My hitch shows 100 lbs / 1000 lbs on the sticker. I'm hoping I got a prototype and they'll give me a replacement with the correct height.
Anyone else's hitch looks like mine?
I agree. Way too LOW. What were they thinking? It looks like it could easily be 2" higher.
I'm certain they spec 'Safety Straps' for bike racks, which means rubber coated S-hooks on the hatch paint.
100 lbs. = 1 bike and one bike rack,, if you're lucky.
Good luck with your 'hope'.
I had a Curt hitch on my Volt. I was backing out of a friend's driveway. There was an angle and a ~1" ridge up to the street level asphalt. My hitch caught it with a loud bang and it damaged the car on one side where the mount was just the body sheet metal sandwiched between the hitch and a small, thick reinforcement plate on the inside. The hitch was now at a downward angle. I removed it and patched the holes before selling the Volt.
Both the Curt and etrailer websites list the official weight ratings as 2000# tow/200# tongue. wtf is going on?? Is it 100#/1000# or 200#/2000#???
To confuse things even more, Chevy.com states the following:
"Vehicle-specific design allows for a custom fit. 1 1/4” receiver tube opening accepts THULE bike racks with a 110 lbs. maximum capacity. Non-GM Warranty. Warranty by CURT Manufacturing. For more information contact your dealer."
So the hitch can officially support THULE bike racks that are rated for 110# tongue weight max? Or the hitch itself can support 110# of tongue weight? Either way, it's different from the 100#/200# numbers above.
Both the Curt and etrailer websites list the official weight ratings as 2000# tow/200# tongue. wtf is going on?? Is it 100#/1000# or 200#/2000#???
To confuse things even more, Chevy.com states the following:
"Vehicle-specific design allows for a custom fit. 1 1/4” receiver tube opening accepts THULE bike racks with a 110 lbs. maximum capacity. Non-GM Warranty. Warranty by CURT Manufacturing. For more information contact your dealer."
So the hitch can officially support THULE bike racks that are rated for 110# tongue weight max? Or the hitch itself can support 110# of tongue weight? Either way, it's different from the 100#/200# numbers above.
I've sent inquiries to etrailer.com and Curt, but I suspect my messages are not going through to Curt. After submitting, the site takes me back to the message screen with no acknowledgement. As of now, no response from anyone.
I still think the hitch is too low and that the 100/1000 labeled hitches were prototypes that should not have shipped.
I did a chat session with an Accessories Specialist on the Chevy site. I requested an installation or owners manual, and she indicated they did not have access to them yet.
At any rate, this is good news. At least it will be officially supported by Chevy. Hopefully at the 200 lb tongue weight level, but, even at 110 lb it's something. The lightest cargo carriers are 30 lbs. That would allow for 80 lbs of gear. One very large heavy suitcase, or two average ones. Certainly would help for weekend getaways.
Still need validation regarding the support strap requirement. The picture of the hitch on the chevrolet accessory site is NOT what we see above installed on tk1971's Bolt. So I am still hopeful that 110 lbs won't require a strap.
Our previous crossover had a 350 lb tongue rating and I loaded it to its limit for a few very long vacation road trips (1,200 miles, each way). No strap, never had a problem, very secure. I used a locking and threaded pin of course to keep it from moving around.
Weight capacity when used as a weight carrying hitch: 1,000 lbs. trailer weight and 100 lbs tongue weight.
Warning: All non-trailer loads applied to this product must be supported by stabilizing straps.
Curt responded to my inquiry (like I said, my past inquiries never made it through because it kept bouncing me back to the same page). Once I got the website acknowledgement that the message was successfully sent, someone got back to me in about a day. They asked me to send pictures, so I sent the one with the tape measure showing 7" of ground clearance and the side view. I expressed concern over the low ground clearance. Here is the response:
"I TALK WITH THE ENGINEERING ABOUT THIS HITCH. THEY SAID THERE WOULD BE NO ISSUE USENG THE HITCH. BUT DUE TO THE COMMENTS ABOUT THIS HITCH ON HOW IT LOOKS WHEN INSTALLED. THEY ARE WORKING ON A TIGHTER CLEAN FITTED ONE"
So basically, the hitch is safe to use. Just funny looking but have no fear, they are working an version 2 for those who have not yet bought one. I then state that I'm still concerned over the perceived lack of ground clearance with my bike rack and asked their opinion as to what my options were if the 7" doesn't work for me. I asked about modifying the hitch by cutting those vertical plates and re-welding the receiver. Here was the response:
"If it’s a curt bike rack there should be no problem with it working for ground clearance. It should sit the same height as were the hitch is. But I would be careful when pulling in and out of sharp driveways. I can’t confirm by removing and cutting the hitch. Then welded back on if fitment will be there or not and have enough ground clearance."
I have a Thule T2 and the hitch shank does not elevate to give me additional ground clearance. Being "careful pulling in and out of sharp driveways" is not a option if I'm driving through a mountain road to reach a mountain bike trail.
So I guess Bro1999 and I are hosed, meaning stuck with this less-than-ideal hitch. I wonder if eTrailer.com will take it back? I guess Plan B would be to get a welder to cut and shorten the extension for the receiver.
Curt responded to my inquiry (like I said, my past inquiries never made it through because it kept bouncing me back to the same page). Once I got the website acknowledgement that the message was successfully sent, someone got back to me in about a day. They asked me to send pictures, so I sent the one with the tape measure showing 7" of ground clearance and the side view. I expressed concern over the low ground clearance. Here is the response:
"I TALK WITH THE ENGINEERING ABOUT THIS HITCH. THEY SAID THERE WOULD BE NO ISSUE USENG THE HITCH. BUT DUE TO THE COMMENTS ABOUT THIS HITCH ON HOW IT LOOKS WHEN INSTALLED. THEY ARE WORKING ON A TIGHTER CLEAN FITTED ONE"
So basically, the hitch is safe to use. Just funny looking but have no fear, they are working an version 2 for those who have not yet bought one. I then state that I'm still concerned over the perceived lack of ground clearance with my bike rack and asked their opinion as to what my options were if the 7" doesn't work for me. I asked about modifying the hitch by cutting those vertical plates and re-welding the receiver. Here was the response:
"If it’s a curt bike rack there should be no problem with it working for ground clearance. It should sit the same height as were the hitch is. But I would be careful when pulling in and out of sharp driveways. I can’t confirm by removing and cutting the hitch. Then welded back on if fitment will be there or not and have enough ground clearance."
I have a Thule T2 and the hitch shank does not elevate to give me additional ground clearance. Being "careful pulling in and out of sharp driveways" is not a option if I'm driving through a mountain road to reach a mountain bike trail.
So I guess Bro1999 and I are hosed, meaning stuck with this less-than-ideal hitch. I wonder if eTrailer.com will take it back? I guess Plan B would be to get a welder to cut and shorten the extension for the receiver.
Finally sold my other car (the one with the hitch that the Bolt replaced), so I needed to speed things up with getting the Bolt hitch to my liking. No more time to wait for Curt.
A good friend and riding buddy of mine took my hitch to his buddy who works in a metal fabricating shop. The square receiver was removed and the plates were cut down ~50mm and the receiver re-welded back on.
I'm going riding this weekend. Got tired of dragging a 50 lb hitch rack 50+ feet from the garage to the car and back after the ride. I customized a really cheap but functional (yet surprisingly light) hitch rack. Stay tuned, pictures coming soon.
Everything worked well for the most part. The hitch is more recessed in than I expected. Not a lot of room between that first bike and the hatch. Just need to be careful with the pedals.
Do the bikes bounce and twist without the required safety strap?
What's the worst that can happen? (I don't know, shear a bolt, break a weld? Not likely...)
Do the bikes bounce and twist without the required safety strap?
What's the worst that can happen? (I don't know, shear a bolt, break a weld? Not likely...)
The rack is really light, so that's a plus (~20lbs, just by feel). It's locked into the hitch receiver with a locking bolt (anti-sway) setup, so that helps too.
During the drive to the trail, I had hit a couple of bumps that make the hitch/bikes bounce, but everything seems fine. It also helps that my bike weighs ~22lbs. My riding buddy's steel framed bike is a little heavier (~28lbs). So that's only ~70 lbs on that hitch. I didn't use any straps.
So, etrailer (best site ever to buy a hitch, btw) has pics up for both hitches. I used the 3D rotating image to get a straight view of both, copied and pasted pics of the two hitches onto MS Paint (I know... I'm not at home, so this is all I have to edit with). I lined up the holes to ensure both hitches are in the same scale and put a side by side picture together showing how much higher the receiver will be with the Drawtite hitch.
Here it is with just the square receiver from the Drawtite scooted over to the Curt hitch picture for a direct height comparison: hitch receiver difference by tk_1971, on Flickr
Got my Draw-tite hitch (top) today. Weighs maybe a couple pounds more than the Curt one, but more importantly offers about 2-2.5 inches more receiver ground clearance than the Curt hitch.
If anyone is in the MD area and wants my Curt hitch (still brand new) for $100, let me know.
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