Reducing my 3" Super Duty hitch for a 2" bike rack without wobble

[bikezest]

I have an F350 with the 3" hitch opening. I also have a Rocky Mounts Backstage swing away two bike hitch rack that is a thing of beauty. The issue is that the supplied bolt from Rocky Mounts is for a 2" receiver and doesn't reach far enough through the 3" hitch when using the Ford 2 step down reducers to get to the two-inch opening. You also cannot use a standard locking pin as the rack has an anti-wobble design that relies on a threaded bolt that snugs things tight.

I then ordered a 3" to 2" adapter that sticks out like four inches, so you have the 2" square that the hitch pin can go through. This contraption should work except for the insane about of slop! This a heavy rack with a swing-away contraption and I flat out hate slop and wiggle

I have been searching for an anti hitch wobble device that is very common for just this type of application, but I cannot find one for the 3" hitch as that's what is wobbling so badly.

Anyone else solve this issue?

 

[Wandering Sagebrush]

On my F350, I replaced the stock hitch with a Class 4 Super Hitch.

 

[lmwilco1]

On my F350 I made a custom reducer, it had a 3.5" 1//4" piece welded on the front so it would go into the receiver the same amount each time. The back of the adapter was closed with a 1/2" nut welded to it. This way I could insert it into the factory receiver and bolt it in tight. That removes all of the play in the mount. You can also use one of he anti wobble clamps but I am not sure how well they work.

 

[fish more]

Ford dealer can sell you a adaptor that fits flush in the hitch receiver to reduce to 2".

 

[Beach]

I put a couple wraps of gorilla tape on the fwd end and rear of the insert temporarily while on a trip to solve the same issue but left it on permanently it worked so well. Also eliminated the rattle noise on washboard roads.

 

[bikezest]

On my F350 I made a custom reducer, it had a 3.5" 1//4" piece welded on the front so it would go into the receiver the same amount each time. The back of the adapter was closed with a 1/2" nut welded to it. This way I could insert it into the factory receiver and bolt it in tight. That removes all of the play in the mount. You can also use one of he anti wobble clamps but I am not sure how well they work.

Man, I'd love to see a picture of this!

 

[lmwilco1]

Here are a couple of pictures, this is a 2.5 to 2 adapter. You can see the ring to keep the sleeve from pulling in to far and the back where there was a strap welded across with a nut so you can use a bolt to pull it all the way back and make it tight.

 

[oldhotrod]

You could easily make your own anti wabble for the larger hitch...use a correct sized ubolt and a short piece of angle iron...https://images.app.goo.gl/UivmahUymDZv7Ht37

 

[Straitline]

I used this on my F350 hitch and works well.

Gekers 304 Stainless Steel Hitch... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B073PFR9BR?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

 

[Mthomas]

If you know this is a permanent instal, consider welding the adaptor to the carrier. The weld should eliminate the wobble/play between multiple pieces of square tubing. In my experience, I could not eliminate the wobble between a 2 inch part, a 2-21/2 adaptor and the 2 1/2 receiver on my truck, just too much slop. It also became very challenging and cumbersome to remove carrier when I needed to.

 

[ntsqd]

I use a grade 8 bolt for the hitch pin. Buy it with the shoulder length (not the overall length) equal to or slightly longer than the width of the receiver and stack washers as needed so that the nut can be run down tight. Then behind that bolt near the rear of the adapter I drill a vertical 1/2" hole thru everything (a floor jack to push up in the drill motor is a wonderful thing!) and put a 1/2" grade 8 bolt, with the length set the same way as above, in that hole too. If you don't think it's going to be removed very often try for all metal lock nuts. It can't rattle when done like that.

 

[JaSAn]

I've used one of these for years to eliminate movement of the hitch pulling a 10,000 lb trailer:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N22S92X/?coliid=I1EM0IZJE57R8X&colid=27BMN3KDN9Y78&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it

 

[hpcbmw]

I use the same product Aspen uses - $14.00 from Amazon. Works great to keep my bike rack from moving around, plus it's cheap and easy to use!

 

[Andy Douglass]

I don't think those hitch tighteners are designed to work with hitch adapters. I could see it possibly working with one adapter, but I think a stack of two adapters would change the length and angle of hitch tightener you would need.

 

[smlobx]

My F-350 came with a 2” sleeve that I had welded onto the hitch to make for a very secure connection