https://www.haymanreese.com.au/products/hitch-pin-locks
You can fit a padlock to the pin that secures the rack into the square hitch receiver to prevent the rack itself being stolen.
I've always been of the opinion that if they really want it they'll find a way to get it, so any thing I actually do will only stop the opportunistic dickheads.
I dont think there is much you can do against a cordless angle grinder... Just make sure the bikes are insured and try not to leave them unattended.
I had a hitch pin that I lost the key for, and even with an angle grinder it was a POS to get off. Might actually have been faster to grind the end off the hitch receiver! (But being my towbar, I wanted to keep it intact.
I was thinking you'd just cut the rack itself - would be matter of a minute tops to cut the upright part of the rack and throw the whole lot with bikes attached into a ute and drive off...
Oh right. Hmm - car insurance tends to cover the trailer when its attached, wonder what they think of bike racks?
Drop the rack right back to the horizontal position, its way easier for 1 person to handle on/off the car than trying to get the 50mm hitch lined up with the rack upright.
In all honesty it’s two bolts for most verticals to take off the draw bar then the thief would just need to make up a new draw bar… in saying that, as it has been a popular request our racks supplied out of the factory from now come with a lockable hitch bolt. Every manufacturer has a different hitch setup though so it’s not exactly a universal solution.
What’s the timeframe until they need it?
Correct, as I mentioned earlier, and @Cardy George pointed out a bit of cable will deter most opportunist tea-leaves and is probably better than the cable currently on Yakima racks or those flimsy jaw clamps on Thule (although it'll need to be a bloody long cable to go through 5 frames and at least 1 wheel hoop). The issue is when travelling to say Thredbo or Vic mtns and leaving the unit on the car, bikes usually come into the accommodation but I'll be buggered if I'm going to lug 27 or even 40kgs of awkward steel about the place, although I imagine you would have to be desperately unlucky for it to get flogged at one of those spots.
Bunnings is your friend. 4 bikes thru front wheels and frames with probably enough to spare for another bike.
www.bunnings.com.au
I hadn't thought to try that - will give it a shot
Thats the exact one I have and a combo lock (so kids don't forget / loose keys)
Quite like my $300 rack...
