in tight situations.

If I'm really worried about my POS bike, I'll lock the bike to the rack with a standard cable lock. It wraps nice and tightly around the frame and wheels and rack, so even though it's not actually hooked through anything, you'd need to cut the cable to get the bike off. I try to avoid long stops where my bike's on the car though, so if you managed to cut/untangle the cable, unhook the bike, and get away before I return? Eh, you kinda deserve the bike, in my opinion.  

And for those saying to shift into high gear, why not just drop the chain off the chainrings altogether? I'd love to see someone trying to steal the bike and ride off, only to find that they're pedaling as fast as they can and aren't going anywhere.


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## mtbGreg (Feb 15, 2010)

Take it off? I ride too much for that...

Take some of the other advice and buy a rack that can be locked onto your car, preferably a roof rack. Or you could get a piece of crap rack like I have and then you won't worry about it


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## dubtrialsin (Nov 4, 2010)

Mine stays on my roof all year.
Locking trays rule (no wheel removal makes for
easy and fast poaching sessions).


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## nagatahawk (Jun 20, 2007)

I used to have Yakima roof rack on Beemer then my Matrix. until they got jacked! So now I have blacked out windows and carry bikes inside onlyl. I also have a u lock and a cable lock whenever I leave my bike inside of the car for any period of time.

I lost about 5 mile per gallon on the highway with roof racks.

down side to inside the car is when it gets muddy. I may get a hatch mount rack for winter/spring wet riding.


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## ProjectDan35 (Jul 19, 2010)

I'm getting a Yakima roof rack for my 2010 mustang gt premium. 500$ though. Hm, whatever. Mustang with a roof rack, oh yeah.


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## nachomc (Apr 26, 2006)

I have roof racks on my wagon. Always on.


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## GFAthens (Sep 10, 2009)

I use a trunk mounted rack, and I really hate the looks of it. I take it off when the bike isn't on the car. I don't take it off at trailheads, I just don't feel the need to, especially because most of the trails I go to are used primarily by MTB'ers with racks as well, and I trust them.

I do take it off anytime I'm driving without the bike though, and just put it right back on before I go to the trailhead. I really just hate the looks of my rack on the car, it messes up the clean lines of the car, the straps are all over the place, and it makes my back-up sensor beep constantly because the system thinks I'm about to slam into a wall.


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## Blksocks (Dec 22, 2009)

Hmmm...

I keep my bike in the truck bed and can lock them down if needed and there's room for another.


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## The Tic (Aug 3, 2005)

I had my trunk rack on my car for about a year and half. One day as I was loading my bike on the rack and pulled on the straps to check the tightness and the nylon straps snapped. Also the paint bubbled on the trunk under rack pads. Based on this experience I would not suggest leaving a trunk rack on all the time. Also always check the condition of the strap's - I got very lucky in that I pulled on the straps before loading my bike and driving away !


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## rlb81 (Aug 18, 2008)

dadstoy said:


> Oh yeah, yeah,..I meant keeping the bike rack attached,..not the bike .


What year Camry do you have? And are you near NJ by chance? I have a hitch from a 2006 Camry and a rack to go with it. I decided to go roof rack with my new car (Altima). Send me a PM if you're interested and you're nearby.

Rob


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## rlb81 (Aug 18, 2008)

Tony777 said:


> I spent a little bit more $ over the thule trunk rack to get a saris bones rs for my '04 Imprezza. Abosultely love it. Takes me one minute to set it up and to remove. I leave it in my back seat once I hit a trail to make sure that no one steals it.


I like your style :thumbsup:


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## tjkm (Jun 9, 2007)

I've had a variety of roof racks on my vehicles for about 12 years, living in both Colorado and Arizona they have held up well. I still use a Yakima Steelhead for my road bike that I purchased in 1998! 

I have a Camry now and went with a trunk rack. I still have all my gear to my Yakima roof system and put it on the wife's Highlander when going camping, etc. For my weekend in-town rides, trunk rack does the job, but comes off when I am done.


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## dadstoy (Feb 18, 2010)

Yeah, ...I thought about that too. About the straps being constantly exposed to all the elements and the wear and tear on them. Time to rethink this out.

I did however run a bunch of errands on my day off today. Passed up 4 cops:eekster: , and none of them pulled me over.

...but now that Ive said something,..huff,..you watch what happens now


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## dkbikes4life (Nov 20, 2010)

dadstoy said:


> Yeah, ...I thought about that too. About the straps being constantly exposed to all the elements and the wear and tear on them. Time to rethink this out.
> 
> I did however run a bunch of errands on my day off today. Passed up 4 cops:eekster: , and none of them pulled me over.
> 
> ...but now that Ive said something,..huff,..you watch what happens now


So long as the rack doesnt cover your plate, whats the big deal about cops? Local law?


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## bycyclist (Oct 13, 2008)

My Bauer swing away hitch rack is always on....but believe it or not, I actually had my previous Bauer rack stolen - while it was locked! 

It was stolen at the drop off point just above Omega on the Pioneer trail. When we got back to the truck after a great ride....no rack. :madmax:


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## Garilia (Feb 13, 2011)

I have an Allen 4 Bike Hitch Rack and I remove it after each use. A thief would need tools to remove the bolt, but it wouldn't require much effort. My main fear is that the nylon straps that hold the bike to the carrier will degrade quicker being exposed to the South Florida elements 24/7, as my truck is never parked in a garage. Besides, I have nice hitch receiver cover, so it takes maybe five minutes to remove the cover and install the rack. No biggie.


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## Straz85 (Mar 20, 2009)

I have a Yakima Hold Up. I take mine off if I'm not using it for more than a week or so. If I had a garage, I'd take it off more often, I'm still in an apartment though. I used to have a roof rack and I certainly enjoyed just leaving it on all the time, but for other reasons, I switched to the hitch rack (and all things considered, I'm happy with the hitch rack).


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## Straz85 (Mar 20, 2009)

nagatahawk said:


> I used to have Yakima roof rack on Beemer


It's Bimmer, not Beemer


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## dadstoy (Feb 18, 2010)

dkbikes4life said:


> So long as the rack doesnt cover your plate, whats the big deal about cops? Local law?


Yeah it does cover the plate. Its a trunk mounted rack.


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## Turveyd (Sep 30, 2007)

My old Honda Prelude had a rack on it full time for 5years, no one messed with it, cut any straps or anything surprisingly as I live in a crappy street.

Too much hassle, taking it on and off all the time.

These days I have a hatchback loads easier.


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## arkon11 (Jul 26, 2009)

I keep my roof racks on the subaru at all times. I have some lock cores on it and the thing is pretty secure.

You guys have any issues with rusting?


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## azimiut (Feb 21, 2014)

the police around here can be real jerks about the covered plate but that is Scottsdale and Paradise Valley. I have been stopped 3 times. once with a bike on there and twice without the bikes. However they have bike racks on the police vehicles that cover the plate. I used to keep a picture of that in my phone if I was stopped just to show they are doing the same. but I dont keep the rack in unless im going riding with my wife. my car and my truck I just throw it in the back if im by myself.


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## RS VR6 (Mar 29, 2007)

Holy thread resurrection!:cornut:

No...I don't keep them on the car. I've got a roof on one car and a hitch rack on another. I take them off when not in use. The hitch rack takes no time to remove and install. The roof rack takes 10 to 15 minutes.

I've driven around town with the hitch rack folded up and it does block the plate. Never had an issue with the local police.


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## DIRTJUNKIE (Oct 18, 2000)

azimiut said:


> the police around here can be real jerks about the covered plate but that is Scottsdale and Paradise Valley. I have been stopped 3 times. once with a bike on there and twice without the bikes. However they have bike racks on the police vehicles that cover the plate. I used to keep a picture of that in my phone if I was stopped just to show they are doing the same. but I dont keep the rack in unless im going riding with my wife. my car and my truck I just throw it in the back if im by myself.


Not worth it, they'd probably shoot you if you went for your phone.


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## milehi (Nov 2, 1997)

dexetr30 said:


> I leave it on year round. I have a Jeep Wrangler with a spare tire mounted rack. I make sure it stays secure by permanently wrapping a ratchet strap around the spare tire and the top of the rack and then ratchet it down good and tight.[/Q


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## milehi (Nov 2, 1997)

If I had a dollar for everyone that's banged their head into my tire mounted Wrangler rack while looking at their phone...Just the other day while getting a haircut, dude walks in demanding to know who owns the Jeep. Like a [email protected], I told him the rack is there to prevent him from hitting his shin on my hitch.


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