Did you install your own trailer hitch?

[schwa86]

My Forester died an abrupt death. I replaced it with a Mazda CX-5 that I really like, but for the short roof rails that make bike mounts up top not great. So I am thinking about moving to a hitch based system.

Looking online, I am coming up with many install yourself options that claim no drilling etc. I am pretty handy but more in a bike wrenching, home repair kind of way. Any reason not to install myself? Any tips, brands you especially like, etc.? I am assuming all other things being equal, I should get the 2"?

[commonguy001]

2 inch receiver works best for a lot of racks. They're super easy to install although no drill doesn't mean no cutting if there is a plastic cover on the under side in back. Also - if you live in an area with salt on the roads, the bolts they go into can be rusty although a new car would remove that factor.
I bought mine from E-Trailer and have friends that have used them as well. They ship for free if you spend a fairly reasonable amount (99 bucks if I'm not mistaken) and they carry good stuff. I bought what was cheapest as they all looked the same when we put one on our CRV. No regrets, would do it the same way again.

[choke]

Go for it. I've installed a few and it has always been a fairly easy process.

Definitely do the 2" if you have that option.

[quickfeet]

I installed one on my outback that required the entire rear clip to come off. It was a couple hour affair but totally worth it.

[srcarter]

I've installed 2 so far. Even one with some drilling/cutting was not too bad. If you look at etrailer.com they have videos showing the installation for most popular cars. In each case I've done it, there has been a point where I really wished I had had a helper, but I have gotten through them by myself using something to prop up the hitch (e.g., a car jack).

Definitely go with 2 inch as the 1 1/4 will limit rack options.

[bmeryman]

I've installed a few so far. The biggest time suck has been getting rusty bolts out. Other than that it's been a relatively painless 30min job on the cars and trucks I've done.

[eddief]

It was a Curt 1.25 hitch meant only for a one or two bike rack. It came with detailed instructions and on my car required no cutting. But it did require taking off the bumper cover and removing the tail lights. After that 4 bolts out and then back in. I'll be damned if I was going to remove the bumper cover myself. I watched every vid on how to do it but it still scared the crap out of me. Instead I waited until me and another car bumped each other in a parking lot and I screwed up the bumper. The shop that did the repaint had to remove the bumper cover...a perfect time to have them bolt on the hitch? All good now.

The hitch was $125 and quotes were for 1-2 hours of labor.

CX5 easy peasy = not for me. CX5 video:

https://www.etrailer.com/tv-install-trailer-hitch-2015-mazda-cx5-c13315.aspx

[Clean39T]

My Forester died an abrupt death. I replaced it with a Mazda CX-5 that I really like, but for the short roof rails that make bike mounts up top not great. So I am thinking about moving to a hitch based system.

Looking online, I am coming up with many install yourself options that claim no drilling etc. I am pretty handy but more in a bike wrenching, home repair kind of way. Any reason not to install myself? Any tips, brands you especially like, etc.? I am assuming all other things being equal, I should get the 2"?

I have a Curt CX-5 2" hitch that I bought for our CX-5 and never installed - and now our lease is up..

It's yours free-for-shipping, which is probably around $50 depending on where you are. NIB. Never opened.

Just pay-it-forward however you see fit...

Had it on eBay: https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F17 3816524080

But it had expired and I forgot to renew.

[GregL]

Been there, done that. Installed a Curt 2" hitch on my 2014 CX-5 when it was new. One of the easiest auto accessory installations I ever performed. Did it by myself in well under an hour. The directions on the Curt website are excellent. While the installation can be done solo (using a floor jack to support the hitch), it will undoubtedly be easier with a second pair of hands.

Greg

[Black Dog]

Go on youtube or many of the hitch makers sites and watch an installation video for your car. Then you will be able to asses the process and if you are up to it.

[Irishgirl]

I finally picked a lane and ordered a stealth hitch (after having a couple of engineers at my firm check out the options i was considering). This hitch requires the bumper to be removed and this is beyond my skill set. I made calls to the places listed on the Stealth site and all where charging a high price to installation. So I reached out to my LBS for a recommendation figuring they sell racks I bet they know a guy. Bingo! Turns out I get to support another local business with a better price.

Waiting now for the hitch to come in to schedule my appointment.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[peanutgallery]

Installed a few over the years, some easy...others not so much. If you have any doubts, $200 or so at Uhaul for the whole thing and you are golden

If you have engineers from your office involved, you're in big trouble:)

[YoKev]

I did one on my previous Jetta Sportwagen. It was a Curt, and it took about an hour of my time with no cursing.

I am back in a Sportwagen, and I have opted to get a ecohitch, which requires bumper removal. It will be installed by an authorized installer.

But, I am tackling our 2014 Outback soon...I expect it will go well.

[AngryScientist]

i've installed a bunch over the years.

as mentioned, the typically worst part is if you have corrosion under the car already and you may have to fight with bolt removal.

the other tip mentioned is that these things are typically pretty heavy, and you bolt them up on either side, so the job is doable with one person but typically a lot easier with two people.

[stien]

Spray those bolts a week before you need to work on it.

I did one my wife's prius because it was our only car at the time, towed a small trailer and bike rack with no issues.

The biggest pain was getting the underbody "tray" off with the plastic clips.

[batman1425]

Got a Curt hitch from e-trailer for our Rav4. Bolted on to existing frame holes in less than 20min. The only difficulty was maneuvering it into place by myself. Had to make a prop out of wood to hold up one end.

One other tip - if your kit has you threading into factory locations, may be worth buying a tap of the matching size to chase out any corrosion or rust in the threads. Only take a couple extra min and will make installation (and removal later) much easier.

[fmradio516]

Just curious how your subaru died..

[johnniecakes]

Installed one on a 08 Outback and another on a 2017 Crosstrek. Both installs were done solo with the help of a few straps helping to hold the hitch up while manuvering it into place. About an hour start to finish.

[Gummee]

I DIYed it on my 04 BMW X3.

Destructions called for cutting out a chunk of the bottom of the bumper cover. I said 'phooey on that!' and cut an appropriately sized hole instead.

That was 4 bolts in the factory location. Removing the bumper cover was the biggest pain. Clips in strange places...

M

[C40_guy]

All depends on the car and the hitch.

A few lifetimes ago I installed a factory hitch on a Volvo 145. 4 bolts into the frame and I was drinking a beer in about 20 minutes. Took longer to get the hitch out of the box than mounted on the car.

Cars have changed. I purchased a custom 2" hitch for my '04 Audi allroad. For ease of installation, the car went on a lift, the bumper cover and various other parts came off.

With my last two car (SUV) purchases, I've only considered cars (a Touareg, then a Q7) with factory hitches. On both of these, IIRC, the factory hitch package included a slightly more robust cooling system... For towing, of course, this is useful. For 50 lbs of bike, probably overkill. :)

And my bikes still go inside or on the roof...

[woolly]

For my old Honda Fit, I did it myself, solo. 30 minutes, no more than an hour (it was a while ago). Used an extra floor jack to help support it under the car while I was mounting it up. Easy-peasy.

For my 135i, it required removing the bumper cap, etc. I was already due for an oil change, so I just took it to my local independent bimmer shop & let them do it while they already had the car. Charged me something like 1 hour of labor, maybe just a smidge more. I considered it money well spent, and will take that same route for my wife's X3.

[hoonjr]

What year is your CX5? I installed a CURT hitch from etrailer.com. As everyone has mentioned it's much easier if you have a second pair of hands when you bolt it on. Also whoever offered you their hitch just covering the cost of shipping. Jump on that!!! As long as it fits your year and model.

[josephr]

DIY on my Mazda CX5 with the Curt model from etrailer. In the box comes threading wires to fish/align the bolts/nuts, etc as the frame of the CX-5 is set-up for a hitchmount. The fun part is dropping the muffler as the CX5 has rubber hangers. WD-40 the $#!+ out of these and they'll slide off and back on. Just be sure to wear safety glasses and cover your mouth with something as you're spraying from underneath. After that, the job is pretty simple -- maybe 30-45 minutes.

[jb_11]

I did one on a Honda Odyssey a few years ago. As other's have said, it's not that difficult if you're handy and have a decent tool set. Removing the bumper cover was really not a big deal. I went with the factory hitch and wiring kit. It was barely more than an aftermarket version, and the fit was spot on. The wiring install was a breeze too, as it just plugged into the factory wiring loom. No splicing needed.

A couple of specialty tools came in handy; trim removal pry bars (plastic, inexpensive) and a tap to chase the threads.

It's also not a bad idea to grab a few spare trim clips (inexpensive), in case any are brittle from age.

A quick search shows the CX5 factory hitch is ~$300 and another $67 for a wiring harness, if needed.

[schwa86]

What year is your CX5? I installed a CURT hitch from etrailer.com. As everyone has mentioned it's much easier if you have a second pair of hands when you bolt it on. Also whoever offered you their hitch just covering the cost of shipping. Jump on that!!! As long as it fits your year and model.

On it!

[schwa86]

Just curious how your subaru died..

It was a well maintained 2003 with about 98,000 miles on it. I don't drive much as I cycle to work mostly or take public transport. The timing belt went (abruptly, no symptoms) and the pistons ate the rest of the engine. Not worth fixing. My mechanic said he would have done timing belt at 100/105K. My car nerd friend claims this is a Subaru issue. Very annoying, though I got a good deal on the used CX5.

[josephr]

It was a well maintained 2003 with about 98,000 miles on it. I don't drive much as I cycle to work mostly or take public transport. The timing belt went (abruptly, no symptoms) and the pistons ate the rest of the engine. Not worth fixing. My mechanic said he would have done timing belt at 100/105K. My car nerd friend claims this is a Subaru issue. Very annoying, though I got a good deal on the used CX5.

and the cx5 has a good ole fashioned timing chain!

[mtechnica]

I did but I bolted it into existing holes in the frame so it wasn’t actually any work really.

[Spdntrxi]

yes.. hidden hitch from torklift central

[C40_guy]

It was a well maintained 2003 with about 98,000 miles on it. I don't drive much as I cycle to work mostly or take public transport. The timing belt went (abruptly, no symptoms) and the pistons ate the rest of the engine. Not worth fixing. My mechanic said he would have done timing belt at 100/105K. My car nerd friend claims this is a Subaru issue. Very annoying, though I got a good deal on the used CX5.

16 years on a timing belt is a *long* time. 7-8 years is probably a good interval, if you don't pile up the miles...particularly on an interference engine (pistons and valves occupying the same physical space without timing).

[AJosiahK]

had a really easy time installing my Curt ... they have models for most if not all cars and very useful videos for install.

I drive a 13' Subaru impreza 5 door.

Had to grind open two parts on the frame but that was simple enough

[rwsaunders]

My Oddysey was predrilled for a hitch and I purchased a unit from UHaul. They wanted $25-30 to install the unit and I said go for it. I think that it took all of 20 minutes and they had the van on a rack. Is the CX-5 drilled for a rack? If so, it should be a piece of cake.

[wallymann]

as others have said, the new hitch will be heavy. if installing solo you can elevate into position using bricks stacked to height as needed.

[schwa86]

as others have said, the new hitch will be heavy. if installing solo you can elevate into position using bricks stacked to height as needed.

This seems like a good approach, though I had been contemplating luring one of my cycling buddies with a cold beer or two.

[xnetter]

I installed a Draw-Tite 1-1/4" receiver on my Forester last year. It went fine but took a while, 1-2 hrs. The car is a 2005 from Ontario so a lot of the time went into removing old rusty seized hardware with a socket wrench and long lever bar. Ugh! Still felt chuffed about it and was happy to have saved the $$.

KJ