Hitch for CT

exbauer said:

Curt has one out now...

Curt Trailer Hitch for Lexus CT200h 2011 - C11200

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That's not a bad price, I would get one of those just to protect the bumper, but wonder if it can damage whatever it is bolted to if another car were to hit it gently or if you forget its there and back into the wall.

KKM said:

That's not a bad price, I would get one of those just to protect the bumper, but wonder if it can damage whatever it is bolted to if another car were to hit it gently or if you forget its there and back into the wall.

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That's what happened to me with an SUV that I used to own. I got hit lightly from behind in the trailer hitch which ended up bending the frame of the truck. Without the hitch, I probably would have just had bumper damage.

Bill Broderick said:

That's what happened to me with an SUV that I used to own. I got hit lightly from behind in the trailer hitch which ended up bending the frame of the truck. Without the hitch, I probably would have just had bumper damage.

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Bill,

Thanks for your input, I guess it doesn't make for a good bumper protector. I'm assuming that the frame of the SUV is sturdier than the CT's so it might be even worse if you had the Lexus.

KKM said:

Bill,

Thanks for your input, I guess it doesn't make for a good bumper protector. I'm assuming that the frame of the SUV is sturdier than the CT's so it might be even worse if you had the Lexus.

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Yes. But keep in mind that the trailer hitch on an SUV is at bumper level of many other cars. A trailer hitch on a CT200h would likely be below the bumper level of other cars. So, it might not be the same "target" as it was on my S10-Blazer.

That must have been some hit with though to mess up the frame of your SUV. Either way, it would have been the other guy's fault and it would have gotten repaired.

I always get a hitch just to protect from city parking and for my hitch mount bike rack. City parking is like bumper cars for those that don't know how to parallel parking. I just don't want license plate screw indentions in my rear bumper.

exbauer said:

That must have been some hit with though to mess up the frame of your SUV. Either way, it would have been the other guy's fault and it would have gotten repaired.

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It really wasn't much of a hit at all. No more than 10mph. It put a little kink in the right side of the frame, behind the back wheel. It shifted the truck out of square so that the back door had a rub when it closed and the tire carrier wouldn't open & close correctly. From looking at the truck from 5 feet away, you'd think that nothing was wrong. But the only way to fix the issues was to straighten out the frame.

exbauer said:

That must have been some hit with though to mess up the frame of your SUV. Either way, it would have been the other guy's fault and it would have gotten repaired.

I always get a hitch just to protect from city parking and for my hitch mount bike rack. City parking is like bumper cars for those that don't know how to parallel parking. I just don't want license plate screw indentions in my rear bumper.

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Do you always leave the rack on?

So, anyone get/install the Curt hitch yet? Looking for pics, as I'd like to get one to use a bike rack too.

I installed the Curt hitch last week; very straightforward. Just under 1 hour from start to finish; including putting the car on ramps, etc. I plan on using it for a bike rack; Thule Helium.

View attachment 37536

Does that change your ground clearance? Or are the bolts that I see in the photo the original bolts (lower than the hitch)?

Awesome, thanks BostonGTR!

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

thanks BostonGTR! Got some great insight from the pictures!

Yay! That was my only hesitation...that the hitch would lower clearance even more.

BostonGTR said:

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

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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..

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!!!

BostonGTR said:

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!!!

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

GTR, Would you mind taking a pic a little further away to give it perspective? I picked up my new CT200H yesterday and the bike rack issue was my only big concern.

Check out the "Instruction Sheet" on the Curt site for additional pictures:

http://sitepro12.sitepro.com/masterlibrary/11200/installsheet/CM_11200_INS.pdf

ok, great, thanks for the link