It sounds like that 18lb Drawtight hitch from etrailer might be going on the back of our Prius for our 1.25" receiver bike rack. I do have a slight concern about the bike rack bottoming out when pulling in/out of our driveway which is on an incline. I will have to have my wife drive the Prius in/out while I watch to see how much clearance we have prior to ordering... (I just installed a 2" Curt hitch from etrailer on the front my Tundra a few weeks ago for hauling bikes up front when I'm towing a camper)
I did the same for our Toyota Sequoia and it works great, but it was a very easy install vs. doing the back hitch for the Prime. (I just installed a 2" Curt hitch from etrailer on the front my Tundra a few weeks ago for hauling bikes up front when I'm towing a camper)
I don't know why the Curt and Draw-Tite hitches are recessed so far behind the rear bumper. Ideally, the end of the receiver should be flush with the bumper. It didn't help that these hitches weren't redesigned for the Prime, as the distance from the hole in the receiver to the bumper is 3" on the liftback vs. 6.5" on the Prime for the Draw-Tite hitch.
Make sure to turn off the "Intelligent Clearance Sonar" off prior to driving with a bike on back... Think about how close your bike tires are to the sensors.
Why spend the money on making a different model hitch when there will be only one Prime on the road to every 3 or 4 Prii?
Perhaps they'll come out with a Prime specific model in time when sales increase. Until then, hitch extenders are available.
Can everyone please post which bike racks work and which don't as the find out? One person has confirmed that 1up design BARELY fits. They are nice enough to provide the schematic with dimensions here: (oops, not allowed to post links yet, but go to 1upUSA's site and it's right on the products page) This tells me each rack needs to have a tenon of roughly 7.5-8" (minimum) to work. I want the Rocky Mounts SplitRail...but don't know if it'll fit yet....
Thank you everyone for all the photos and info! I need a hitch and bike rack for two carbon fiber framed mtn bikes for my Prime (which I love). I'm considering the Curt 1.25" hitch - will I need an extender? I'm considering the Kuat Transfer to go w it. Bikes are <30 lb each.
Hi @john1701a, Any possibility of getting a A-B test with and without the bikes at highway speed? A - with bike B - without bike but bike fixture Thanks, Bob Wilson
Eventually, I'll get some measurement stats. Too much going on right now still. I have the Curt. If your rack doesn't have anything special (just a long neck), no. However, the extra few inches sure makes hatch access easy. My rack has that tighten/lock knob, so it was necessary in my case.
Thanks to you, I was able to order the hitch from etrailer and got it installed by my auto technician for $100 I do have 1 question for you. You did mention that the hitch necessitate of an extender, would you provide me with the link for that item? I want to get the specific one that you have, so that I can purchase the bike rack and have it look like yours exactly. Thanks.
Thanks to you, I was able to order the hitch from etrailer and got it installed by my auto technician for $100 I do have 1 question for you. You did mention that the hitch necessitate of an extender, would you provide me with the link for that item? I want to get the specific one that you have, so that I can purchase the bike rack and have it look like yours exactly. Thanks.
I do not need an extender. I've been thinking of getting one just to space the bike rack farther so I can open the hatch with a bike on the rack, and make it easier to take the rack on and off the hitch. Etrailer has hitch extenders. One is 6" long, which is about the shortest one I've found, however it's expensive at $47. I would also want an anti-rattle device and a lock for it, which means spending almost as much as the hitch itself costs.
so how is it without having an extender? any clearance issue? What kind of bike rack are you using that doesn't require an extender? I'd totally be down on NOT getting an extender because it's a total BS when we have to purchase additional product for the hitch to work.
This is my rack ($400): It locks to the hitch... which is nice... but that knob prevents it from fitting under the bumper... hence this extender ($27):