How to Lock Hitch Bolt on Roadmaster Hitch Mounted Spare Tire Carrier to Hitch Receiver

Question:

Hi, we just purchased this spare tire carrier to carry a spare on our Class C motorhome, and yes, we can say that the Roadmaster tow bars still work just fine along with this product! My question: the spare tire carrier mounts to your hitch receiver with a threaded bolt instead of a straight pin. Makes the mount sturdy and wiggle-free, but you cant use a standard locking hitch pin with it. I had just ordered a set of etrailer brand locking hitch pins keyed alike and was planning to lock both the spare tire carrier and the tow bars with matching hitch pins - but I see now that I cant use it where the threaded bolt is. It doesnt make much sense to lock up the tow bars against theft when the whole receiver/spare tire mount can be taken just by backing out the bolt. The threaded bolt DOES have a hole for a retainer clip in the end to keep it from backing out see photos - does etrailer make a small padlock that can be keyed alike with my hitch pins to use on this spare tire carrier? Thanks, and sorry for the long question!

asked by: Sherri S

Expert Reply:

Thanks for reaching out!

To lock your Roadmaster Hitch Mounted Spare Tire Carrier # RM-195225 to your Class C motorhome you can use the Roadmaster Quick-Disconnect Padlock # RM-301 in place of the hairpin clip that comes with the carrier. This won't be keyed alike with the other locks that you purchased but it does give you a way to secure the carrier to your hitch receiver.

Aside from that Roadmaster doesn't really have any other solution to lock the carrier, and we don't have any locks that we know of to match with the threaded portion of the anti-rattle hitch bolt you have.

expert reply by: Jon G