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Anyone found a class III hitch???

Discussion in 'Gen 4 Prius Accessories and Modifications' started by neiman, Jul 3, 2020.

  1. neiman

    neiman New Member

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    Hi all-

    This is driving me off-the-wall insane...I can barely find a class III hitch (2" receiver) for my gen4 prius! Namely, '20 with AWD. U-Haul, rack n road, all the local shops only have class 1 hitches (1 and a quarter inch). I found one place that had a class 3. They quoted me $550 for the install :eek:.

    I guess it makes sense; this car is not designed for towing. Why would anyone need a hitch rated for 10,000 pounds when the car can tow 0 pounds?

    I have a couple bike racks already that fit a 2" receiver. Yes, you could just go with an adapter, but that seems a bit limiting/janky. Anyone had success with a 2"/class III tow hitch?
     
    Mambo Dave likes this.
  2. KD0FTJ

    KD0FTJ Junior Member

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    I have been searching for a 2" hitch for a 2018. The only thing that has come up is the Torklift 2019-2020 Prius EcoHitch. I am hoping that someone can confirm that it will also fit a 2018.
     
  3. PriusOffroad

    PriusOffroad Active Member

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    I built my own 2" receiver. I plan on releasing them to the public eventually but am focusing on the lift kits first. If there's enough demand to do a batch of 5 or so I'd be willing to make them within the next month or so. Everything is tucked up behind the bumper aside from the 2" receiver. Heres a pic for reference, i can get more if needed. IMG_2346.JPG
     
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  4. neiman

    neiman New Member

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    Haha, that is one mean looking prius. Curious as to how you made your own hitch. Did you fabricate the whole thing or just weld a 2" onto a 1.25in reciever?
     
  5. Willl

    Willl Junior Member

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    Did you ever end up producing the 2" hitch to sell? I would be interested to buy 1 along with the Prius offroad lift that you have. Do you have any plans to produce a slightly larger lift, like maybe up to 2 inches?
     
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  6. JimboPalmer

    JimboPalmer Tsar of all the Rushers

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  7. Georgina Rudkus

    Georgina Rudkus Senior Member

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  8. PaulDM

    PaulDM Active Member

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    Can you not import the uk kit where the car is rated at towing 725kg max
     
  9. PriusOffroad

    PriusOffroad Active Member

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    Hey Willl, we've made a few hitches for customers since then but right now our focus is on keeping lift inventory on the shelf so hitches are still a ways off, if ever. With the 2" eco hitch being available now we feel less pressure to fill a void so it's just less fo a priority. As for offering a larger lift down the road, we spent A LOT of time and money on research and development determining the maximum height we could achieve without jeopardizing safety, reliability, handling, etc. and unfortunately anything above 1.5" really overstresses everything including suspension, drivetrain, and steering. Going larger and subjecting our customers to these things and putting their lives at risk for such a minimal increase in height just isn't something we are willing to do.
     
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  10. black_jmyntrn

    black_jmyntrn Senior Member

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    You can get a 2" lift from PriusOverlanding.com, I've run the 2" lift for a while and have no issues with the suspension. The same issue with Axle rubbing on the Offroad kit is present in the Overland kit but Overland has sub-frame spacers to alleviate any axle rubs.
     
  11. Tianen Chen

    Tianen Chen Junior Member

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    It looks like you lifted your Prius on top of all-terrain tires. What is your MPG?
     
  12. black_jmyntrn

    black_jmyntrn Senior Member

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    On my Plug-In, Infinite!
    20220502_130527-01.jpeg
     
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  13. Mambo Dave

    Mambo Dave Active Member

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  14. hill

    hill High Fiber Member

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    Would love to get a PM regarding the hinge on your screwdriver antenna. Yours might not be hefty enough for the High-Q 10m-160m. So far - the wind load issues still escape me.
    w6eeg
     
    #14 hill, Feb 24, 2023
    Last edited: Feb 24, 2023
  15. black_jmyntrn

    black_jmyntrn Senior Member

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    here you go, this is the one I use.
    https://amzn.to/3klVG1t
     
  16. black_jmyntrn

    black_jmyntrn Senior Member

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    you know... you've had me thinking. which one are you interested in? What's its weight? what is the pole circumference? depending on how "creative" you are, you might like something we are working on.... do you plan on driving with it installed upright? would you prefer it to be in the front end or the back end of the vehicle? are you opposed to removing a side window? say for instance one of the small glass windows I can't remember the last time I actually looked through? any other requirements than wind load while driving 80mph?
     
  17. Mambo Dave

    Mambo Dave Active Member

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    This 2" hitch is overbuilt, that's for damned sure. I don't know if the unibody hitch-attachment-locations on the Prius could withstand a true Class III hitch to make it worth your while. Yeah, sure, you'd have a true Class III hitch, but it would bend downward as the body crumpled beneath the weight of it if loaded to true Class III standards.

    [​IMG]


    [​IMG]
     
  18. Mambo Dave

    Mambo Dave Active Member

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    What happened to the 'edit' button on posts? I was going to add another picture.

    [​IMG]
     
  19. black_jmyntrn

    black_jmyntrn Senior Member

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    huh? yours crumpled? out of all the gen 4 installs of a hitch that I've done... never took the whole body off. labor of love right?

    I also think you underestimate the Prius... Ive seen a hitch built by my eye more solid than that one and it was tested to have a tongue weight greater than 500lbs withstand an impact from behind by a big rig. the rack attached crumpled like a soda can where as the hitch was fine without stress marks to that!

    https://black.jmyntrn.com/2022/03/07/this-2005-2009-toyota-prius-2-inch-trailer-hitch-is-the-best-on-the-market/
     
  20. Mambo Dave

    Mambo Dave Active Member

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    I get it - we get it - you like to brag about what you make.

    You can stop now. Nobody cares.