Availability of Replacement Hitch Pin Assembly for Thule Rak-N-Loc Bike Rack

Question:

Am looking for a bolt or replacement part to replace a missing hitch pin for my Thule rack. Listed as part J, 853501902, Hitch Pin Assy in the manual. Do you sell one of these? Do you know the thread size for a bolt that will fit? A bolt will work for now, until I can get a real part.

asked by: Sue

Expert Reply:

I reached out to my contact at Thule and she said that the 853501902 hitch pin assembly, along with the Rak-N-Loc carrier line itself, is no longer made and unfortunately these components aren't available. Due to the age of this particular model (my contact says the Rak-N-Loc has been out of production for around 20 years) she wasn't able to track down any specifics with regards to the original pin's thread size or dimensions in order to see if a suitable alternative existed.

With all of this in mind your best option is likely to upgrade to a new bike rack altogether. For a 2-bike hanging-style option that will work really well as a replacement I recommend the Thule Apex XT # TH9024XT. This rack features durable HideAway anti-sway cradles that will safely secure your bikes and their 7 inch spacing on the dual arms allow for optimal bike spacing (it's going to be a lot easier to load your bikes compared to your current model). The carrier also includes a bike and hitch lock to secure everything into place.

I have attached a short video demonstration that you can check out as well.

expert reply by: Chris R