How Much of the Shank Needs to Be Inside the Trailer Hitch Receiver on a Kuat Beta Bike Rack

Question:

Hi. I have a Kuat Beta 1 1/4” 2 bike rack. With the provided hitch pin installed, only 3 1/8” of the stinger enters the hitch receiver. When I tighten the tension knob it feels very secure. The bikes are only 21lbs. each. The rack is only 14 lbs. Do you think this is a problem?

asked by: Richard

Helpful Expert Reply:

I spoke with my contact at Kuat about the Kuat Beta part # B202-114 on your 2018 Subaru Outback Wagon and they informed me that the 3-1/8" of shank you have positioned inside the trailer hitch will be plenty to support the weight of the carrier with bikes attached. The Beta bike rack has an integrated cam tighter which will ensure the shank is securely positioned and tightened to the inside of the receiver tube opening.

If you are looking to add security to both the bike rack and your bikes then you will want to use the etrailer.com Bike Rack Hitch Lock part # e98879 to secure the bike rack to the trailer hitch and the Deadbolt 10' Long Cable Lock part # e98891 to secure the bikes to the bike rack.

expert reply by: Conner L