I just purchased and installed a class I Drawtite hitch, purchased from etrailer.com for what seemed a reasonable price. The quality of the hitch appears to be excellent, but beware of one issue: the supplied attachment bolts are 10mm too long, and should not be used. The instructions call for 30mm bolts, but the hitch arrived with 40mm bolts, which bottom out against the frame rails before the hitch is snug. Further tightening would have likely resulted in damage to the frame rails or the tow hook reinforcement plates. Perhaps this information can save someone else some grief.
Are you going to tow something with your Prius? I thought this was not recommended. Thanks for the heads up though. Mike
There are already many threads on the issue of whether towing and/or bicycle carriage is reasonable, so I won't address that question here. Now I've discovered the Yakima rack has the retaining pin hole in a different location than the hitch, by perhaps 5mm. Has anyone else encountered this issue? Update: there was a stop near the inner end of the 1.25" tube. Moved it a bit with a punch, and now we're in business.
I just purchased the same receiver hitch from the same place. $94.00 can't be beat. It has the same improvements that Curt incorporated to eliminate the exaust / burn issue. You are correct, the supplied bolts are too long for the drivers side, and this seems to be the case with most all the manufacturers. The problem is the bolt holes on he drivers side of the Prius do not extend into the frame member, like they do on the passengers side. I solved the problem with my dremel tool and cut two of the bolts down to size. Easy mod with no thread problems. see pics attchd. I also bought a Saris Thelma 2 bike rack for only $200 !! from Gotta ride Bikes.com. It's the newest and lightest stand-up/rail type bike rack on the market and it works great. Stock tow-eye bolt on right, compared to supplied hardware (too long) on left and cut down to size. The hitch improvement Unbelievably light, easy and convenient.
You are inserting a Class II device into a Class I hitch. Both are 1 1/4 - but your rack is obviously a Class II device. What rack is it? The Class I hitch has a dimple in the shank to prevent using a Class II device (rack). That was the stop that you broke with the punch. You should pay attention to the class of a hitch. There is a reason that they are rated. ... Brad
