I very rarely open the swingout loaded with bikes. This would cause a lot of stress on the spindle.Just checked the specs on the hitch and it's rated at 200lbs....which is fine for a bike rack, but with it cantilevered out and bouncing, I think all of you are right, there's a high risk of this breaking. I tried plates but don't have the clearance. I think I might actually fab up a bottom plate that flanges up on the sides to accommodate the bottom nuts to work around the clearance issue.