Trailer Hitch

[jackphillips1953]

Anyone know if a trailer hitch voids warranty in any way? If anyone has a hitch, what hitch do you recommend?

 

[NeilBlanchard]

Chevy sells a hitch - for bicycles or storage box. So, the hitch won't void anything.

 

[jackphillips1953]

Chevy sells a hitch - for bicycles or storage box. So, the hitch won't void anything.

Thanks!

 

[NeilBlanchard]

The hitch sold by Chevy is made by Curt, and it hangs pretty low, and some folks here on the forum have found it to be less sturdy than they had hoped.

https://accessories.chevrolet.com/p...ociated-accessories-19355746?categoryId=12001

The Draw-Tite is apparently much better than the Curt - it sits higher and is stronger.

http://www.drawtite-hitches.com/products/Class_I__1_1_4_inch_Trailer_Hitch_Receiver,24956

There is now a third option - the Torklift Center hitch, which is more expensive, but it has a 2" carrier; rather than a 1 1/4".

https://torkliftcentral.com/2017-chevy-bolt-ecohitch

It is hard to say for sure, but it looks a bit lower than the Draw-Tite.

 

[SeanNelson]

There is now a third option - the Torklift Center hitch, which is more expensive, but it has a 2" carrier; rather than a 1 1/4".
https://torkliftcentral.com/2017-chevy-bolt-ecohitch

I have the Torklift hitch on my Prius C and I've been very happy with it. The Prius C hitch comes in 2" or 1.25" variants, and since Torklift manufactures these hitches themselves I'd be willing to bet that if you contacted them you'd find that they could make a 1.25" hitch for the Bolt if you needed one.

I personally prefer getting the 2" hitch even though I'm only using it for a bike rack because "you never know" what you might need one day.

 

[NeilBlanchard]

Right - a 2" receiver is preferable, I think. Here's a video of how to install the Torklift hitch:

https://youtu.be/zK_IERW90qQ

And here's the Draw-Tite (which looks easier, to be sure):

https://youtu.be/IDoG5ZT0svs

These videos show that the ground clearance below these hitches is virtually the same - the Torklift video has a side view "insert" at 3:30 that shows it barely below the plastic bumper fascia. The Draw-Tite video shows it at 5:32.

 

[NeilBlanchard]

My brother and I installed the EcoHitch on their 2017 Bolt EV:











It took us about 2 hours. The hardest part was unclipping the two rear wheel arch trim - and one of the two plastic clips on the lower edge of the bumper cover broke, and I had to repair it with some electrical tape.

We varied from the instructions in one important way - shown in the lat 2 pictures. We left a 1.5" connecting strip to strengthen the bumper cover; making a hole, rather than cutting out the whole slot. This is now the third hitch my brother has installed - first on an i MiEV, and the second on his i3 REx. The i3 was MUCH more difficult.

 

[GetOffYourGas]

Thanks for the pics. Love the bumper sticker!

 

[Anonymous]

I installed a Torklift hitch on a Honda Odyssey and thought it was solid. However, I had difficulty with fit in a few places. My brother in law helped, and we worked to install the wiring for the hitch at the same time. The wiring job was probably the more difficult of the two. The body/interior panels that needed to be removed and replaced overlapped between the jobs, so I thought it made sense to do both jobs at once.

I considered that installation a dry run for installing on our Bolt, which is newer. If I go with the Torklift hitch on the Bolt, I may have someone else do it.

 

[NeilBlanchard]

This was the first time I have put on a hitch. It was fairly easy, frankly. The hardest part was pulling the fender flares off. We didn't do wiring, though. My brother has done this 2 (or 3?) times before, and he knew how to do the cutout leaving the edge intact - which will make it a better install, I think.

Torklift packages their stuff MUCH better than the other sellers - my brother works for UPS and he has seen them all. The fit and quality was top notch. This is the only hitch with a 2" receiver, as far as I know. The other two are 1 1/4", which is not nearly as robust.

 

[grbadave]

I installed the 1 1/4" draw-tite hitch much more easily than expected in about 30 min. Works great for bike rack and luggage basket. About $100.

 

[Pigwich]

Anybody come up with a slick solution for the trailer light wiring harness? There's infinite garbage on the internet that claims to work with any car from any planet, which probably means that none of them work...

Thoughts or experiences on this subject?

(´・(oo)・｀)

 

[NeilBlanchard]

I found this, which is supposed to be a plugin solution for trailer light wiring:

https://torkliftcentral.com/chevy-t-one-connector-56315

I will be getting it soon. I hope I can figure out (maybe with help from TorkLift?) about where it plugs in. The challenge may be where the brake lights plug in, because the bumper lights only activate when the hatch is open.

 

[NeilBlanchard]

I installed the same model hitch on our Bolt EV, on Saturday. I did it on my own (my brother was moving with his wife from her house, to his), so I didn't take any pictures. Look above for pictures of our installation on his Bolt.

I also bought a Curt T-One trailer light connection harness, and therein is a tale. The unit is designed for the Chevy Volt, and said that it fits a Chevy Bolt, as well. It does have to correct connectors, that T into the left and right light groups that are in the bumper of the Bolt EV.

Two problems became apparent, though. Here's my email that I sent to TorkLift:

I received the T-One connector a few days ago, and I finished installing it today. It is made for the Volt - and it is supposed to "fit" the Bolt EV; which is what I have. While it does "fit" - it has two fairly serious issues:

The location of the 12v battery in the Volt is in the back, under the floor of the hatch area (where a spare tire is often located). So the wire on the T-One that connects to the battery is roughly 3 feet long, or so. The 12v battery in the Bolt EV - is up in the front of the car, under the hood, on the driver's side - where many if not most, are located. I had to add 16 feet of 12 gauge wire to be able to connect to the positive terminal; and I needed to make 2 splices, so I could keep the 10A fuse in place.

The second issue is a bit more subtle. While the Volt is a hatchback, it's taillights are located on the body of the car. The Bolt EV is a hatchback as well - but it's main taillights / brake lights are located on the *hatch door* itself. The turn signals are located in the bumper. The issue is that by law, there have to be "alternative" tail / brake lights on the body - for when the hatch door is open. This is because, if the door is all the way open, the lights would not be visible.

So, basically, I have to open the hatch door, in order for the trailer tail / brake lights to function. The T connections on the unit do "fit" in that they plug into the left and the right side lights *on the bumper*. I don't know where to find the connectors for the lights in the hatch door - and the turn signals are in the bumper, anyway. They are probably too far away for the length of wires on the T-One unit you provided.

I hope this all is clear - if you have questions, I'd be happy to answer, if I can. I think you need to not sell this unit for the Chevy Bolt EV, and hopefully Curt can make one that does have 1) a long enough wire to reach the 12v battery, and 2) connectors AND INSTRUCTIONS to connect it properly to the Bolt EV *without* having to tow a trailer with the hatch door (slightly) open.

 

[KenR]

Thank you NeilBlanchard for posting the details of your install. this was very helpful in my deciding to do this. I chose the EcoHitch mainly because it would allow me to use the bike rack we already own (requires 2" receiver). And as others have pointed out, it looks more sturdy.
There were no issues, the hitch arrived in 4 days and all the holes lined up. I did the entire job in under 2 hours. I highly recommend using plastic pry bars for body work (although my need for these may be lack of experience - this was the first time I've removed body panels on a modern car - HINT: this was an easy job). When I went to disconnect the wiring harness I broke the clip that attaches it to impact bar. I remounted it using a zip-tie - getting my arm in there to attach the zip tie was the hardest part of the entire job.
there are 3 screws in the inner wheel-well that need to come off. For one of them there was not enough room between the tire and wheel well. I jacked the car slightly not even off the ground, just enough to create some space. I didn't have a shorter torx socket and did not want to take off the wheel. Very easy job. Hitch looks great.

 

[NeilBlanchard]

I am glad I could help, Ken. The hitch part was easy - even with the closed cutout that my brother and I used; which leaves the plastic intact along the edge of the bumper cover.

The wiring would be easier if the harness was designed for the Bolt EV.

I am going to be getting a 5x8 trailer soon, from Lowes - they are on sale until April 27th, for $100 off.

 

[JVorbeck]

I installed the Draw-Tite 24956 Class I Sportframe Hitch this weekend with the Curt 4 pin universal trailer lighting kit. CURT 59236. Bought it all on Amazon. The hitch install may have taken 20 mins. Super easy, on my garage floor. Car doesn't need to be jacked up. The much much more difficult process was the lighting kit. That was about a 2.5 hour project and mainly wrestling interior plastic panels. However, everything you need is right there in the trunk behind the left {drivers} side plastic panel with the vent holes in it. 12v power, a nice body ground, tail lights, brake lights and both turn signals. The Curt device separates your cars CAN bus electronics from the trailer plug so there are no errors, fast blinks or power surges. No wire cutting either it just uses vampire taps.

I am towing a Lowe's 5x8 trailer

https://ibb.co/zWg36gb

https://ibb.co/GPyqztn

 

[GetOffYourGas]

Did the hitch installation require cutting the bumper or fairing?

 

[JVorbeck]

The black plastic cover that wraps underneath required a 3.5" wide x 5" long cut. I didn't cut it all the way out, just the two 5" vertical cuts and folded the "flap" up. It just rests against the top of the hitch bar. I used a hack saw. No need to remove anything from the vehicle. You can't tell I did it without looking underneath. But, if you're leasing you would have to purchase that lower unpainted black valance and replace it when you remove the hitch. Doubt it's very expensive.

 

[GetOffYourGas]

I own my car, and hope to keep it for another 8-10 years. I'm just nervous about cutting the plastic. I don't think there is a way around it, and it sounds like a minor operation, so I really just should man up and do it. It's my "bravery test" for those of you who remember Bob Ross.

https://clips.twitch.tv/SucculentEsteemedCakeTooSpicy