Hitch and Kayak Trailer

Part 1, Hitch: Ordered from Amazon, open box, which gave me a 25% discount:
CURT 112763 Class 1 Trailer Hitch with Ball Mount, 1-1/4-Inch Receiver for Select Toyota Prius

This took me over 1 hour to complete, because I am slow, and because the tolerances were tight and the bar slightly tweaked in whatever damage to packing lead to the discount. I don't include any pictures since the instructions were clear and there is a clear video on Youtube showing installation on a Gen 3 non-v.

Here is my Amazon review:

"I ordered mine in as an open-box, packaging damaged, so got a discount. Installed in a 2015 Prius V single-handedly, using my plastic toolbox to hold up the hitch while bolting.

As noted by others, the holes may not align 100%, perhaps due to factory issues or to being tweaked during shipping. I was able to get mine to mount by using the original (tapered) tightened down firmly to get everything aligned, then replacing the originals with the new bolts one by one. It fits perfectly now. Due to this rebolting (and figuring out how to do it in the first place), it took me over an hour to install by myself. But, it takes me longer to do *anything* on a car than the estimates. At least this time I didn't have to buy any tools or parts.

Instructions were clear enough, and Curt has an excellent video series on YouTube. The only difference between the video and the Prius V was the video (on a regular Prius) had the plastic aerodynamic tray that the driver's side of the hitch had to thread through.
I think the product itself is great. I got it for a discount, and that made up for the extra time I spent installing."

 

Part II: Electrical Interface
CURT 56156 Vehicle-Side Custom 4-Pin Trailer Wiring Harness for Select Toyota Prius V

This was a plug and play effort! Follow the instructions supplied.

Summary:
1) Take out carpets and floor from rear
2) Take out underfloor storage bins
3) take out spare wheel
4) take off 12V battery cover
5) Take off access panels to rear tail lights
6) Take off two rear hold-down loops
7) Remove lip cover (which surrounds liftback latch, on body not door)
7) Fish wiring from controller in battery area to passenger taillight
8) Fish wiring from controller in battery area across to driver's taillight via liftback lift area
9) Disconnect positive battery clamp
10) Connect controller to aux screw on positive battery clamp
11) connect controller to common ground
12) fish 4 wire harness through pass-through grommet. IF YOU CAN pad the wiring from the sheet metal and still pop the grommet back in, that would be a good idea (to prevent wear on 4 wire harness insulation).
13) mount the controller securely Install controller fuse.
14) Test lights (you can get by with just testing taillights at these intermediate points)
15) Reinstall liftback lip, taillight access panels, hold-down loops. Test lights
16) replace spare wheel, battery cover, and storage bins. Test lights
17) Replace floor and carpets.
18) Test taillights, turn signals, hazards, and brakes on trailer.

Passenger side taillight wiring:


Ground Connection:


Trailer Wiring controller next to battery (instructions say this should be mounted with double-sided tape to flat surface):


Pass-through grommet from spare wheel well to outside:


4 wire harness running to pass-through grommet, and outside:

Driver's Side Wiring:


Specialty tools:
String with weight for fishing wire to taillight openings.
Hard plastic trim tool


Hitch with wiring:


Hitch with wiring (showing more of the hitch itself):


When it stops raining, and I actually do a test tow, I will add to this thread showing the trailer. I HAVE hauled the trailer by hand (with the kayak on it) and hooked it up to the Prius and tested all the lights successfully. The steps to this point should get you to hauling a known-working small trailer such an Ironton 1160 lb 40" x 48" (Harbor Frieght/Northern Tools/etc.)

 

Trailer pictures and Tow test!

25+ year old Ironton-based Trailer Before Towing:
1) Extended tongue with 2 pieces 14ga angle steel.
2) Replaced rusty coupler and chain with known-size 1 7/8" ball coupler.
3) Replaced 20 year old electrics with fresh set.
4) Added superstructure so I could store and transport the kayak inverted. Verticals are 16ga, cross pieces 18ga. Pool noodles held on with wire ties for padding.



Lights!

After towing about 2 miles. Note that the rear superstructure crosspiece is bent and the bow is closer to the coupler ball release.


I continued to tow the trailer another 7 miles (2 complete round trips from home to the launch point) after these pictures were taken, on the flat, through the potholed gravel parking lot near the launch point, and up and down a relatively steep slope. I never exceeded 45 mph, obeying local speed limite. Handling was unaffected, acceleration was mildly affected, braking was noticeably effected. Some noise was heard in the potholed parking lot , presumably the bow hitting the tongue when driving through potholes.

To Do:
=====
1) Reinforce rear superstructure crossmember. I have a piece of thicker angle iron I can substitute for the current one, or add to it if required.
2) Replace bolts in vertical superstructure components with proper sized ones, so the vertical members cannot tilt toward the kayak and allow further bending.
3) Raise both front and rear crossmembers 1/2" to 1", to provide further clearance.
4) Move spare tire forward to increase tongue weight.
5) Smooth or pad sharp edges.
6) may have to add more tongue weight for stability.
7) Secure kayak more effectively to eliminate load shifting.
8) check torque on all bolts.

 

To update, I've done #2, #3, and #4. I swapped the left and right vertical components so the flat side of the angle irons face the boat, and rotated the horizontal ones 90 degrees. #2 prevents the vertical members from tilting inward and allowing the horizontal ones to bend, and the rotations cause the load to be in tension rather than compression. So far, so good, but I haven't actually road tested it again, just left the boat mounted statically. The higher gauge steel I bought for #1 is a little long for the application, and I'm hoping the existing changes will make it unnecessary. If not, I'll re-think the materials and possibly add cross-bracing.