[kalo925]

Well good luck buddy, let me know how that works for ya!!

Out of all the comments I've read on this website.. this is the only inappropriate one..

 

[kalo925]

Those bolts in the picture are from the suspension, nothing to do with the hitch. Therefore, no impact to ground clearance.

Yeah, the bolts are actually way forward almost in line with the center of the wheels. Definitely nice hitch setup, but does go against what the owners manual says. :S Seems for very light weight work it shouldn't be a big deal though.. Nice..

 

[kalo925]

Thule Helium: 26 lbs.
2 Road Bikes: 50 lbs.
Hitch Weight: 23 lbs.
Total Weight: 99 lbs.
Being able to have wifey easily attach Thule bike rack and load both bikes....
Priceless!!!

Haha.. Saves you some work from having to load on top? I bet she is not reading this forum!

 

[kalo925]

Any time I look at a used car with a hitch receiver I move on to another one without the same. Towing and using a hitch for other accessories puts a lot of stress on the vehicle. The engine and transmission have to work significantly harder and the brakes and suspension take more abuse. Even a light weight utility trailer without a load puts a great strain on the vehicle. A bike rack induces a pretty significant moment arm load on the vehicle's under carriage and structure. I think all of these reasons are why the car manufacturer does not recommend using it with a hitch. It'll definitely work for you but be advised you're asking for trouble and will likely take a hit at time of trade-in.

Interesting...

However.. One can self-install this Curt hitch, self-remove it and restore to like original...

Could you please explain "moment arm load" on the undercarriage/structure, and why it is detrimental? (as related to the 200 lb limit of the hitch)

Also.. I can't comment on pulling a trailer, because that could be such a variable... but do you think 200 lbs on the back of the CT (as a hitch, rack and bikes) causes any more stress on the engine than if that weight was in the rear seat or rear storage area? Assuming one does not overload the rest of the CT...

Would love to hear your comments.

Thanks.. R

 

[kalo925]

Kalo925,

A bike rack does not put signifcant stress on the carriage and frame. Neither does a light utility trailer. I have a light wieght boat I can move it by habd and the tongue wight is probably only about 30-40 lbs.

Yeah.. I'm not worried.. My Curt hitch is arriving today... Just was curious what his answers would be... R

 

[kalo925]

Regarding moment arm load, the bike rack does apply. The center of mass of the bikes is a certain distance away from the hitch. The force exerted on the tongue is the mass times the distance away. A trailer is different because it has its own axle and wheels to help balance and distribute the load. When properly loaded a trailer's weight at the tongue can be minimal in comparison to the total weight loaded into the trailer. Once in motion a trailer's momentum can ease the burden on the car's drive train. A bike rack doesn't have this same benefit because there are no wheels to carry part of the load.

Kalo925,

If you have a lever 10 feet long and you move it 1 foot with 10 lbs force then the momment arm torque is 100 ft-lbs. The fulcrum point only moves slightly when you move the end of the lever a foot. This is simliar too and why a socket wrench allows you to tighten nuts far tighter than by hand. Obviously the force at the fulcrum is much greater than the force you extert at the end point. So 200 lbs save four fout out on a Curtis hitch could potentailly exert 800 ft-lbs toque on the carriage frame which is rate at 825 lbs of human/cargo weight limit.

Thanks for these replies! Helps me understand it more quickly. I only plan on putting a couple bikes on for now. But pulling a small trailer on a rare occasion is something I want to understand more.

I recently pulled out my old Stumpjumper and have been riding up a local Mtn. It only has a front shock. The downhill isn't so hard, but still challenging for me. At 50 years now a full suspension bike is in order. (thinking less potential for crashing) The only problem is to get down to the Stumpjumper's weight of 25 lbs one has to look at a $6-7k carbon bike! I've never had a road bike and am looking at those too.. Might just pick up a couple of Treks.

are you s******* me? over thinking this way too much. A couple bikes on the hitch isn't going to stress anything with this car.

Thinking is not a sin! haha

 

[kalo925]

No offense, but it is obvious you are not an engineer. I had a friend like you and he switched to business and actually did very well; had his own company.

I thought Nabby's response is quite good. Actually kind of what I was looking for from TAZII. Which points of Nabby's reply do you totally disagree with?

 

[kalo925]

The CURT hitch is shipping on Amazon now. I signed up for the trial of Amazon Prime and can get free 2 day shipping for a month. Seems like a great deal to me...

Link below if you want to check it out.. R

 

[kalo925]

You can lay on the ground.. I don't remember any problems with the few clips.. go for it..