Trailer hitch?

Finally!!! finished installing the hitch, bike rack, and the best part is that I ended up NOT needing an hitch extender.
Everything went so smooth... until I found out that my bike rack is rattling like jingle bells after mounting. Any idea on how to fix the issue? I marked the rattling area with red circle in the last photo.

Equipments used:
(Purchased from etrailer.com)
Curt Trailer Hitch Receiver Custom Fit - Class I - 1-1/4
Thule Vertex 2 Bike Rack - 1-1/4 & 2 Hitch

 

Dude, we're like neighbors (proper Socal verbage)!!
Brea man I'm in Anaheim, down the street from you! Hey nice car! Most of the people who post here are millions of miles away, so it's cool to hear from locals. Best of luck to you. Got mine Feb 6, 2017; when'd you get yours?

Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.

 

Hiya neighbor! Thanks for the message! Got mine just last month and I'm loving it. Anaheim is actually where I grew up (went to Elementary through high school). Have a nice day.

 

I see hints of a hitch pin at the front of the hitch under the car. Sometimes a locking hitch pin might help tighten up the connection, depending on the brand of the rack. Our Thule 1 1/4", which is over ten years old now, was made more solid with an optional locking draw pin. It is somewhat normal with 1 1/4 " hitches that there will be a loose fit, as that size doesn't have nearly the surface area of 2" hitch systems and racks. I wouldn't ever recommend a 1 1/4" to 2" converter (or extenders) unless absolutely necessary, as that further increases the possibilities of more wobbling/rattles.

Happy for you getting the hitch and bike rack fit to a Prime. No small feat, apparently.

 

Earlier in the thread, I had an Amazon link to a U-bolt dohicky that tightens up the connect. (note: adblocker needs to be off to see Amazon links)

 

That's what the knob is for on the more expensive rack. It's a built-in tightener. With mine, it includes a lock too.

You'll need to purchase an after-market one instead. They aren't as convenient, but they work well.

 

Is it known why etrailer does not claim that the draw-tite option is officially supported?

 

Hey all, new user but have been following this topic so thought I'd contribute based on my experience. I'm brand new so I apologize that I can't post any links yet.

I just finished installing the Curt hitch on our Prime. It's annoying but not terribly difficult. A second set of hands is definitely mandatory. It took me 2 hours which included me finishing up then realizing one of the fascia tabs was bent under and not through the bumper. That added another 30 minutes or so. The local rack shop wanted $450 to install it so it was well worth some grumbling for me.

For those undertaking the install with either the Curt hitch or the Draw Tite hitch, I highly recommend watching the Draw-Tite install video on eTrailer. The worst part for me was unclipping the wire hold downs from the fascia.

Regarding some accessory fitment, I was hoping to get a riser 1/4"-2" adaptor because we have a steep driveway and will be getting a 2" bike rack for use on both our vehicles. Unfortunately because the hitch sits so far behind the bumper the ones eTrailer has don't come close to fitting. I tried the Brophy one which is longer than the other one they have and it is about an 1" short of working. I'll probably just end up getting a normal 1/4"-2" straight adapter.

I also tried one of the universal anti-rattle devices that fits around the outside of the hitch (Pro Series Anti Rattle P/N 63090) but it interferes with the underside of the fascia because the hitch is so tight to the underside. So I still need to hunt something down for that. Unfortunately all the traditional ones won't work with the solid shanks on the adapters and extenders.

Hope this info is helpful. Good luck!

 

Cool . . . I am still trying to decide which way to go. I am glad to hear it only took you and a second person a few hours to complete. I do like taking things apart (fairly cheap entertainment) as I have done with my other pri (we currently have 3 in the family), but I do not seem to have much spare time lately.

Thanks for the helpful information. Ed

 

The second set of hands are really only needed for hanging the bumper back on with the hitch. I think someone else here threaded a stud in and just hung everything off that. I didn't have an appropriate stud lying around so I needed the second set of hands. When you do bolt the bumper back on, start on the top outside holes. That will align the rest of the holes the closest. The remaining holes in the bumper bracket are slotted/oversized to accommodate for misalignment, but if you use one of those first it will be a PITA to try to line up the other holes.

 

Some use a muffler clamp and do a slight mod (e.g. 4" muffler clamp at Autozone is only $5.00 vs. $25.00 or so. I hope this helps.

 

Definitely! The extra cost of the NV 2.0 base is well worth it in functionality and build quality.

 

Thanks Jon. For both the Kuat NV 2.0 and Sherpa I may have to use a hitch extension, so it is reasonable to think that the Sherpa might be better to keep weight down and rattle less.

 

Just a quick update. My adapter and anti-rattler arrived today. Everything seems to fit and the anti-rattler seems to do the trick. The adapter is just a standard 6" long adapter (range from $15-$30 on Amazon) and the anti-rattler is one of the u-bolt styles with a plate underneath ($10-20 on Amazon). The adapter does fit but it pushes against the bottom of the rear fascia. It's not a lot of force on it, but there is a little. I'm not worried about it. The Draw-Tite hitch is supposedly a 1/2" lower which would take care of that for sure. If I were doing it again, I'd probably get the Draw-Tite hitch instead of the Curt just for a little extra clearance.

The adapter does end up protruding a few inches from the rear of the bumper so I won't leave it installed, but since this is my back-up bike carrying vehicle this will get the job done.

 

Any rattling or looseness? I don't see the U-bolt attached.

 

Waiting on delivery of the bike rack (backorder) to test it out. I installed the Ubolt and gave the hitch a good shake and just shook the whole car. So it seems promising but might be a different story with a couple mountainbikes on the back. I'll be sure to report back in a week or so.

 

Our rack just came in so I had to put it on and try it out. The rack is the Yakima Dr. Tray 2" mounted to a 1.25-2" adapter and the Curt Hitch. I haven't been enamoured with previous Yakima racks but we had a big discount for it so I figured why not. The jury is still out on the rack itself. I don't love how far everything sits back from the hatch but I do love that I can carry my bikes on the Prime now and since this is the back-up gear hauler I'm pleased overall. The bottom of the rack does scrape on our driveway, but they clearly anticipate that will happen and thus the giant bash guard under the tightening knob.

The anti-rattle device is so so. It definitely prevents up and down rattling and rotation rattling, but does nothing for side to side. Haven't driven anywhere with it yet so no real world results to provide yet.

 

Thanks, I looked at those too. Unfortunately the 1 1/4" - 2" adapter has a solid 1 1/4" shank so this style device won't work.