AutoHaulersinc
Well-known member
So I got this idea from a friend of mine that had a Leaf. I thought I was going to one up him when I told him I put a class 1 hitch on my car, but I was soon the one that was upped over when I saw he had already installed a CLASS 2 on his Leaf and it was a true bolt on (mine wasn't - considerable modification necessary)
He was using his hitch for a hitch carrier because he needed more luggage room. I noticed his was a steel unit that worked perfectly with his 2x2 hitch opening. Unfortunately my class one had the smaller opening so i wasn't going to get off so easy.
I knew I wanted to go aluminum with my carrier but no one makes an aluminum one for a class 1 hitch. I could use an adapter but the thing would stick out a mile with the carrier + adapter. I ordered my aluminum carrier and adapter and when it arrived the first thing I did was shorten the square tube on the carrier that is meant to go in the hitch. This way when I used the class 2 to class 1 adapter, the carrier sticks out about the same as if it was just the carrier mounted to a class 2 hitch. The aluminum carriers use a steel cross member that goes into the hitch and I experimented with changing it to 2x2 square aluminum box (11 ga. thickness) to save weight but thought this unwise and went back the the steel cross member. Im new to working with aluminum and just dont know how it would hold up under load over bumps etc....
Being that I was currently running last in the one up war I figured I needed to modify the carrier more to get even for being beat in the first round. These carriers are great when attached to the car but a pain to move around/store when not attached. I got some 1/4 aluminum plates ( i know, way thicker than needed but I got a deal on it) and welded them to the carrier using my MIG welder/spool gun combo (tip - If you want to weld aluminum, buy a TIG welder, which I am doing....welding aluminum with the MIG is quite difficult to get right and I have been a certified welder for 10 years) After I welded the plates in I bolted on some heavy duty casters that lock so they wont swivel around when driving.
I also wanted to make sure I was going to win this battle so I installed LED brake/tail/turn sigs on the carrier that connect to my trailer light harness. I also drilled the bottom of the vehicle hitch box and adapter to weld on a set bolt because the carriers have a tendency to rattle while driving...its so silent I forget its back there.
Very happy with the result, when i need it, I just roll it over to the vehicle and attach, when i'm done I roll it back and tilt it up against a wall. I mounted the LEDs inboard so I could do this without damaging them...
He was using his hitch for a hitch carrier because he needed more luggage room. I noticed his was a steel unit that worked perfectly with his 2x2 hitch opening. Unfortunately my class one had the smaller opening so i wasn't going to get off so easy.
I knew I wanted to go aluminum with my carrier but no one makes an aluminum one for a class 1 hitch. I could use an adapter but the thing would stick out a mile with the carrier + adapter. I ordered my aluminum carrier and adapter and when it arrived the first thing I did was shorten the square tube on the carrier that is meant to go in the hitch. This way when I used the class 2 to class 1 adapter, the carrier sticks out about the same as if it was just the carrier mounted to a class 2 hitch. The aluminum carriers use a steel cross member that goes into the hitch and I experimented with changing it to 2x2 square aluminum box (11 ga. thickness) to save weight but thought this unwise and went back the the steel cross member. Im new to working with aluminum and just dont know how it would hold up under load over bumps etc....
Being that I was currently running last in the one up war I figured I needed to modify the carrier more to get even for being beat in the first round. These carriers are great when attached to the car but a pain to move around/store when not attached. I got some 1/4 aluminum plates ( i know, way thicker than needed but I got a deal on it) and welded them to the carrier using my MIG welder/spool gun combo (tip - If you want to weld aluminum, buy a TIG welder, which I am doing....welding aluminum with the MIG is quite difficult to get right and I have been a certified welder for 10 years) After I welded the plates in I bolted on some heavy duty casters that lock so they wont swivel around when driving.
I also wanted to make sure I was going to win this battle so I installed LED brake/tail/turn sigs on the carrier that connect to my trailer light harness. I also drilled the bottom of the vehicle hitch box and adapter to weld on a set bolt because the carriers have a tendency to rattle while driving...its so silent I forget its back there.
Very happy with the result, when i need it, I just roll it over to the vehicle and attach, when i'm done I roll it back and tilt it up against a wall. I mounted the LEDs inboard so I could do this without damaging them...
