As I am past warranty anyways I am wanting an easy way to move my two bikes from NH to TX when I move next month. I don't know if I trust the bike racks that attach to my trunk area for the 2600 mile trip.
I looked into a couple of hitches and found this one http://www.amazon.com/Reese-Towpower-77 ... automotive
It says that it requires no drilling. Anyone have any luck with installing these and if it truly requires no drilling. I would love to do the install myself.
Thanks for any input!!
Installing a Hitch?
Re: Installing a Hitch?
I bought an almost identical hitch from Curt Manufacturing and installed it a couple weeks ago, and it required drilling or cutting of the frame to allow two washers and two bolts to be pulled into place so that their threads stuck out to fasten the driver's side plate of the hitch. There were two close holes in the frame so I ended up using a Dremel tool to cut away the metal between the holes and then expand the opening just enough that the bolts could be inserted on the fishwires supplied with the mount.
I know the Amazon listing in your link says "no drilling" but I found a link to the same hitch on another site that has a PDF of the instructions, and they're pretty much the same as the instructions for mine, namely that you need to drill an access hole in the frame:
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/REH-77170/?rtype=1
http://static.summitracing.com/global/i ... n77170.pdf
Here's some pictures of the hitch on my Versa showing the enlarged hole I made, the driver's side plate attached with two bolts, the passenger side mount and then the view of the whole hitch from behind the car:
I did get a rattle sometimes from the the back end right after I installed the hitch but I moved the rubber muffler hangers forward a little and that helped some. I want to find some rubber matting and put between the hitch and any place it's close to the body so that hopefully that will get rid of the rattling. (edit: I think the rattle turned out to from the muffler moving around after its flange weld broke. I got that repaired and it's been quiet since then.)
I think it took me about an hour to install the thing. I spent a lot of time on the hole since I didn't want it to be any bigger than was absolutely necessary, as the frame is not all that substantial. I need to paint the cutout yet so that it doesn't start rusting out there.
I know the Amazon listing in your link says "no drilling" but I found a link to the same hitch on another site that has a PDF of the instructions, and they're pretty much the same as the instructions for mine, namely that you need to drill an access hole in the frame:
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/REH-77170/?rtype=1
http://static.summitracing.com/global/i ... n77170.pdf
Here's some pictures of the hitch on my Versa showing the enlarged hole I made, the driver's side plate attached with two bolts, the passenger side mount and then the view of the whole hitch from behind the car:
I did get a rattle sometimes from the the back end right after I installed the hitch but I moved the rubber muffler hangers forward a little and that helped some. I want to find some rubber matting and put between the hitch and any place it's close to the body so that hopefully that will get rid of the rattling. (edit: I think the rattle turned out to from the muffler moving around after its flange weld broke. I got that repaired and it's been quiet since then.)
I think it took me about an hour to install the thing. I spent a lot of time on the hole since I didn't want it to be any bigger than was absolutely necessary, as the frame is not all that substantial. I need to paint the cutout yet so that it doesn't start rusting out there.