1up Rack Fail

xc62701

xc62701

Well-Known Member
I went to put my 1up rack on yesterday so the boy and I could go do some exploring and the rack wouldn't tighten in the hitch. I took it out and looked at the mechanism and the ball that tightens inside the hitch broke. WTF?!?!? Has anyone else had an issue like this with their 1up? I emailed them and showed them the pics. I'm waiting to hear back to see what they can do for me under warranty. I hope it gets resolved soon as I use this often.
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Interesting... Do you uninstall/install your rack frequently? single, double, quad rack? That ball is likely a hardened steel ball so likely strong but brittle. looks like a decent amount of corrosion and surface marring so your receiver is probably a bit rusty and rough inside. If and when 1up replaces your hitch stub, you may want to clean up your receiver if its a rough inside.
 
I had something similiar happen with my Kuat rack years ago, I never took it off.

Currently I have a 1UP rack and take it off periodically and apply Never-Seez. The salt on the roads in the winter does a lot of damage, this is when I typically take it off.
 
Good reminder to inspect your rack at times. I had a wheel strap crack and nearly fail, and I didn’t realize until I made a stop halfway to the trail and needed to remove the bike to get something into the back of my car.

Check straps, bolts, and the ratcheting mechanisms! It’s no fun losing your several thousand dollar bike to a rack failure.
 
JonF said:
Interesting... Do you uninstall/install your rack frequently? single, double, quad rack? That ball is likely a hardened steel ball so likely strong but brittle. looks like a decent amount of corrosion and surface marring so your receiver is probably a bit rusty and rough inside. If and when 1up replaces your hitch stub, you may want to clean up your receiver if its a rough inside.
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I swap the rack and hitch fairly often as I tow my boat a bit as well. The receiver is brand new but could be a little rusty inside. It's on a 2024 GMC that was a leftover so it sat for a year before I bought it. It would be worth checking it out to see if it needs to be cleaned up a bit. 1up is looking to replace the internal parts, not the hitch stub. That is if I can take it apart and see what's actually broken.
 
Good news is that 1up responded already and wants me to disassemble the locking mechanism to see what's broken so they can ship me out replacements. They said it's likely the ball and the bullet that helps the ball actuate that likely broke. I'm going to try to do this today to get the process rolling..pun intended.
 
Most likely the bullet inside that compresses the ball broke. Happens to me every 5 years or so probably because I over tighten it. Easy to get replacement and fix.
 
tonyride said:
Straps? Do they come with straps now? I don't know how I was able to carry my bikes on my rack for 13 years without any straps and not lose a bike.
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Most have them to secure the rear wheel. One-up is the exception, and I think Kuat (and maybe also Thule) have a similar design in their super top end models. But many just have a single arm over the front wheel and a strap for the rear wheel.

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