Installing a trailer hitch: Useful for more than towing?

See, cars aren’t our only stupid hobby. 

My stupid hobby is paying too much to take photos using a nearly-dead format.

I put a similar Curt hitch on our 2005 Mazda MPV for the exact same reason.  In nearly 14 years of service, I never pulled a trailer with it, but the hitch rack is definitely the way to go for bikes.  Enjoy!

I was interested until I saw it's a 1 1/4" receiver. Nope. 

In reply to Ian F (Forum Supporter) :

Idk, there's three different receiver sizes on my property at the moment. This is plenty of capacity for this car. 

Ian F (Forum Supporter) said:

I was interested until I saw it's a 1 1/4" receiver. Nope. 

I mean nothing that car is realistically capable of towing or hauling is heavier than a 1-1/4 receiver can handle. And adapters exist.

dps214 said:

Ian F (Forum Supporter) said:

I was interested until I saw it's a 1 1/4" receiver. Nope. 

I mean nothing that car is realistically capable of towing or hauling is heavier than a 1-1/4 receiver can handle. And adapters exist.

Class II is 1 1/4, and the rating is 300lb tongue weight or 3500lb trailer weight.

That is heavy enough to make a trailer brake a good idea!

I put one of those hitches on the Spark. I plan to race at least three series this year, province wide, and I'm not into paying $150 in gas for a day of racing. A lightweight bike trailer is about half done and I'm working on a rear rack for the trials bike since it's only 150lbs.

Pretty sure my 1 1/4" is rated at 200lbs

Peabody said:

I'm working on a rear rack for the trials bike since it's only 150lbs.

Pretty sure my 1 1/4" is rated at 200lbs

Yeah you're probably not going to want to do that. The hitch might be rated 200lbs of tongue weight, but 200lbs on a trailer ball is a lot different than 200lbs of bike and rack cantilevered an extra foot or more out from the hitch.

Well, it's not 200lbs and it won't be hanging out that far. It'll be closer to the car than the ball, and supported on the top with a strap to the top of the hatch. I'm not new to doing out of the ordinary things with success. I may have put some thought into it.

In reply to Peabody :

One of my friends used a hitch rack to take the snow tires for his Miata to events.  Yumpy roads on the way to one event bent the chassis from the weight of four mounted NB wheels/tires swinging up and down.  It worked great until it didn't.

That may have been the impetus for him deciding to tow the Miata to distant events... with a Golf

All of my truck-ish vehicles get a 2" receiver rear AND front.  If you've never positioned a trailer or launched a boat using a front-mount hitch, you're missing all the funz.

Right now I'm building a folding hitch carrier for the van that will double as a bike rack and for the generator when I camp.  I might also make a wee tent for around it and make it a bathroom as well, depending on the remoteness of the camping.

For more than one season, we towed our Alfa with a Class II hitch- never had a problem with it.  It was under 3000lb, but the weight on the hitch was still about 250-300lb.  

Tom Suddard said:

In reply to Ian F (Forum Supporter) :

Idk, there's three different receiver sizes on my property at the moment. This is plenty of capacity for this car. 

My experiences with bike racks on 1 1/4" receivers has been extremely negative.  They bounce all over the berking place.  I've seen friends' racks break. 

In reply to Ian F (Forum Supporter) :

I really prefer 2" receiver hitches for bike racks and such. It's just so much better for keeping stuff from rocking from side to side. 

Ian F (Forum Supporter) said:

Tom Suddard said:

In reply to Ian F (Forum Supporter) :

Idk, there's three different receiver sizes on my property at the moment. This is plenty of capacity for this car. 

My experiences with bike racks on 1 1/4" receivers has been extremely negative.  They bounce all over the berking place.  I've seen friends' racks break. 

Check out 1UP USA, their rack is pictured and the thing has been rock-solid for nearly a decade across a bunch of different cars and bikes, with a fair bit of that time spent stored outside 24/7. It goes off-roading on the back of the Trooper, too. 
 

https://www.1up-usa.com/product/quik-rack-single/

I have a chunk of an exercise machine that fits a 2 inch receiver. I mounted a bigass plate on it with holes that are supposed to fit my vice and my mini tire changer. Helpful sometimes.

After I out the hitch on the Outback I wondered why I hadn't done it sooner. 

It's handy for transporting my dirt bike and bicycles.

I wouldn't buy a 1.25" receiver because it doesn't seem strong enough. Plus I already have a bike rack, a rear support arm for the back of my Kayak and a small trailer with a 2" ball.

If you've never towed an empty 24' enclosed trailer with a Jetta you really have never lived. Also, I don't recommend this.

67LS1 said:

I wouldn't buy a 1.25" receiver because it doesn't seem strong enough. Plus I already have a bike rack, a rear support arm for the back of my Kayak and a small trailer with a 2" ball.

All of the weight of the front of your car, as well as all cornering loads, braking loads, loads from slamming into potholes, etc, are focused on about .5in^2 of steel loaded in tension/single-shear on each side.

Even 1 1/4" receivers are massively overbuilt for what they have to do.  They're generally stronger than the thin sheetmetal they attach to.

Those 1up racks are awesome! My friend has one on his Tacoma and it's amazing how solid it is!!

The hitch limit is in line with that vehicle.  I would not put a 1 1/4 hitch on my silverado but have one on the subaru.

The problem is not the hitch, it is probable slop in the receiver.  Any looseness is amplified due to the physics of it, and you will feel it when driving.  Not all hardware fits properly, but there are basic clamps that will tighten up any movement.  

Tom Suddard said:

Ian F (Forum Supporter) said:

Tom Suddard said:

In reply to Ian F (Forum Supporter) :

Idk, there's three different receiver sizes on my property at the moment. This is plenty of capacity for this car. 

My experiences with bike racks on 1 1/4" receivers has been extremely negative.  They bounce all over the berking place.  I've seen friends' racks break. 

Check out 1UP USA, their rack is pictured and the thing has been rock-solid for nearly a decade across a bunch of different cars and bikes, with a fair bit of that time spent stored outside 24/7. It goes off-roading on the back of the Trooper, too. 
 

https://www.1up-usa.com/product/quik-rack-single/

I seriously have experience with every type of hitch mount bike rack sold for over 30 years.  Any of them mounted to an 1 1/4" receiver is flexy at best. I've seen them break. All of them. 

You do you, but I will NEVER install one on any of my vehicles. Ever. And "never" is not a word I use lightly.

Timely, since I just bolted up a class 2 receiver on our family duty Cadillac as I have done for nearly every vehicle in the recent past. Planning a family vacation to Gainesville in a couple of months and could use the extra capacity. 

Like many disabled people, I use a small cargo carrier to transport my mobility scooter. Even my smallest, lightest chair made from magnesium mountain bike frames that folds up and disassembles for transport can be a heavy, bulky problem sometimes. Saves a ton of trunk space and makes traveling easier for me. 

Cargo platforms are also great for fishing and hunting when dirty, smelly gear is best carried outside of the vehicle. I use a heavy bike chain lock if I need to secure my moped, generator, etc..

I will probably add a receiver to my tiny 1 ton GLH so that dirty race tires can stay outside and clean camping gear can travel inside for weekend hillclimbs.

Jeep actually had a recall on the ZJ Grand Cherokee's that didnt have a hitch installed to put them on every ZJ to protect the gas tank out back. So fire protection!

porschenut said:

The hitch limit is in line with that vehicle.  I would not put a 1 1/4 hitch on my silverado but have one on the subaru.

The problem is not the hitch, it is probable slop in the receiver.  Any looseness is amplified due to the physics of it, and you will feel it when driving.  Not all hardware fits properly, but there are basic clamps that will tighten up any movement.  

Yeah, that's why I'm such a fan of 1UP's design. Expanding receiver makes a perfectly rigid connection with the hitch. I actually stole parts from another 1UP rack to make the video camera mount we use for all of our on-track shoots. 

I have one of those on my 2009 MINI Clubman S, I tow my classic Mini all over the country with it - works a treat! I get about 27 mpg while towing at 75 mph on the cruise control. 

Ian F (Forum Supporter) said:

Tom Suddard said:

In reply to Ian F (Forum Supporter) :

Idk, there's three different receiver sizes on my property at the moment. This is plenty of capacity for this car. 

My experiences with bike racks on 1 1/4" receivers has been extremely negative.  They bounce all over the berking place.  I've seen friends' racks break. 

I made one out of square tubing, and other than it being built too short, it's pretty stout.  

dps214 said:

Peabody said:

I'm working on a rear rack for the trials bike since it's only 150lbs.

Pretty sure my 1 1/4" is rated at 200lbs

Yeah you're probably not going to want to do that. The hitch might be rated 200lbs of tongue weight, but 200lbs on a trailer ball is a lot different than 200lbs of bike and rack cantilevered an extra foot or more out from the hitch.

So Curt offers a 1 1/4"carrier that is normally rated for 300lbs, and down rated to 200 for this application. It hangs out significantly more that what I had in mind. 
The other thing, as someone else mentioned, is that they bounce  around a lot. I think at least part of that is the lousy fit of the 1 1/4" tube into the receiver. Ten seconds into the first drive with a trailer attached it was obvious that needed attention.  So I'm going to machine some square steel block to fit properly. I will post pics of the carrier when I'm done

If you are looking for one , get the Curt number and check EBay , 

I got a return from Pep Boys eBay  account for half price and free shipping .

californiamilleghia said:

If you are looking for one , get the Curt number and check EBay , 

I got a return from Pep Boys eBay  account for half price and free shipping .

Also can check for stuff returned to Amazon (filter by 'used' or sold by 'Amazon Warehouse').  Last year I found a Curt 31025 ("2-Inch Front Receiver Hitch, Select Ford Escape, Mercury Mariner") for $48, or a little over $1/lb.

In general, Amazon returns are risky if you care about exactly what you're getting.  I do not have a 2007 Mariner/Escape (or whatever weird and specific year 31025 fits), it was a cheap and convenient way to get steel to make a front receiver/ winch mount for my i-350.  I have had good enough luck with Amazon-returned exhaust components, but a Bilstein shock turned out to be completely the wrong part#.

Woody (Forum Supportum) said:

In reply to Ian F (Forum Supporter) :

I really prefer 2" receiver hitches for bike racks and such. It's just so much better for keeping stuff from rocking from side to side. 

Whenever possible, make gravity the Coyote's greatest enemy.

This is one reason I like the 2" receivers.  That said, a lot of modern bike racks have a threaded pin section to minimize wobble.  The receiver interface on mine is rock solid despite being a 1.25".  I can't say the same for the rest of the rack, but its cheaper than a 1up and more kid-bike friendly.

In reply to ProDarwin :

I bolted a 2" receiever under my workbench so I can mount the grinder to a step adaptor.  I can quickly remove the grinder if it's in my way.

Well, almost.  There is an amazing amount of wobble in a 2" reciever.  I fixed that with a drill, tap, and fine thread bolt to preload the assembly.

I had a receiver on the back of the Miata for years so I could carry a bike but finally took it off as it’s a bit of weight. But that lightweight hitch from Paco looks interesting....