any 2" receiver hitches out there?

hi - I bought this rack and have just learned it is nearly impossible to find a class 2 hitch for a 2011 Prius. (Which supposedly is required) Did you install this on a Class 1? Any issues at all related to hitch and weight? Yakima tells me they know of NO ONE who has EVER installed a Holdup on a Prius. :-P Just trying to cover all the bases. Thank you!

 

The car is not designed to tow really.. the difference between the class 1 and 2 is the capacity. Impossible or not, even if someone made a class 2, would you tow something in that weight range with your Prius? My take, and I'm really going out on a limb here.. lol.. is all hitches made for Prius are for accessories and not actual towing.

Class 1, tongue capacity is 200lbs. The Hold Up weighs 50 lbs more or less. 150lbs is more than enough for 2 bikes. Just don't go jumping on the thing!

And according to Yakima, I guess I'm "no one". lol.. Yakima makes racks and not hitch receivers.. at the same time, it's your car, so it's on you.

 

Yes, I bought one, can't recall the company. I think I paid about $110.00. Nice hitch,bolted right in. I tow a small boat with it, also small rented trailers. Pulls great. Don't buy a 1 1/4" hitch, they are junk as I bought one, sold it on Craigslist. I also bought a solid aluminum hitch from West Marine and have a stainless ball that looks like a golf ball. Looks very nice on the Prius, people comment on it. I leave it on as protection in parking lots.

 

OK - I just have to say I love this rack. It looks great and more importantly, our 2 road bikes traveled securely all the way from San Diego to Morro Bay and back. The hitch looks just fine. I can't believe the Thule T2 is rated for a Class 1 or 2 hitch yet the Yakima Hold Up is not, as the rack itself weighs less! I see your picture of your Yakima Rack and it looks great, too Thank you for responding!

 

Actually the rating goes the other way. The rack requires a class 1 or 2 hitch. The capacity of the receiver must be higher than the load, which is the rack. If you added the extension on either rack, the gross maybe too much for a class 1.

The Hold Up is a solid rack, watch out for the cable holder. Be sure to lock the cores to the pins when not in use. The holder is useless and will come out and drag on the road!

 

How do you lock the cores to the pins? I have seen other users say the cables come out when they are not in use as well.

Agree - I would not even consider adding an extension!

 

My friends have the same rack and ran into the same problem. Yakima sent out a replacement for free as if they know the issue. They said it was redesigned but clearly it's not.

Lock it when not in use. Simply lock the cable as if you were locking your your bike. Then it won't dangle since it's secured on the locking pin.

 

The car "is not designed for towing" is there to minimize liability to the manufacturer. Toyota Prius models are towing all over the place, safely, providing you stay within the GVWR. I recommend the TorkLift Stealth EcoHitch for Prius, $274.00 and available in Class II configuration. We have one and I would not have bought a Class I due to less stability of the attachment due to smaller metal mass. No God-awful bar across the back to scrape on anything that comes along either...

 

thank you for responding! Unfortunately I have already had the Curt Class I installed. It is good to know there is a Class II out there -- the trailer and tow dealer I was working with was not aware of any

 

I ran across several threads about Torklift's hitch that are miss leading including what you noted. Not sure what you mean by "Class II" configuration". Torklift's hitch is clearly a class 1. Torklift clearly discloses it in their disclosure, " Rated for 200lbs tongue weight, and 2,000lbs weight carrying. Torklift Central does not endorse towing with a car that is not approved by the manufacturer of the said vehicle." Though it may be a 2" receiver, it's capacity is the same as the 1 1/4".

I also simply don't see how one can conclude you gain any stability from the "larger metal mass". The 2" receiver will not change

In regards to scraping, it's the receiver head the scrapes and not the cross bar. In your case with the larger 2" receiver, that would have a higher chance of scraping due to larger size.

Sorry, but I see this as misleading.

Bring something like this to light.. just because you can..

http://carlaking.typepad.com/.a/6a00d8341bfeb753ef01156e7b68b7970c-pi

 

oh jeez.. already too late.. Sharon, it's not a "class II". It's a Class 1 hitch with 2" receiver.

 

Also, thanks for the photo.. that also proves what I guessed, is you must trim the plastic to fit the the Torklift hitch. Someone noted in another thread, no trimming. Clearly it's trimmed.

 

The 2" receiver is wider and taller, providing better lateral support. Items like racks and boxes shift less due to greater support of the additional metal mass. Compare the long crossbar and receiver that cheap hitches hang under the bumper to the TorkLift, which has only the receiver below the flush edge below the Prius. Anybody with a sharp edge can cut the thin plastic, it's very easy. The TorkLift is miles ahead of anything else out there, just harder to find. It took some digging and searching to find the company, but was well worth it. I've helped the company sell several of them for different applications as a lot of people want to know where to get one.

 

It's still not a class 2 receiver. It really doesn't matter how much larger the metal appears or is. In short, why isn't this rated a Class II hitch? So your statement is false and misleading.

 

Sorry, I'm not going to debate the diffence in stability of a plane as the surface gets wider. The limiting factor regardless is the GVWR of the vehicle. For folks who really care (I don't), this hitch is a Class I, but the RECEIVER is a 2".If you've ever seen the difference between a TorkLift StealthHitch and a typical Hidden Hitch and liked the Hidden Hitch better, well...good luck to you friend!

 

My only point is really your misleading statement noting the Torklift is a class II.

What do aesthetics have to do with it?

It can be made out of Titanium by Rob Vandermark, it still won't be a class II.... and the mount parts are the same.

 

Any other 2" receivers besides torklift they are a little pricey. I couldn't find the quality s one mentioned earlier or the one on west marine. I know its not necessarily stronger but I would rather not use an adapter and have a more snug fit with the typical 2" bike rack. Any thoughts? Should I just save the money get the hidden hitch and use an adapter? I've noticed some of the newer bike racks are made with both sizes.

 

Adapters do extend the rack. Most of the hitch bike racks out there are made in both sizes. Models made by Kuat fit both sizes as it comes with an adapter/spacer.

 

Please, if you're not willing to discuss the engineering advantages of greater surface contact, it's time to take your attitude to someone who gives a rat's behind...

 

If your hitch capacity is right for your application, I'd avoid adapters at all costs since moving the load away from the hitch reduces the capacity exponentially. I've also seen the racks available in both sizes. Torklift, while more expensive, are worth the difference in cost if you value less overhang below your vehicle. If that's not an issue, by all means go with Hidden Hitch, they are a quality manufacturer - but get a quality rack that doesn't need an adapter. That is what I would do, and I didn't want to spend more money either for the Torklift product. Since I have it, I would buy it again as the extra money was well worth the results in clearance, appearance, overhang below, quality, etc.