Review on Kuat Racks Hi Lo Hitch Extension by John Ghattamaraju

I gave this product 2 stars. This could have been 5 stars so let me explain what Kuat did right and wrong. Good 1) The product looks good. The lines of the grip are good and the powder coating on the back looks nice. 2) It has a built-in latch to prevent the receiver from rattling. Don't waste time with an Allen key. You can't get enough torque with this whore and you'll probably end up with skinned knuckles. Use the wrench to tighten it. Bad 1) This is not a true class C receiver extender. The device is made of thinner metal and cannot be used as a standard receiver extender. The product comes with a warning label telling the buyer "Do not use for towing". It is only used to mount a bicycle rack. I will come back to this point in the ugliness section. 2) price. You can buy any receiver extension for $50. I bought a $35 Class C double load from Harbor Freight as it was rated for Class 4 towing. I wonder if this extension will be able to withstand the long wear and tear of a 4 bike rack. Ugly 1) So back to this pure bike rack. All quality bike racks come with CLOSABLE anti-rattle mounting screws, including many KUAT bike racks. Kuat only sells this as an add-on for a $50 bike rack, and it doesn't include a lockable latch. This is just an ugly and irresponsible scheme for a company that claims to be a manufacturer of quality bike racks. So what have I done? I kept the extension because it lowered my two wheeler rack 2 inches and that was all I had to do. I then ordered a $20 anti-rattle Kuat bike lock from Dans Comp (part number HLT011) for those interested in solving this problem. Note that the locking bolt is a smaller diameter (thanks again to Kuat for standardizing on your designs), but the lock itself will work with the bolt that came with the original receiver extension. a rattle bike rack extension which I think would work well for 2 bikes but doubtful for 4. A small investment to try and hold a $500 bike rack and the bikes sitting on it. Well, at least a thief will need more than a 3/4" wrench to take anything. Again, Kuat, what do you think? Please please please Kuat. Add a lock and charge another $10 and I would give you 3 or even 4 stars. Make it out of standard gauge barrel metal and I would give you 4-5 stars. Sell anything with a lock for $50 and I would give you 5+ stars and promote your product to all my mountain bike friends.