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Installed my Coastal Hitch

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by Omita, Aug 14, 2006.

  1. Omita

    Omita New Member

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    2004 Prius
    I got my 2" Coastal Tech hitch in the mail on Thursday and decided to open the box up yesterday. It was a nice powder coated black hitch bolted to a 2 by 4 (for shipping). It even came with a bag nice Jelly Belly jelly-beans... I was feeling rather lazy while reading through the directions but as I finished the directions the sugar rush hit so I was off finding the few tools I needed to get the job done. I wonder if they planned that?

    Anyway, the hardest part was finding my socket wrench set in my basement. I put my car on the sidewalk, laid down a mattress pad and got to work. Very simple install. Luckily my 1.5 year old Prius does not have any oxidation. Pretty much you just unbolt the metal tie downs (which i didn't even know existed), move a plastic panel to get access to the left side tie down. Unbolt that tie down, install the left side of the hitch, replace the plastic and bolt on the hitch. Very straight forward. I did have to put the hose clamp on my muffler that Coastal sent to try and move the exhaust pipe up so that the muffler wouldn't rest on the hitch. I have about a millimeter or two of clearance. If I do get any rattling over time I am going to get the muffler re-welded so that it sits higher. But so far we haven't heard any rattling. And I say "we" because my wife is a freak en blood hound when it comes to something in the car that rattles. Usually it's change... or the garage door opener. :)

    So, now I just need the electrical stuff taken care of. I might have someone else do it... we'll see.

    I plan on pulling a light weight trailer with very little tongue wait. (I know Toyota doesn't recommend it.) But I only have 1 car and I did a lot of research, even considered buying a second car. The Dodge Sprinter is the best MPG vehicle I can find that has really good pulling power and close to 40MPG (Diesel). Anyway... I am only pulling 145lbs and the tongue wait is next to nothing. The tricky part is trying to make the boat I am pulling more aerodynamic to lower wind resistance... we'll see.

    Here is my trailer.
    [​IMG]

    http://www.rackandroll.com/

    It's nice and light, very small, but good size wheels. It's also very versatile which make me happy. I'll let people know how it goes.

    -Hays
     
    #1 Omita, Aug 14, 2006
  2. grasshopper

    grasshopper Member

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    Congratulations on your hitch. You can do the wiring yourself, it will give you great pleasure that you did it all yourself. I assume that you will alter the Camry harness that is posted here on Prius Chat.
    I really like the looks of your trailer. I have been looking for one but I need one that will carry more weight. But yours looks mighty fancy.

    Welcome to the Prius Outlaw Towers Club (POT Club). :blink:
     
    #2 grasshopper, Aug 14, 2006
  3. narf

    narf Active Member

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    Vehicle:
    2016 Prius
    Model:
    Four Touring
    Omita,
    At 145 pounds you'll barely notice it's there. I tow a 400 pound shifter kart and trailer, plus another 100 pounds of gear in the trunk and still get about 42 MPG when towing. The car works a little harder up the big hills, but otherwise it's not bad at all. Be sure this is the last time you mention your towing on PC.com, otherwise you will surely be scolded by the PriusNannies. :rolleyes: I like the idea of the Prius Outlaw Towers club, not sure about the acronym!
     
    #3 narf, Aug 14, 2006
  4. hawkjm73

    hawkjm73 New Member

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    Go for it with the wiring. It's as easy as installing the hitch. Just make sure to use an 4-wire adapter kit (because the brakes are seperate from the signal lights).

    Are you going to be launching a boat from the trailer? While the Prius is more than up to the task of towing such a small load, the friction equations do not look good for a wet boat ramp. The car just does not weigh enough for me to trust it there.
     
    #4 hawkjm73, Aug 14, 2006
  5. bruceha_2000

    bruceha_2000 Senior Member

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    Vehicle:
    2018 Prius Prime
    Model:
    Prime Advanced
    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Omita @ Aug 14 2006, 02:03 AM) [snapback]302890[/snapback]</div>
    Those wheels look good for low rolling resistance. Won't likely be much drag on the car. Their pictures are pretty much my plan - attach a roof top carrier to the trailer if I need weather protection, mount bikes, carry flat loads (like a few sheets of plywood from the lumberyard). I'm not so fond of how high it sits though. I'd rather hide as much of the load as possible behind the car - less windage. Now, if they'd make one with 6" road clearance instead of 22"! Obviously you can carry wider stuff with their design than one with a deck dropped between the wheels like I want but I can pack efficiently ;)

    Hmmm, I just noticed their brochure says 'ideal height from top of ball to ground is 22". I gather there will be a significant downward slant on the trailer behind a Prius. I wonder if they can make a 'step down' tongue. Seems better suited to an SUV than a car.
     
    #5 bruceha_2000, Aug 16, 2006
  6. hawkjm73

    hawkjm73 New Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(bruceha_2000 @ Aug 16 2006, 01:49 PM) [snapback]304185[/snapback]</div>

    Ever seen one of those whoppen pickups way too high up on lift kits, but want to tow anyway? They've got a draw bar that lowers the ball much closer to the ground. The great thing is, those work both ways. Just put it into the hitch so the adjustment is up instead of down, and voila! Level trailer. They can be had at various auto parts stores.
     
    #6 hawkjm73, Aug 16, 2006
  7. Nda3rdCar

    Nda3rdCar Junior Member

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    #7 Nda3rdCar, Aug 16, 2006
  8. gordonr

    gordonr Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Omita @ Aug 14 2006, 02:03 AM) [snapback]302890[/snapback]</div>
    Omita -

    I truely have trailer envy. That looks great!

    And to think we sold our Geo Prizm for less than the cost of that trailer.
     
    #8 gordonr, Aug 16, 2006
  9. bruceha_2000

    bruceha_2000 Senior Member

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    Prime Advanced
    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(gordonr @ Aug 16 2006, 10:20 PM) [snapback]304436[/snapback]</div>
    Just how much DO they cost, I didn't find any pricing on their web site. Given the cost of Yakima, et al racks and attachments, I guess the trailer is WAY expensive as well. Couldn't put all that expensive stuff on top of an affordable trailer ;)

    By the way, after my last post on this thread, I measured the distance from the bottom of the bumper to the ground. It was about 12" so I now want a trailer with a bed 12" off the ground, 6 would be too low :)
     
    #9 bruceha_2000, Aug 18, 2006
  10. bruceha_2000

    bruceha_2000 Senior Member

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    Prime Advanced
    Found it at RackAttack - $1999.00!!! AAACCCCKKKKKKKK!. Guess I'll be leaving this for the more well off.
     
    #10 bruceha_2000, Aug 30, 2006
  11. Zerkster

    Zerkster New Member

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    I want a hitch >,> as i am on the road alot 3k miles in my baby 3 weeks lol
    I carry alot of computer supplies
     
    #11 Zerkster, Sep 1, 2006
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