Are you running just the normal cheapo thru-pin or do you have a nicer thread-in draw tight lock pin through the hitch mount point?

This makes a big difference in lean/sway in these kind of products. My Kuat came with both. On the way home the LBS had installed it with the cheapo thru-pin and it leaned/swayed badly. With the draw-tight lock pin it was awesome.

Some folks have used a cutup soda can to take up some slop in the fit between the hitch receiver and the bike rack. You don't need that though on the kind that draws the bike rack block tight into the hitch.

Yep—I’m using the threaded one, which makes me think that it’s coming out of the hitch straight and some of the lateral play is occurring due to space at the pull-knob to put the unit up and down.

---

@floathammerholdon | @partners_in_tri

In that case, maybe.

My Kuat is a different design, but I found a lean/issue because inside the tilt mechanism is a little metal block. There were some screws from outside through the tube screwed into this block that were loose and about to fall out. I put loctite on them and retorqued them and some of my sway/lean was gone again.

I'd hunt for a loose fastener in the mechanism you describe possibly.

I think your most likely answer is in the posts above, but it doesn't hurt to crawl under your car and double check your hitch receiver mounting points. If it was installed more than a couple years ago, there is the potential for rust or loose bolts. If you're in an area that sees salt and it was an after market hitch receiver install, there's the possibility that the mounts points could be rusting through or a bolt is coming loose.