3/8 Hitch Pin for old bike rack

[ramchol76]

Hi All - Bought a old bike rack like in this picture, but the one I purchased did not come with hitch pin. https://images.offerup.com/UAZC-vob...6/photos/a438ba5d9214492ab915d01cf374e140.jpg

the bike rack has a square hole of size 3/8, while my Tahoe receiver has 5/8 hole. Can I use the 3/8 pin available in Home Depot link below? the head of it seems too small or can I use any 3/8 carriage bolt with washers? or should I drill the hole bigger (never drilled metal before)? or are there any other option? I am new to using hitch

TowSmart 3/8 in. x 4-3/4 in. Steel Clevis Pin 1203 - The Home Depot

The TowSmart Hitch Pin protects your boats, campers, trailers, equipment and other valuable assets from theft. It easily secures your ball mount or hitch accessories to the receiver hitch. Simply insert

www.homedepot.com

 

[Charlie207]

I would drill the 3/8" hole out to 5/8" so it matches your existing receiver. It's very straightforward to enbiggen those existing holes, and all you need is a correct drill bit and drill. After drilling I'd clean up the exposed metal and hit it with some black spray paint to seal it in.

That's a cool bike rack, can you share what make/model it is?

 

[Fless]

By chance does the bike rack hole have a nut welded inside of the tube?

 

[ramchol76]

I would drill the 3/8" hole out to 5/8" so it matches your existing receiver. It's very straightforward to enbiggen those existing holes, and all you need is a correct drill bit and drill. After drilling I'd clean up the exposed metal and hit it with some black spray paint to seal it in.

That's a cool bike rack, can you share what make/model it is?

thanks for the idea, its a old BVG XR2 bike rack, quite often comes on FB marketplace. I like it for its swing option.

 

[ramchol76]

By chance does the bike rack hole have a nut welded inside of the tube?

it doesn't have any welded nut inside. the original pin (which I don't have) looks like this pic...

 

[EvergreenZ71]

I had one of those and the lack of an interior garage rusted it out.

Before you drill it out I'd try looking to see if locks / bolts are still available for it. That square hole format is actually for its anti-rattle feature which is a huge benefit on a swing-gate rack.