hey everyone, i was wondering if any of you have trailer hitches installed on your fit. what is your experience with them? i own a 2009 sport and recently me and a friend bought pit bikes (small dirt bikes, bother together weigh about 300 lbs).

i see the kits for the fit and the reviews are all relatively good, but what is your opinion on them? would the these aftermarket trailer hitches be able to support 300+ lbs? i was thinking about getting a dirt bike carrier for the back (similar to this Steel Motorcycle Scooter Dirtbike Carrier Hauler Hitch Mount Rack Ramp Anti Tilt | eBay)


thanks, i know its strange a bit strange of a request, any input would be greatly appreciated!

 

My main thing is Honda is so quick to say that a trailer hitch will void your warranty (if you have one). If you don't care about that, you should be fine.

 

after doing some research through these forums i discovered something called "tongue weight" (different from tow weight) which is the maximum weight the hitch can support. a hitch on a fit could hold is about 200 lbs, my bike is 150 lbs, if i were to get the platform i would only be able to hold 1 motorcycle on it. has anyone here ever tried what im contemplating? i cannot get a trailer because i do not have the storage for it.

 

That platform won't work with the hitches available for the Fit. It requires at least a class II hitch according to the ad (but, since it uses a 2" receiver tube, it only fits in class III or higher hitches?), and the ones available for the fit are class I hitches.

Even if it would fit, this would be putting very high stresses on the trailer hitch, especially when close to the weight rating of the hitch. There's a large torque axially with the receiver when loading or unloading the bike, which the hitch probably isn't designed to take; and there's a greater than normal torque normal to the hitch receiver tube because of the longer lever arm when compared with a ball mount. A little bit of sagging in the carrier or the Fit's suspension and you could easily have the carrier scrape the ground when driving over bumps and such

Various companies sell foldable trailer kits that don't take up much storage floor space—Harbor Freight is one, Northern Hydraulics is another (and they're pretty much the same thing). Maybe one of those would work for you. It would certainly be a better option than a cargo rack on a trailer hitch for a pit bike.

You might also check to see if you can fit the pit bike(s) inside the Fit, either through the hatch or behind the front seats in "tall" mode.

By the way: by federal law, the mere installation of a trailer hitch will not void your warranty. Honda rightly can deny coverage for damage actually caused by using a non-recommended accessory (such as suspension or transmission damage from towing too heavy of a trailer), but they cannot void the warranty outright because you have a hitch. Of course, that may not stop a scummy dealer from trying to avoid proper warranty work, but that's the dealer is scummy.

 

theyy have similar platforms that fit the hitches available for the fit, the platform weight 30 lbs and the bike weighs 150, which puts me 20 under the limit, still to close for comfort i am going to have to find an alternative

 

I would agree that a small trailer is going to be your best bet.
With the hitch mounted carrier it's not just the 200lb limit that you have to be worried about. Because of how far off the back of the car the carrier and bike will be mounted that 180lbs is going to be effectively more like 400-500lbs that the hitch actually sees.

- Dustin

 

Just rent a trailer from U-Haul when needed and your problem is solved. Total daily cost after tax is less than $17. I rented for a long time before buying as it was more economical for infrequent use. Trailer cost, sales tax, title, registration and maintenance adds up.

Don't even think about using that rear rack. Even with it on your Fit completely empty you will bottom it out over bumps. Load it up to even half the rated weight and same bumps will probably bend your frame. Use your hitch for a trailer or a bicycle rack only.

_

 

That sounds like the best idea yet IMHO.

-Dustin

 

I have a Hidden Hitch 1.25" hitch installed on my 2012 Sport. I usually put them on all my cars since I'm an avid biker and I don't like roof racks which contact the paint.

As other's have said, you want to look out for the tongue weight which is significantly less than the trailer weight. On small cars like ours, the tongue weight is usually limited to 200lbs. Trailer weight is limited to 1000lbs. Of course you can go more or less with both, but keep in mind the car isn't designed for this. So always be careful.





First I used a Yakima carrier, but found that it didn't work with the geometry of my full suspension bike, so I returned it and got a Thule T2 which I have used in the past. Sadly, the T2 is significantly heavier.



The T2 rack is almost 60lbs. The hitch is maybe 25-30lbs. And then whatever your bikes weight. It can add up to be a lot, so you have to be careful.







Even had one on my S2000 with a heavy ~60lb downhill bike.