Question about installing the Curt hitch

It's not the fascia that needs cutting, it's the black panel underneath the vehicle that needs a slot cut in.
Since the panel is not a waterproof seal I see no problem with the small slot.
When fascia was mentioned in the instructions, I too was worried.
Turns out as no big deal, at least to me.
Good luck and enjoy the hitch.

Dan.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(JustLurkin @ Sep 5 2007, 10:47 AM) [snapback]507331[/snapback]</div>

Now that you're going to take the plunge, please remember to take pictures to share. Also, please remember to keep track of the time it takes you, the tools you use, the number of bandages required and whether you'd do it all the same way again!

 

My page shows what needs to be cut. It is no big deal at all, and that plastic part you cut is flimsy and does very little. You can crawl under there and see. Remember that the warnings on my site are for a part that is no longer made. Because of my bitching to the MFG, this part has been redesigned, and will not have the exhaust problems.

http://evnut.com/prius_hitch.htm

 

Do it yourself, remove the four tow hook bolts and bolt on the hitch.
Total time, maybe 30 minutes.
Plastic underbody aero deflectors? Not really sure on the exact purpose.
Good luck...Dan.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(JustLurkin @ Sep 4 2007, 12:17 PM) [snapback]506821[/snapback]</div>

So, JustLurkin', how is your Curtis hitch working out? Have you tried it with multiple bikes? Was the Prius surgery as scary as you anticipated? Have you observed any bending of the receiver as shown on other threads for the Coastaletech? Which bike rack are you using? Do you have to remove bikes and lower the rack to open the hatch? Any pics to share?

I just got my Prius and am hot to haul bikes on it so would really value your input.

Thanks,

Tom in Colorado

 

I can add bike hauling comments:
I have the Uhaul (Curt) hitch on my 07. We hauled 2 bikes on a Saris T-rax (a 4 bike rack) for a couple thousand miles. We could easily open the hatch with the rack (and bikes) there. This is much nicer than my Subaru outback which requires either juggling tipping the rack down with bikes on it or a complete unloading just to get in the back.
I have only carried 2 bikes on the rack (which is fairly heavy by itself) on this car. The rack carries the bikes fairly high, well above the spoiler. I think we got about 38 mpg on the highway with the rack and bikes on.

I have no issues with the hitch. It didn't seem to flex or cause any real concern. The only thing is the receiver tube seems to have flaked a little paint at its mouth so I have to figure out how to keep it from rusting.

 

The plastic under tray is to smooth airflow under the car assisting fuel economy.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(patsparks @ Oct 22 2007, 09:34 AM) [snapback]528787[/snapback]</div>

Most of the car's underbody does not have a "smoothing tray", and it's by no means smooth - how much of a "smoothing" effect can a small plastic tray on the rear driver side assist fuel economy?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(JimboJones @ Oct 22 2007, 07:47 PM) [snapback]529121[/snapback]</div>

I am officially labelling you, "ignorant". That's being nice, too. You have not looked under the Prius, eh? Check out >this thread<. The "trays" are all over, and there for a purpose, otherwise, why would the Prius engineers have them there?.

 

Couple of questions:

#1 Any idea if the Curt 11468 can carry four bikes?
From the Product Page at trailerhitches.com, it appears to be a "Class 1 Hitch" with a "200 lbs of maximum tongue weight".

How does "tongue weight" translate into the weight of the bikes being carried?

#2 Any body knows of bike trailer like the Sportrack 4EZ (which can hold the wheels steady) which will carry 4 bikes *AND* fit a 1 1/4" receiver hitch such as the Curt 11468?

Thanks in advance!

 

Don't carry more than two bikes on any Prius hitch-mounted rack. While the hitch *might* survive, you won't end up happy. Tongue weight is the direct down-force applied to where the ball would be. The bike rack hangs out from the car, and provides a mechanical advantage (disadvantage to the hitch) from the bikes. I'm already somewhat of a risk-taker, and I would not put more than about 100 pounds of rack + bikes supported by the hitch. With two bikes and a 40-pound rack, you're right there.

If you need to carry more bikes, get a trailer. I can carry four bikes with a 30-pound tongue weight.

 

Correct..That one stops the air from getting trapped inside the rear bumper cover, and creating a hellova lot of drag. (hellova) is that a word.

 

Yes, but it's spelled "helluva."

 

Hi Hybrid owners,
I am thinking about installing a receiver hitch 1 1/4" to be used with the new Yakima bike racks. I talked with someone from U-Haul and they have a hitch department. He informed me that the receiver hitches when used with bike racks have enough torque on them to do under body damage to the Prius which he has witnessed on several occasions. I have not seen anything posted like this in any forums so I am not sure if this is accurate or not. Does anyone have any input or first hand experience on this. I don't think he had anything to gain by telling me this so I am a little reluctant to install a receiver hitch without finding some more first hand experiences. I will be carrying up to two bikes at a time that are weighing about 50-60 pounds total.
Thanks all for any input

 

What I'm about to say might sound stupid or outrageously, but what the hell. I actually don't own a Prius. I plan to rent one for a month to take on an epic road trip. I figure I'll log around 10,000 mile in all. I'll travel from San Diego CA, north through Montana, into Canada, north on the Dempster Highway into the Northwest Territories just a stone's throw away from the arctic circle.
This is going to be a rough drive for the little Prius, considering the Dempster Highway is around 400 miles of dirt road. Anyhow, there aren't going to be many services where I'm going and I'm going to need to use an external trunk that I can insert into a hitch. I'm thinking about buying a Curt Hitch to install on my rental. It sounds like it shouldn't be a problem doing, but I'm a bit nervous to cut away at a car that isn't mine. How much of the plastic fascia will I need to cut? Do you think the rental agency will notice when I return it? I'll also take any other advice or criticism you have to offer.

Cheers!

 

Problems installing the Curt hitch

I received the 11468 hitch yesterday and started installing today on my '05. 3 problems so far:

1) The Curt-supplied bolts are too long for the left-side attachment. They bottom out on the frame member with about 9/16" to go, but the washer and hitch will only absorb about 3/8" of this:


If somebody were to use an air wrench to install this, they'd likely drive the bolts up through the top of the frame member. Easy fix -- cut off the bolts to proper length.

2) The holes in the car frame (and the tow hooks) are spaced differently on the left side (73mm) than those on the right side (81mm). The holes in the hitch are spaced equally (74mm). Can be fixed by elongating one (or both) holes on the right side of the hitch, but I haven't yet determined which one(s). Problem is ensuring the hitch mounts square to the frame, but the worst-case error is so small (about 1/2 degree) that it shouldn't matter much.

3) The hitch was twisted about 7.3 degrees:


No easy fix here, so I called Curt. Nice folks. They're sending a replacement hitch, which they'll check for twist, etc., before shipping. They also offered to send shorter bolts, but since I'd already cut them, there was no need. There wasn't much they could do about the hole spacing without seeing the car, and I wasn't inclined to drive to Wisconsin, so it's back to elongating a hole or two.

 

My only advice would be: don't do it. Read the rental agreement, and you'll probably find lots of fine print that says you can't haul a trailer, can't drive out of the US, and lots of other things you'd do if the car were yours.

Ignoring this, I'll say you only need to cut a slot in the back of the plastic piece so you can slide it over the hitch after the hitch is mounted. It is very obvious, and yes, the rental agency will notice it, they'll know exactly why it was cut, and they'll be upset. Two ways around this: 1) buy a replacement plastic part from Toyota and replace the cut one with the new one when you return; 2) don't cut the plastic piece at all, and don't put it back on the car until you return. The only function that it serves, I think, is to improve mileage by preventing air from being trapped up in the rear bumper area.

Finally, I'll bet you could buy a Prius (new or used), drive it on your trip, and sell it on your return and come out ahead compared with the rental cost, based on what I've heard about Prius rental costs, but I may be wrong.

Hmmm. Just noticed the date on your post; how was the trip?

 

The mechanics who installed my Curt hitch this afternoon simply REMOVED the plastic molding on the rear drivers side where it interfered with the bolting on process. I was kind of shocked when I looked under there....

Questions:

If they did not bust is up, should I go try to fish the plastic molding out of their trash and try to put it back in place after cutting?

Could the air flow change under there really be noticeable in mileage?

Is that molding there to protect something?