Does anyone have info on Trailer hitch and the pre wiring on the Rogue?

I had preordered a Rogue and tried to work a hitch into the deal but the dealer had no information on when the hitch would be available. They had no listing for it at the time.

That was weeks ago and I never revisited the issue since I decided to not go with the Rogue so perhaps they have a better idea now.

Denfan wrote:I had preordered a Rogue and tried to work a hitch into the deal but the dealer had no information on when the hitch would be available. They had no listing for it at the time.

Since the Rogue is so new, it hasn't had anything come out thru Nissan as of yet. Like all new models, it takes a couple of months.

I'm a little confused about the hitch. According to Nissan, it will only support a maximum of 1000lbs (or 1500lbs with trailer brakes). According to the Uhaul web site, nearly every one of their trailers have an EMPTY weight of over 1000lbs. Is this trailer hitch really that useless? I mean, I didn't want to tug a yacht around, but if I can't even put a trailer on it, is its only purpose a hitch-mounted bike rack?

exeunt wrote:I'm a little confused about the hitch. According to Nissan, it will only support a maximum of 1000lbs (or 1500lbs with trailer brakes). According to the Uhaul web site, nearly every one of their trailers have an EMPTY weight of over 1000lbs. Is this trailer hitch really that useless? I mean, I didn't want to tug a yacht around, but if I can't even put a trailer on it, is its only purpose a hitch-mounted bike rack?

Since this is based on a Sentra platform, I wouldn't put a trailer hitch on the car. It would be kind of useless to put a hitch on a car that can't tow anything, right?

I was thinking about getting one of those small Motorcycle trailers to haul behind it on long trips, when you just don't have enough room in the back. They make some pretty sick looking trailers now days.

Hi. I'm interested in an answer to this question as well. I know the Rogue won't be towing any boats or anything like that, but it doesn't look like it could even pull a trailer with some furniture on it if it needed to. Is it just because of the engine size? It looked to me like the Nissan Quest (a minivan) could pull five times the weight of the Rogue.

abk wrote:Hi. I'm interested in an answer to this question as well. I know the Rogue won't be towing any boats or anything like that, but it doesn't look like it could even pull a trailer with some furniture on it if it needed to. Is it just because of the engine size? It looked to me like the Nissan Quest (a minivan) could pull five times the weight of the Rogue.

Engine size, power, suspension, and MOST importantly, transmission. There's a reason you don't see a CVT on a truck or diesel, the torque would tear it apart. There's no technology out YET that I know of that can make a CVT handle monster torque. Can you imagine a Titan with 380 lb./ft. (or so) of torque going thru a little dinky CVT?

My '03 Altima 2.5S with 5spd manual (and every other '02-06 Altima, 4cyl and V6) has a 1000lb tow rating. The Altima is a bigger vehicle than the Rogue yet it has the same tow rating. I occasionally tow a ~700lb 5x10 utility trailer with the Alty. All I've added is an aftermaket hitch and trailer light converter.I mainly use it to transport yard waste, constuction materials, and garbage. Granted any serious load far exceeds the GVWR and tow ratings... something I don't recommend. So far it pulls a trailer very well and I've had zero issues.

The 1000lb rating is plenty for recreational use. You can find many small 4x8 or smaller utility trailers which weigh less than 500lb. That leaves enough cargo capacity for an ATV, snowmobile, or some furniture. Boat trailers are even lighter so a 12' aluminum boat or jet ski could be easily towed.

As for pre-wiring, I don't know what is provided. If nothing is, usually all that is needed is a trailer light converter/isolator. That can be easily installed for $100. Now you just need a hitch.

BTW the competition, RAV4 (4cyl), Ford Escape (4 cyl), and CRV have similar 1000-1500lb tow ratings. V-6 models have higher ratings of course.

The Nissan USA website lists a seperate 4pin trailer wiring harness that is available for SL models with premium package. I assume this means the SL 'pre-wiring' is just that: a connector that the harness and possibly a trailer light converter plugs into. For lesser models, it's easy enough to have the converter and harness installed.

http://www.nissanusa.com/rogue/accessories.html

Personally I wouldn't even want to use a hitch type carrier on the Rogue w/ any significant weight on it. When you put something that far behind the axle it will REALLY make the rear end sag. The Rogue isn't designed to have tongue weight added to the rear. I also have to assume that the unibody wasn't really designed to support a hitch either.

I'm not looking for a workhorse. Like most people who buy a CUV, I suppose I'm just looking for a car that has the ability to do odd jobs once in a while. I'd like to be able to bring a ladder home from Home Depot on the roof racks, or bring a set of double doors home on a light trailer. If it can do that without blowing something, I'm happy.

I just found out that Curt Manufacturing will be coming out with a Class 3 hitch for the Rogue, which will have a 2" receiver, not the dinky 1 1/2" Class 1 receiver. This is great news for folks like me who own a hitch bike rack with a 2" shaft.

I just bought my Rogue and was bumming when the dealer and every local auto accessory shop told me they can only have a Class 1 hitch for it.

I won't use an adapter on a class 1 because it's not strong/stable enough to hold 4 bikes, only 2 max. And strapping a trunk rack on the back or putting a roof rack on is not an option for me.

So now I am really happy. I just have to wait a while until it's available. If you're interested contact Curt Mfg and let them know you want one, maybe they'll speed up the process. They make hitch bike racks, too.

Here's their contact info:

http://curtmfg.com/index.cfm?e...=1380

sirbikesalot wrote:I just found out that Curt Manufacturing will be coming out with a Class 3 hitch for the Rogue, which will have a 2" receiver, not the dinky 1 1/2" Class 1 receiver. This is great news for folks like me who own a hitch bike rack with a 2" shaft.

I just bought my Rogue and was bumming when the dealer and every local auto accessory shop told me they can only have a Class 1 hitch for it.

I won't use an adapter on a class 1 because it's not strong/stable enough to hold 4 bikes, only 2 max. And strapping a trunk rack on the back or putting a roof rack on is not an option for me.

So now I am really happy. I just have to wait a while until it's available. If you're interested contact Curt Mfg and let them know you want one, maybe they'll speed up the process. They make hitch bike racks, too.

Here's their contact info:

http://curtmfg.com/index.cfm?e...=1380

Thanks for the update on the Hitch. Sounds like we are both after the same use for the hitch. I have a Yakama Hookup 2 bike hitchrack I plan to use on the Rogue...2 inch hitch coming soon is great to hear. Hopefully the hitch will be available before next spring. Let me know when you find out that it is available.

I have and use a Yakima 4 bike hitch specifically designed for a 1.25" receiver. It's the Yakima BigHorn 4 - 1.25 inch. It carries 2 bikes no problem and is well within my '03 Altima's 100lb tongue weight limit. The bike carrier is quite strong and uses a bolt that threads into the carrier instead of standard hitch pin which when tightened is rattle free and very sturdy. (BTW, Yakima does sell the 'carrier' seperately to convert their 2" reciever models to 1.25") The hitch for the Altima is a Hidden Hitch model that bolts into the rear unibody 'rails' with 4 heavy bolts and includes a strap that bolts on under the spare tire well. I have scraped it several times, backed into curbs, pulled a 700lb landscape trailer with it and of course used it for bikes. Not a single problem so far. I may never load 4 bikes onto it though, a weekends worth of camping supplies, 3 passengers and 2 bikes is pushing it... the rear end does get quite low.

The Rogue has a higher tongue weight limit at 150lbs. A 2" reciever would be beneficial (ie. slightly more sturdy) but it still does not increase the tongue weight limit. Keep this in mind when loading it full of gear and bikes.

I'd still send a note to Curt Mfg just so they know there's demand out there for a 2" receiver. Otherwise you never know they could decide not to pursue it. I guess it depends on how popular the Rogue ends up being. Can't hurt anyway.

My bike rack is a Thule T2 which can hold up to four bikes and up to 160lbs. It sticks way out so it can put a lot of torque on the hitch. I don't know how that translates to tongue weight, but a 30lb bike mounted in position 1 closest to the hitch exerts much less torque than one mounted in position 4 three feet away from the hitch. A 1 1/4" receiver would never cut it.

Modified by sirbikesalot at 8:18 PM 10/26/2007
Modified by sirbikesalot at 8:18 PM 10/26/2007

I e-mailed Curt with a request for a 2'' hitch. I assume Nissan will also have a hitch out in a few months. I'll get which ever hitch looks the best and is priced resonably.

Thanks. Nissan's hitch is available now. But it is a Class 1 only, which means tiny 1 1/4" receiver.

Ticmxman wrote:I e-mailed Curt with a request for a 2'' hitch. I assume Nissan will also have a hitch out in a few months. I'll get which ever hitch looks the best and is priced resonably.

sirbikesalot wrote:I'd still send a note to Curt Mfg just so they know there's demand out there for a 2" receiver. Otherwise you never know they could decide not to pursue it. I guess it depends on how popular the Rogue ends up being. Can't hurt anyway.

My bike rack is a Thule T2 which can hold up to four bikes and up to 160lbs. It sticks way out so it can put a lot of torque on the hitch. I don't know how that translates to tongue weight, but a 30lb bike mounted in position 1 closest to the hitch exerts much less torque than one mounted in position 4 three feet away from the hitch. A 1 1/4" receiver would never cut it.

Modified by sirbikesalot at 8:18 PM 10/26/2007

Modified by sirbikesalot at 8:18 PM 10/26/2007

Thanks for the update on Nissan's hitch being a 1-1/4'', thats not good news, surely someone will make a 2'' hitch for the Rogue. The Thule T2 is a nice rack I am curious to see how the hatch clears or bikes on these racks.

I just ordered the Class III hitch from Curt Mfg - it just came out, faster than I expected. It was $129 + shipping and you can install it yourself - no drilling required. It has a 2" receiver.

I ordered it direct from http://www.drawtite-hitches.com

I'll post a followup with pics on how the install went and any clearance issues.

-SBA

sirbikesalot wrote:I just ordered the Class III hitch from Curt Mfg - it just came out, faster than I expected. It was $129 + shipping and you can install it yourself - no drilling required. It has a 2" receiver.

I ordered it direct from http://www.drawtite-hitches.com

I'll post a followup with pics on how the install went and any clearance issues.

-SBA

That's great news please post pics. My down time off the bike is about over and I'll need my hitch rack in December.

Have you looked into the wiring, I cannot figure out if the Rogue SL's have prewiring why Nissan wants $150 for the harness.

Because they can?

Look at what they want for the cross bars on the carrier!

So I got my hitch today from Curt Manufacturing via UPS and the first thing I noticed was that the end of the hitch had busted through the box and was sticking out. It looked ok until I went mount the hitch and found that the holes did not line up. I guess the Neanderthals at UPS must have really tried to drop it pretty hard because it was not easy to straighten. I got medieval on it with a big mallet and cloth.

After straightening it out I was back in business. I had to remove the tow hook, which you can see in the picture on the ground, as well as two other bolts holding a heat shield. I also released one of the rubber bands holding the exhaust to lower it a tad but I don't think this was necessary. It was fairly easy to finagle it in place and bolt up using a long socket to reach up there.

The hitch is fairly unobtrusive, which is good, but it sits fairly far in, enough so that after I mounted my Thule T2 rack, I immediately discovered that I couldn't fold it up One of the wheel holders contacts the bumper, preventing the rack from engaging in the vertical position. There are several solutions to this problem:1) Get an extender. This comes in an 8" length, probably too much for what I need. All I need is an extra 2".2) Cut part of the wheel holder away. Bike may be slightly less secure and the rack not look as nice, but it would fix the problem. 3) Drill a hole through the rack and use a pin to lock it in the angled position. It would be less convenient than the simple lever, but it would work.

There are other solutions, such as ordering a custom job from Curt Mfg and sending this one back or selling it, but then it's just more money.

Back to the rack. After adding the two bike extender and mounting four bikes, I found that it didn't lower the back end much. I estimate it was about 180lbs total of bikes + rack hanging off the back.

I found that I could open the hatch enough to access the cargo area without lowering the rack. If I lowered the rack I could open the tailgate all the way.

The full four-bike rack sticks out pretty far, but that's the price you pay for easy loading/unloading and not getting damaged from contact. I think it looks pretty good on the Rogue. I wonder what it is going to do to my fuel economy though. My large framed bikes with 29" wheels are tall enough that they protrude above the roof line and stick out past the sides of the car!

The hitch from Curt Mfg:

You can't even see the hitch bar:

Uh oh, contact:

Two bike rack:

Fully loaded with four bikes after 2 bike extender added:



I can open the gate enough to access the cargo area:

If I lower the rack I can open the gate all the way:

Concerns about fuel economy. Bikes extend above the top and beyond the sides of the vehicle:

That was fast! Great review and excellent pics. I like the fact that the hitch's frame is not visible for the most part. To bad you can't fold it up that could be worrisome. I hope my Yakima hook up will have enough clearance to fold up I' ll post some pics when I do my install. Nice bikes by the way.

Wow, that's a fantastic review! I've been thinking about getting a hitch for this reason exactly, and to be honest I thought a lot of the hitches were boxy and didn't look very nice. It looks great on the Rogue, as most of it is hidden. I think I'll be going and purchasing that hitch now

Thanks!

Now I just have to find a reseller of this hitch that will sell to me in Canada. Anyone know of any?

Thanks for the pictures, how long did it take you after you straightened the hitch out to install? I am in the market for a hitch for the bike rack and to pull my 5x9 dump run trailer.

After my last hitch experience with U-Haul and the butcher job the did on the wifes Nissan Quest wiring harness, I will do this car myself I can do a better job because I care how it comes out.

I ordered mine tonight. We will see how the Yakima hookup bike rack works on the rogue.

Maybe 30 min. It was fairly straightforward. I didn't get the wiring harness.