Allen Wrench

Allen Wrench
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1: Allen Deluxe 3-Bike Hitch Mount Rack (1.25 Or 2-Inch Receiver)

Allen Deluxe 3-Bike Hitch Mount Rack (1.25 Or 2-Inch Receiver)

great service

First received this on a beautiful spring day which was also my birthday. excitedly put it together with my son with plans of biking. BUT....the holes on the upright arm were predrilled in the wrong place. It was unusable. Called the customer service and also emailed them on saturday (they weren't open). Allen customer service responded early monday morning both by phone and email. Although I only needed the one part replaced, they sent an entire new rack which was received within 4 days. The rack is very solid and easy to put together.
Product flaws exist as a fact of life, but excellent customer service can more than make up for it. Its nice to know that there are still companies around who place value on their reputation.

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Great bike rack, a little high on the price.

Great bike rack all around. Easy to assemble, just make sure you have the tools to do so. The locking washers are a pain without the proper wrenches. The "anti-wobble" bolt to make sure the rack doesn't sway from side to side is a little difficult to install, and it took me a few tries to get it right, but now it is rock solid and won't move anywhere. The fold down mechanism works like a charm, you just have to make sure you don't tighten the two bolts at the top too much or it will be really difficult to move.

Positives:
+ Easy to assemble
+ Very sturdy
+ Holds the bikes very well

Negatives:
- Wal-Mart has the same rack for $23 cheaper at the time of this review (which I found out AFTER the fact, come on Amazon!)
- Instructions could be a bit more clear, but they have a great instructional video on the company website.
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I Really Like This Bicycle Rack

This rack is sturdy and works well. The tie-downs hold the bicycles securely. The upper arm that holds the bicycles can easily be folded down and locked if you aren't carrying bicycles. The whole arm can easily be folded down to access the lift-gate on an SUV (as is my case).

The only minor complaint I have is that there is no padding on the vertical support arm. The instructions say that bicycles should be secured together with some sort of tie-down or elastic cord while transporting. If you have a single bicycle, and you secure it to the arm, it would rub against the arm and scratch the bicycle's paint unless you put some sort of padding there, which is what I'm doing.

Other than that I'm pleased with the rack and think it is a good value.

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Solid product, good price

I wanted a bike rack to drive about 3 miles to the park. This one does a good job and is reasonably priced. However, I got mine at Wal-M$$t, on-line purchase, shipped to local store for free, no sales tax, much cheaper. Lots of good reviews on W-M website too. Recommend this rack for low cost alternative to the higher priced name brands. It wobbles a little, but not a problem. I may not have the bolt tight enough. I got the Allen adapter bar too (Amazon); it is fast and easy.

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Excellent 3-bike rack

The Allen Deluxe 3-bike hitch-mounted rack is an excellent product. Very well made from heavy steel. The support arms that actually hold the bikes can be folded down by removing a pin. So, when not hauling bikes, the arms aren't sticking out threatening to hurt passersby. Folding the arms up or down is an easy procedure. We considered roof-mounted bike racks, but they were much more expensive and would have made it very difficult for me, let alone my wife, to get bikes up on the roof of the car. My wife takes bike rides with her friends and it was important that the rack be easy for her to use and it is. Another nice feature is that the rack can also rotate out away from the car hatchback door, allowing you to open the hatchback when needed. Again, this is accomplished by removing a pin. One nit to pick: the rack will fit either 1.25-inch or 2-inch hitch receivers, which is nice; however, the 1.25 inch option was a little loose in my particular hitch. I ended up sliding a couple of thin pieces of plate metal that I bought at Home Depot into the hitch receiver to shim it and reduce any play. I consider this to be very minor, hence the five stars. If you need the 2-inch option, the rack comes with two metal plates that wrap around the 1.25 inch mounting bar. Since I don't have a 2-inch hitch, I couldn't actually try this option, but it looks very solid. Very good value.

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Great bike rack

I found no problems with this. I holds the bikes securely and is easy to load. It also folds easily for access to the truck bed. GREAT price for the quality.

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How can I remove a recessed bolt that has the ball from the tip of an allen wrench broken off in the head?

You'll need a really good drill bit and an easy-out. Buy an easy-out with the correct size drill for the bolt you want to remove. Drill the hole in the shaft of the bolt and twist the easy-out into the hole. The easy-out will be left threaded, so screw it in the same direction you would normally be removing any bolt, which is counter-clockwise. It will snug up, then keep turning till the bolt comes loose.