...all of which is true. The driver must use common sense when towing loads. It's obvious you wouldn't want to be towing a 1500 cc motorcycle with 5 heavyweight linebackers, a weeks worth of luggage, etc. at the same time. I honestly don't know what is safe concerning handling and drivetrain wear, but I know that it has been done in the past (as mentioned earlier) with cars with similar horsepower.

As with any vehicle...towing rated by the manufacturer or not...use common sense when towing. None of this kind of stuff: http://www.martinek.us/homedepot.html

As far as warranty issues go, it would be wise to unbolt the hitch prior to a warranty claim. Even though you may have operated a hitch within safe parameters (although the manual completely restricts towing), the dealer would have more ammo to deny a claim that might be engine, suspension, etc. related. As we all know, although there is the Magnusson Moss Warranty Act , most are keen on unbolting (and returning to stock) of aftermarket items such as intakes, springs, etc. before taking the car to the dealer for a warranty claim.

Should have pictures and more info about the hitch project by tomorrow or Wednesday evening. Will keep you posted.

 

My dealer told me that the hitch has no affect on the warranty. I also can speak from the experience of towing with my xB, that the 500lb. or so that I'm pulling has absolutely no adverse affects on handling. I cruise up and down the interstate at 75+ pulling my bike and never even know it is back there. Anyone who lacks common sense should stick to the owners manual recommendations. Just don't forget to wave at me when I pass you on the interstate. I'll be the Hot Lava xB pulling a KX250.


~Sorry if the previous pics don't always post. I'm a cheapskate and my free image host only allows 5mb a day...

 

I talked with the hitch outfitter about replicating the hitch that is being fabricated for my car. After the hitch is completed (hopefully by this weekend due to parts delays), we will analyze and test the design and make any tweaks prior to releasing it for sale. I will definitely post up some good shots once this is accomplished.

The design on my xB will be a 1 1/4" receiver that will be penetrate the skirt right beneath the bumper (similar to the pictures shown above). This can be customized to the buyer's liking, of course. For instance, instead of penetrating the skirt, a mount can be offered that wraps around below the skirt and back up to avoid any cutting for the mount hole. This type of modification is not recommended, however, since it would certainly decrease in tongue load capacity, stiffness, etc.

The fabricator intends to supply the buyer with an install manual and necessary bolts, templates, etc. As mentioned earlier, the install will be completely bolt on and easy enough for the average DIYer. The product will be professionally welded and finished (either with a powdercoat or bedliner material) and will be of high quality. It will be sold at an estimated price of somewhere between $300 and $350 (for me that is still cheaper than the Yakima roof rack option and will definitely be more convenient and better looking). He has over 10 years of experience and is extremely familiar with custom hitch fabrication.

From preliminary testing, he presumes that the tongue load capacity is around 150 lbs. With modification (adding cost and weight to the prelimary design), he sees no reason that he could not design a beefed up version that could handle a 250 lb. tongue load.

For those that are seriously interested or need more information please PM me and we can talk about details.

 

KX250 ehe. I have a KX125 1999

 

The hitch guy finished the fabrication and installed it this afternoon.

I cut a hole in the skirt and have tested the bike rack that I intend to use. There does not seem to be any visible flex (the rack beam doesn't touch the hole edges when I bounce up and down on the rack).

I will post some shots by afternoon tommorrow!

 

Here are the pictures!!!
I'll be making a hitch cover soon. Stay tuned for those pictures once I'm finished.


Hitch Hole from rear. Hole is in the skirt, right below the bumper.


Hitch mount, right side


Hitch viewed from right side


Another view from the right side


Hitch with bike rack mounted and folded


Bike rack fully loaded


Another view of loaded bike rack

 

These are nice hitches, and seem to be engineered very well.

The only change that I would make in them would be to shorten the receiver behind the bumper about three inches. With the receiver just forward of the bumper skin, a rear impact (with the hitch empty) will immediately transfer to the hitch and the unibody, bypassing the energy-absorbing structure of the bumper that normally would sacrifice itself to save the unibody from damage.

I note that the bicycle carrier is already quite a long way behind the bumper, so moving it forward a few inches would actually make it better!

George

 

More pictures!!!
Here is the hitch cover. I may polish off the logo and match the original paint.

 

Thanks for the tip George! :D

 

Wahooooooo

Someone with a brain. Keep us posted, I would love a hitch and small trailer setup to make this practical beast even better!

Gary

 

Do mention to him the idea of moving the receiver forward so as not to interfere with the function of the rear energy-absorbing structure. This would also save a little material and weight. in the unlikely event that the user needed the hitch ball further back he could simply use a longer ball mount.

I think that the 150 pound tongue weight is a reasonable value. Adding more downward force that far back in the car is not a good thing, and the Scion isn't designed for it. Putting 150 pounds on the hitch is like putting 300 pounds in the back seat, as far as the rear suspension is concerned. As long as you keep the back seat empty it should handle the tongue weight fine.

250 pounds on the tongue is really pushing the limits. My father had about 300 pounds on the tongue of his Mercury Sable with a wheelchair lift and that really caused the car to sag! The Scion is not nearly as beefy as the Sable, so I'd say that 250 pounds is right out.

I am interested in buying this hitch if it turns out as well as your fabricator indicates!

George

 

Thanks again George! I just PMed you, so check out your messages.

We are in the process of setting up a PayPal account so that those interested can order. We also need to tweak the design as required...such as George's recommendation to pull the hitch inboard some to prevent interference with the bumper crumple zone.

The hitch builder is now taking orders. He needs to figure out the amount of supplies needed, so for those interested, PM me. Those that I have already contacted, please reconfirm and he will begin building to your specifications.

 

How much are we looking at for the custom "fold-up" bicycle hitch? I am definitely interested in one for my xB :D

 

He's selling them for $300. If you could organize a group buy or something, he might knock off a few bucks. PM me and I will let him know if you are interested.

BTW, the hitch I have is an 1 1/4" receiver (mounted behind the skirt). A local bike shop asked me to do some work for them and I basically got the rack in exchange. It's a Saris Cycle-On and I think it retails for around $250?

 

So, the hitch is custom made to fit that bike rack? How sturdy / solid are the bikes mounted ---> bikes to rack and rack to xB?

The $300 would not include shipping correct?

 

The setup is very sturdy. The actual hitch is similar to an aftermarket hitch (except no one makes them, hence the need for a custom one to be built). I may even get one of those light duty hitch trays to carry topsoil bags, etc. You can use any hitch accessory on it...towing would be at your own risk since the xB Scion owner's manual does not recommend towing.

The actual bike rack is excellent. Takes only a few seconds to install bikes...no need to remove wheels, use straps, etc. It also comes with a threaded hitch bolt to keep the rack from wiggling inside the receiver.

I've also got a like-new 2-bike Sportworks hitch rack that is similar in design (it is just as good as the Saris) that I will be putting up on E-bay for around $100.

Yes, the $300 does not include shipping. The hitch builder is in the process of building one for someone in PA. He has estimated around $30-$40...he will get more concrete numbers once he ships it. Remember, if you live out of state, then the savings on sales tax would offset that amount.

 

I bought a $4 tarp the other day and going to try laying the bike across the rear and into the front pass. seat which will be reclined. Hopefully this will work until I can get a rack. Keep us bike owners updated on the hitches

 

For trailer use I can see why you might want to go through the skirt (to keep tongue more even) but for a bike rack I would want the receiver to be at the level of the lower lip of the skirt. I'm not talking about a mount that wraps around below the skirt and back up as the fabricator mentioned as an option (that would be scary). Simply have the receiver be a few inches lower by adding a few more layers of 1-1/4" inch tubing and maybe some lateral struts on each side or something like that. And a little skid plate for good measure. Run the above idea by your fabricator. I am a buyer of that kind of design especially after seeing the quality of the welds on your unit. In anycase, I think it is great that he plans to be able to duplicate the piece especially since none of the prefab companies have shown any interest. The market is his for now...

 

For those who might be interested here is a review of a modifed design of the hitch previously presented here. Since I will not be trailering anything and wanted strictly a receiver for a bike rack, I requested a modification to allow the receiver to be at the level of the bottom of the bumper shroud rather than having to cut through the plastic for a more conventional towing height.

This is how the end product looked:


This is a view of the hitch after installation with rack hitch installed:


View from above with rack installed:


View from behind:


Hatch opens ...


...and clears!


With bike mounted:


I found the hitch to be generally solidly made with some nice touches. Note the skid plate in the second picture. The mounting holes lined up perfectly with the ones on the frame and no additional drilling or grinding was needed.

Being an early adopter always means to expect some shortcomings so here are some things I noted. This is presented in the spirit of improving the product because it currently suits my purposes and I am quite pleased in general.

First of all, as others have noted with the original design, the receiver is extended too far toward the rear of car. Notice in picture 2 the reinforced trailing edge of the receiver is under the lip of the bumper. It actually was digging into it so I relieved that by using fender washers under the mounting bolts. That makes the hitch (and the receiver) a half inch lower than it need be. It needs to be moved back a minimum of 1 inch so that there will be no interference with the bumper lip.

Secondly, I don't know if there is supposed to be an industry standard for were the lock bolt hole is supposed to go but my hitch sticks way too far out when used in current position. I am going to drill a hole more towards the middle so the hitch extends all the way inside the receiver (pictures show hitch in future position).

Additionally, although the mounting hole alignment was perfect the receiver was not perfectly parallel with the road which necessitated more fender washers to angle it properly.


Since the original version of the hitch was aligned properly my theory on why this one was not perfect is due to the design which eliminated the full length cross bar at the point where the angled pieces brought the receiver down to the lower height. All those freehand welds will make it hard to keep alignment. Solution? Keep the full cross bar of the original design and weld the angled drop pieces directly to it. That will help maintain the original alignment and add significantly more torsional stability which is important since all forces on the receiver will be angular moments from the hitch weight. In any case, all users should expect to keep a few large fender washers on hand as a matter of course to tweak the two adjustable dimesions as needed during installation. After all, it is not made by robots on an assembly line.

Finally, there is no straight-through access to the mounting bolts (can't use a socket and ratchet). The mounting brackets should have been rotated 180 to allow a straight shot at the bolts. It is extremely tedious starting the bolts by hand and turning a quarter turn at a time with an open end wrench. Fortunately, you only need to do it once. Oh yeah, and don't grind the welds. It is not a beauty contest. Strutural integrity is more important. Besides, I like seeing the bead.

In summary, I can recommend this hitch receiver if you plan on using it for light duty use (such as bike rack) and don't have a local hitch builder who will work with you and don't mind a pricier alternative to endlessly waiting for a prefab unit (which ain't going to happen in my opinion).

The bike rack I used is the Universal Bent rack in the Modular series from Sportworks (the city bus bike rack people) but you can use any hitch style rack designed for a 1-1/4" receiver.

 

I want a hitch i can use with my precisionmuffler magnaflow axle back, it says u can't use the tow bracket but thats where all ur hitches are mounting to. Can anyone think of a design that will work with an exhaust