Leaf Quick Release Hitch for bike racks or cargo

[Darryl]

Check out http://torkliftcentral.com
They make a very good products and have the option of a 2" receiver which gives more options for cargo racks and accessories. I bought one for my Prius C and was very pleased with it. However they are more expensive than other options.

[powersurge]

There was nothing magical on the quick release hitch. All it did was allow you to remove the visible part of the hitch... I have the CURT hitch, installed it myself. It is great for several bicycles. I would stay away from a 2 inch hitch, however, because that would tempt morons to pull trailers with the Leaf... Installing CURT hitch takes some mechanical tools (drill, 1/2 inch bit, socket wrenches and extra hands to lift it). I would say that anyone who can change their own oil and has no problem raising their car with a jack can do this....

[fearnow]

Cheers all. The only reason i might go 2" is that the floppy adapter between the 2 and 1.25 that i already have pushes the whole assy way out back ( and at least on the spectra5 i have it I. now the extra length lets it drag on shallower inclines).

But no towing fo sho. For me it's all about the4-bike carrier.

[Electric4Me]

Hi Jeff,
I can answer some of these questions:
-I had to stop making these hitches because I became overwhelmed at work and had no time left in my life for these. That, and the fact that I was making around minimum wage (beer money). Recently things changed and I have more free time again, and materials on-hand to make more, so I've been waffling on making another batch...
-I can't speak to the Curt product, but I've heard good things about the Torklift one. In my opinion, the key thing to look for is the stiffness of the hitch. When you load the hitch up with bikes, will it sag too much? I used to have a U-haul hitch that was awful and that helped guide me to make a proper sturdy, stiff hitch for the LEAF.

Powersurge, was your comment about the 2" hitch and towing serious? If so, I respectfully disagree. The 2" hitch receiver size is much more versatile than the 1-1/4", and when you buy the smaller size the manufactures tend to make the hitch itself flimsy. (see above point) Also, I've watched my friend tow waaaaay more weight in his utility trailer than he should have behind his vehicle with a 1-1/4" hitch (low speeds, back roads, hauling concrete to the dump), so the hitch size has *nothing* to do with the LEAFs good or bad points as a tow vehicle. Many feel that the LEAF does light duty towing just fine and puts no more wear and tear on the vehicle (and possibly less) than driving in hilly areas or with hard acceleration. YMMV.

[fearnow]

Thanks for the reply!

The bike rag sags a bit, but not worryingly. It's the fact that the Spectr5 I have it now is low, and then the adapter extends the lever arm out even more, so now a long low extension is hanging of the back and backing down an incline onto flat gets grinding noises. Put all the people in the car and all the bikes and I'm doing some serious dirtmoving when backing down.

anyway, I'd love to a rack on there ASAP and could go either way for sizing - i've lived with the arrangement now, can continue to adapt as needed.

[Darryl]

I would stay away from a 2 inch hitch, however, because that would tempt morons to pull trailers with the Leaf...

I have seen all kinds of adapters, some purchased and some homemade. Morons will do what Morans do.

Worse than having the temptation to tow something heavy with a 2" receiver is to get a 1 1/4 receiver and use an adapter to add a 2" cargo rack or bike rack. As for every 12" the extension/adapter sticks out cuts your tongue weight capacity in half. If you start with the 200 lbs capacity of most 1 1/4" receivers that only leaves 100 lbs minus the weight of the cargo carrier=not much weight left.

I have been very glad I bought the 2" receiver and never had the sudden urge to tow any trailers. But others have proven trailer towing can be done.

And there is NO sagging on my bike rack loaded with four bicycles or my cargo rack with lots of luggage. But again this is a TorkLiftCentral hitch for a Prius C not a Nissan Leaf. But I would imagine their quality would stand behind their line of goods. http://torkliftcentral.com

[Electric4Me]

And there is NO sagging on my bike rack loaded with four bicycles or my cargo rack with lots of luggage.

As it should be!

[jjeff]

I would stay away from a 2 inch hitch, however, because that would tempt morons to pull trailers with the Leaf...

I have seen all kinds of adapters, some purchased and some homemade. Morons will do what Morans do.

Worse than having the temptation to tow something heavy with a 2" receiver is to get a 1 1/4 receiver and use an adapter to add a 2" cargo rack or bike rack. As for every 12" the extension/adapter sticks out cuts your tongue weight capacity in half. If you start with the 200 lbs capacity of most 1 1/4" receivers that only leaves 100 lbs minus the weight of the cargo carrier=not much weight left.

I have been very glad I bought the 2" receiver and never had the sudden urge to tow any trailers. But others have proven trailer towing can be done.

And there is NO sagging on my bike rack loaded with four bicycles or my cargo rack with lots of luggage. But again this is a TorkLiftCentral hitch for a Prius C not a Nissan Leaf. But I would imagine their quality would stand behind their line of goods. http://torkliftcentral.com

Totally agree! Now I do have several things already setup for the 1.25" receiver: Au cargo platform, 4 place bike rack, 2 place bike rack, etc. but I'd have much preferred 2" as 2" is far less likely to wiggle. When you get down as small as 1.25" it's almost round, things rock back and forth. 2" is far more steady, especially when using something like a 4 place bike holder or cargo platform. Now if some moron thinks just because a Leaf has a 2" receiver then he can tow 5000lbs, well as you said, morons will do what morons do. Also finding things for 1.25" is much harder than the much more common 2". Take for instance a black plastic plug to put in the hole while not in use. Just try and find a 1.25 version, you can find 2" versions everywhere, I've only found 1.25" covers at a couple speciality shops and even then they are usually out of stock or only stock 1, 2" is the way to go IMO.

[powersurge]

I have the CURT hitch, which is as heavy duty as any other hitches on my cars. it is a 1 1/4" hitch. I have a 4 bike THULE rack, which works fine... Actually the THULE 4 BIKE rack IS A 1 1/4" bike rack. It has a 2 inch plastic adapter insert, which is actually MORE wobbly than when you use it as a 1 1/4" hitch..

SO, I think that for the LEAF, you can get very strong bike racks that are made for 1 1/4" hitches. And you will not tempt people to pull trailers with the LEAF.

Even if the Leaf could pull trailers, where are you expecting to go when the Leaf battery craps out after 20 miles of towing a trailer??
HA HA.

[Electric4Me]

OK, I'm making a final batch of 10 QR hitches. These are 2" only, and have a locking release knob to securely hold the receiver in place. It costs more to make this way, but no hole is required to be drilled into the trunk anymore.
http://tinyurl.com/qrhitchorderform