Hitch mounted cargo carriers?

hey shared this in the V forum and cross-posted to C/Gen III to spread the love in the prii family. I discovered a sale on the stealth ecohitch for $25 off that makes it $225 shipped.

Read more: New hidden stealth Ecohitch for Prius v | Page 4 | PriusChat​

 

I'm looking for input on how well the hatchback opens when a hitch-mounted cargo box is attached. I'm think of a box such as the Thule Combi Transporter, or Rola has a similar one. Both promise to accomodate with a tilt-down function, but I'd love to hear from anyone with actual experience. Thanks!

 

I have a Thule hitch mount bike rack, not a cargo box. Its tilt-down feature is needed to open the hatch of our '14 Forester, but not my Prius. The Prius hatch opens closer to straight up, easily clearing the rack even when not tilted.

 

Good to know, thanks! Any input on whether a hitch with a 2" or 1 1/4" receiver is better? brand recommendations?

 

Out dealer, Corwin in Fargo ND installed a hit and we use a Saris Freedom II bike rack and a cargo platform when camping with no problems other than a 5 MPG loss. Hitch was $300 installed

 

2008 prius - going on a 3 month road/camping trip. Trying to figure out if we can add a bike rack on the back of the prius and a hitch with a cargo carrier. Is that possible without cutting down on the mileage rather than using a roof rack carrier or is it too much weight?

 

Any externally carried bicycles will significantly cut MPG. Even on a hitch mount, they are still cause a lot of air drag.

As for a hitch bike rack and hitch cargo carrier, a fellow support driver had that for a recent bike event. A hitch doubler adapter allowed both to be installed at once, bike rack above cargo tray, but both pushed back a foot or so from the normal single position. While it worked, I was alarmed by the amount of tail droop / nose rise it caused on her SUV. No way would I put that much load, or that much lever arm, on a Prius hitch.

I have a hitch mounted bike rack for my Prius, and regularly use it while providing rider support for major bike rides. But I limit its load. And MPG loss at highway speed is significant, though the Prius makes a great support car during the typically low speeds of bike event support.

 

Thanks for your input Fuzzy. Will see what concessions we can make on our load.