Hitch on a PiP, Curt C11276

Did you need to jack up the rear of the car? How did you secure the muffler while you were mounting the hitch? Do you have any photos from the underside?

 

You just cost me $131 on Amazon. Thanks!!!

 

Looks great! How high is the hitch off the ground when all is said and done? A little concerned about dragging the bike rack in dips and driveways.

 

Just to confirm what every one knows!

I stopped out at Curt Mfg. today and talked to Engineering Manager Ben Fisher. He was glad to see me. We talked for a little while, and then he put my Prius-plug up in the air so He could confirm they had everthing correct. He mounted the C 11276 hitch on my car took about 15 minutes, took out four bolts two on each side put hitch in place no drilling, no moving anything just put up hitch, replaced bolts, good to go, real easy directions sent with hitch. I don't want a hitch for my car so He took it back off, Total time maybe an hour or so. We had a real nice chat, very friendly person. They did take some pictures, said He would send some to me, we will see.

Allways forget my camera when I want it!

I did not get the tape out but it looked like it was about maybe 1 1/2 - 2 inches from bottom of bumper to bottom of hitch should be just fine for room for hitch to clear.

 

So...you did all of this...for us?? You ROCK!!!!

 

I only live about 6 miles away from Curt Mfg! No big deal,
Your welcome, only wish I had rembered my camera!

 

If interested Curt Mfg. sent photo's of hitch mounted to my plug-in,
added photo's to my album.

 

Got a good look at them. Thanks for posting!

 

just looked up the hitch on juiced hybrid website. looks like a plug in option for hitch is an extra $10. Is this total B.S. is this the same hitch?

 

Same hitch as 2010-2012 regular and plug-in.

 

The 11276 is the correct hitch. I suggest visiting the CURT website curtmfg .com you can find numerous dealers to compare prices.

 

9.5 in off ground

 

Thanks for the make and model of the hitch! That saved me a lot of time.
I've already ordered it.
I was contemplating using my old Saris Bones rack, but the PIP's plastic bumper and other issues made its use impractical and, frankly, unsafe.
Next toy: a bike rack!

 

Curt Mfg. has Bike racks also! They have many hitch accessories.

www.curtmfg .com

 

I already had a nice Thule T2 bike rack, so the challenge was to find a hitch with a 2" receiver. I looked at the EcoHitch from Torklift, but I didn't like the amount of cutting involved in the installation. I also considered getting an adapter to go from 2" to 1.25", but that would have added about 6" to the lever arm, so I was concered about the torque on the hitch.

So, I bought a Curt C11276 from Amazon ($120 inc. shipping), then had it modified and installed by a local shop ($160 - A&B Trailer & Hitch in Redwood City, CA). So far, I'm very pleased with the results.



Many more photos here.

The Thule T2 is over 50 lbs, so is not really recommended for this hitch, but since we're carrying light road bikes, the combined load with 2 bikes is under half the tongue weight limit of 200 lbs. The rack is not as solid as on my Subaru Outback, since that has a firm attachment point just forward of the receiver, but the bikes don't bounce around too much on the freeway. Time will tell.

After welding, A&B spray-painted the hitch with black paint. Over time, this will wear out and have to be renewed.

If I were to do it again, I might have them weld the receiver a few inches farther forward to reduce the overhanging torque. But then I would have to tilt the rack down to open the hatch.

 

Good stuff here. I just finished installing the Curt 11276 without any "shop modifications." I made two short videos (here and here) with a couple of installation "tips" I discovered as I did it (solo) without jacking the vehicle up or having it on a hoist, etc. 'Not too bad of a job, but having someone with small, thin hands/forearms definitely makes the job easier for getting the 4 bolts started Watch the short video from e-trailer first, however (different hitch model but everything is identical from what I could see), since that will give you an idea of what I'm talking about during my videos...

For those wanting the ability to use 2" attachments, mvrider's custom job at the shop is probably the safest way to go. For me, I didn't want spend that extra $$$ and I don't plan on doing anything too crazy with my PiP and attachments, so I'll be getting by with the Reese 1 1/4" to 2" adapter ($23 Amazon) which works great. As mvrider points out, this definitely extends the tongue/increases the stress on the hitch, and you do get a fair amount of movement/bouncing (at least with my older 2" bike rack) with this approach, but it still feels pretty solid to me. But if I deposit any bikes along the local highway I'll be sure to update...

 

Hi Coyotefred, watched your videos and got busy with "other stuff", not too long later was fascinated by your windmill project and "poor mans" hot tub project Keep up the good work.

Mitch

 

Thanks Mitch!