Hitch Bracing to increase tongue weight for Cargo Carrier

I am not sure if we should be increasing tongue weight.

 

I'd agree if we're talking 70 mph on a freeway, but if it's safely slowly driving on rural forest roads with beehives in tow I think ForestBeekeper is being prudent & responsible to want a little more reinforcement...

I suggest designing something that reinforces the cargo carrier from above, perhaps get a bike rack that's designed for a Prius and then add some straps so it can carry/stabilize the load.

And if you really want to get into it you can design the structure as a boat tail to improve aerodynamics. A well designed boat tail is the #1 to improve MPG... It can increase MPG by 15%.

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Agreed, the OP didn't say how much weight they wanted to handle in the hitch mounted carrier. Perhaps the OP should be looking into a small trailer? Less stress on the Prius' rear suspension components, more load capacity, no modifications needed, etc.

 

It's obvious the weight for the hitch mounted carrier is going to be close to the limit because the original poster's name is Forest Beekeper. I mean everyone knows the basic size of a commercial beehive don't they?

 

Sorry, but the OP was not Forrest Beekeeper.

 

I am not the OP, however I think that a standard beehive loaded with honey would far exceed how much weight can be safely added onto the rear of a Prius. No, make that an extended 2 foot beyond the rear of a Prius.

On occasion, I load my truck down now, to where the front tires have so little weight on them that those front tires begin to lose steerage ability. I would hate to see that on a Prius.

 

You don't like dogs?

 

I'm curious on where the tongue weight concerns are coming from? Hitch makers seem to advertise up to 200 lbs tongue weight capacity.

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This thread seems to be about increasing tongue weight from 200 up to something more. 500?

I have a couple trailers, 500 pound tongue weight is not uncommon.

I would be cautious about adding much weight on a lever hanging out the back of a Prius, as it might effect handling and therefore safety.

Trust me, I hate consuming 6 to 8 gallons of gas for every mile that I drive my truck to haul things. I would love to throw a trailer on the back of a Prius. But I am concerned about safety.

 

The yellow area identified in your picture is the rear lift point for a floor jack. I think that area is fairly strong

 

A car bouncing down a highway at speed will put all kinds of never-ending variations of load and vibration on those mounts. Reinforcement makes sense even with a light load if you're traveling a long distance.

But I still say reinforce from above with straps attached to the hatch down to the corners of the rack.. (same way they mount with bike racks) You'll experience less road hazards / damage to your rigging that way...

 

Yes, but it's always good to have an extra set of straps to use for a bumpy road or when you're forced to carry a load that's heavier than you anticipated... As someone who has seen people lose a load in front of me at freeway speed because they didn't tie it down enough: I think it's really important to overdue it when tying down a load.