# Best anti-theft device for hitch mounts.



## Cj923 (Sep 2, 2011)

I'm looking to buy a Yakima or Thule platform hitch racks in a few days and was curious was the best anti device for it. I know I can buy the locks that each manufacturer sells I just haven't heard anything good about them. Is there another was you guys are using so no one can steal the hitch off your vehicles? Also what do yall use so no one can steal the bikes off the hitch If for whatever reason u have to leave your bikes on the hitch for a few mins. Thanks


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## pimpbot (Dec 31, 2003)

Cj923 said:


> I'm looking to buy a Yakima or Thule platform hitch racks in a few days and was curious was the best anti device for it. I know I can buy the locks that each manufacturer sells I just haven't heard anything good about them. Is there another was you guys are using so no one can steal the hitch off your vehicles? Also what do yall use so no one can steal the bikes off the hitch If for whatever reason u have to leave your bikes on the hitch for a few mins. Thanks


Disc style lock (like the messengers use) with a covered big ass heavy Grade5 steel chain wrapped around the hitch receiver under the car to a good U-Lock around the frame and rear wheel of the bike. That's what I use, but I don't depend on it holding the bike to the car if I leave it unattended in a public place. The chain can be defeated with big bolt cutters and the lock can be defeated with a battery powered angle grinder.

At least if the chain is defeated, the U-Lock keeps the bike from being ridden away. Not helpful if the thief throws your bike in the back of a pickup and speeds away.

U-Locks can be defeated with a tire jack or an angle grinder. At least wrapping it around the frame as much as you can (and using the smallest U-Lock you can get away with) makes the tire jack method as hard as possible to do without damaging the bike.

The Master key:


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## Cj923 (Sep 2, 2011)

What about just to secure the hitch to the car? I really don't feel like having to constantly remove and reattach the hitch to my truck if I don't have to.


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## brankulo (Aug 29, 2005)

i recently got yakima hold up rack and was interested in same thing. not much about securing the bike to the rack but securing the rack itself. yakima lock for pin is crap, i accidentally broke it without even knowing about it while unscrewing hitch pin. i am also interested how to secure the pin that rack pivots around when folding it up. this pin also takes yakima lock but it is not worth the money. without lock this pin can be unscrewed and part of the rack taken away. i am thinking just to damage threads so the nut cant be unscrewed as i cant find the reason i would ever need to. i am currently looking for decent threaded hitch pin with lock


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## Cj923 (Sep 2, 2011)

brankulo said:


> i recently got yakima hold up rack and was interested in same thing. not much about securing the bike to the rack but securing the rack itself. yakima lock for pin is crap, i accidentally broke it without even knowing about it while unscrewing hitch pin. i am also interested how to secure the pin that rack pivots around when folding it up. this pin also takes yakima lock but it is not worth the money. without lock this pin can be unscrewed and part of the rack taken away. i am thinking just to damage threads so the nut cant be unscrewed as i cant find the reason i would ever need to. i am currently looking for decent threaded hitch pin with lock


Im thinking about getting the same hitch, how do u like it so far. Man you got to be the 20th person that said the Yakima locks are garbage. Messing the thread up seems like a good idea can u let me know what u end up doing so I can get a idea as what to do.


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## frankenstein406 (May 11, 2007)

Red loctite the bolt. It doesn't matter if you can get enough leverage before a bolt strips you can break it.


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## brankulo (Aug 29, 2005)

i was going to get a longer bolt and nut, replace the pivot bolt with this longer one, thread the bolt on and whack the end bent. now the red locktite seems better idea, didnt know the stuff is this strong. 
cj, the rack is great, i was between t2 and holdup, scored one on craigslist. i like how it doesnt touch the frame. only think is its quite heavy. both of them are. not a big deal.


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## pimpbot (Dec 31, 2003)

*It's not that strong*



brankulo said:


> i was going to get a longer bolt and nut, replace the pivot bolt with this longer one, thread the bolt on and whack the end bent. now the red locktite seems better idea, didnt know the stuff is this strong.
> cj, the rack is great, i was between t2 and holdup, scored one on craigslist. i like how it doesnt touch the frame. only think is its quite heavy. both of them are. not a big deal.


I use Red Loctite all the time when I build outdoor sirens. I also use it on my crank arm bolts. It's not that hard to defeat. I defeat it all the time with simple hand wrenches.

If you think it is... do you really want that thing semi-permanently attached to your car?

You can always tack-weld the bolt in place, or take a grinder and round off the flats.

*edit*

And like I said before... I never heard of anybody losing their hitch rack. Not sure if it's worth losing sleep over.


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## brankulo (Aug 29, 2005)

iam not talking about hitch pin but bolt that rack folds up around


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## Motorep (Jun 20, 2004)

I just ordered a Yakima Stick-Up for my 2012 Golf TDI. I plan on using a motorcycle disc lock and cable to secure everything. I'll loop the cable through the bikes and rack and lock the ends with the disc lock to the trailer hitch. It should keep 85% of the thieves away.


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## Cj923 (Sep 2, 2011)

Motorep said:


> I just ordered a Yakima Stick-Up for my 2012 Golf TDI. I plan on using a motorcycle disc lock and cable to secure everything. I'll loop the cable through the bikes and rack and lock the ends with the disc lock to the trailer hitch. It should keep 85% of the thieves away.


I really doubt I'm gonna ever leave my bikes on the hitch so I'd have to lock them up. My biggest concern is the hitch itself, I just wanna take any precautions so I'd feel better about myself. I'd hate to leave my hitch on the back of my truck and come out the next morning and it's gone and knowing I didn't do anything to protect it.


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## hado_pv (May 26, 2006)

Good cable with loop ends. wrap it around the bikes, the rack if you think it's necessary and then throw the ends in the trunk and latch it.

Easy & quick, though the angle grinder is still a formidable enemy.


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## jjc155 (Aug 9, 2011)

Not sure what to do to lock your stuff up (im a visual guy, I need to see stuff to figure it out) but just remember, Locks only keep honest people honest. If someone wants it, they will take it regardless of what you do short of actually welding it to your car.

Edit: for the hitch, what about a locking hitch pin? never had anyone even try to get my hitch off my truck when secured with one of these. Take ur pic they all work.

I tried to post a link, but since I only have 7 posts apparently I cant be trusted to do that, LMAO. 

J-


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## Cj923 (Sep 2, 2011)

Might be a dumb question bu what's a locking hitch pin? Where would I get them from and how much do they cost?


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## wuzilla (Sep 9, 2008)

I use one of these: Yakima Hitch Lock at REI.com

Hitch stays on the car 95% of the time (live in 2nd story condo, so removing/storing is a hassle). I use a cable w/ padlock on the bikes (threaded through a yakima stick-up) for those times that I need to run errands with the bikes on back.

Defeatable? Sure. But I'm fairly certain any would-be thieves would be more interested in throwing a brick through the window and taking the fancy GPS, car stereo, or even the jeans I left in the back seat to go for my ride. I personally feel that theft is a crime of convenience. And if someone want to pull an intricate Italian Job on any of my stuff - then, well, they sure wanted it a whole lot more then me!


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## edubfromktown (Sep 7, 2010)

OP - why not purchase a hitch rack that has built-in cable locks?

Check out the Kuat NV... (you can see the cable lock in this picture) Kuat NV platform hitch bike rack

$399 on sale occasionally here and there...


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## brankulo (Aug 29, 2005)

that yakima lock is crap, see my post above #4. cj, google locking hitch pin, they can be had at wall mart or any car parts store i believe. they go from around $15 up. i am getting one of those, just not quite sure which one.


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## Maday (Aug 21, 2008)

What have other people done for a T2 locking hitch pin? My rack has a threaded hitch pin with the junky lock. I was thinking of drilling out the threads, and using a more stout locking pin.


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## brankulo (Aug 29, 2005)

there are threaded locking hitch pins available. not sure if the threads would match though


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## imero (Aug 6, 2011)

i recently purchased a yakima double down bike rack. to secure the rack to the hitch i installed a yakima hitch lock. it will do little to deter a thief. it's way too easy to break.

i'm brainstorming a way to secure the rack to the hitch in a way that will make it a bit tougher to walk away with my bike rack. i may end up drilling a hole on the horizontal arm of the rack and securing it to the hitch with a cable. any other ideas?

with regards to the pivot bolt on the vertical arm, i used a longer bolt along with a security nut from Tufnut Security Nuts and Security Bolts. the security nut is a bit tougher to remove than the standard nut that comes with the rack. after reading this thread i will also apply red loctite. great idea.


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## Cj923 (Sep 2, 2011)

imero u got pics of what u did??


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## imero (Aug 6, 2011)

Cj923 said:


> imero u got pics of what u did??


i don't, but here's the hitch lock that i installed:

Yakima › Shop › Bike › Bike Accessories › HitchLock

and here's the security nut that i used on the pivot arm:

Tufnut Security Hardware

i'm not a big fan of the yakima hitch lock and will soon improvise another way to secure the rack to the hitch. the yakima hitch lock simply goes on at the end of the hitch bolt like this:

http://www.bikerackshops.com/accessories/hitch_locks/hitchlock_with_core/

good luck.


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