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temptats
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Trailer Hitch
04/19/17 at 5:27pm
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I am new to the area and I want to put a hitch on my vehicle for a bike rack. Does anyone know a good mechanic that can install it?

Thanks
Larry
  
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bikermedic
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Re: Trailer Hitch
Reply #1 - 04/19/17 at 5:31pm
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U-Haul...  They usually have decent prices on hitches also
  
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The Duckster
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Re: Trailer Hitch
Reply #2 - 04/19/17 at 5:59pm
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temptats wrote on 04/19/17 at 5:27pm:
I am new to the area and I want to put a hitch on my vehicle for a bike rack. Does anyone know a good mechanic that can install it?

Thanks
Larry


What kind of car/truck do you have? Honestly, if you had a basic set of hand tools and a drill, you can easily install it yourself! Ive done a bunch of them. And you can buy the hitch setup off Amazon Prime!
  
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flynbryan19
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Re: Trailer Hitch
Reply #3 - 04/19/17 at 6:03pm
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Depending on the vehicle its SUPER easy to do yourself.  I've put them on 5 different vehicles now.  Did them all with basic hand tools (although an air gun would have been faster).
  
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Re: Trailer Hitch
Reply #4 - 04/19/17 at 9:42pm
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I recently used A&B Truck & Trailer in Stallings to have a towing package installed on my 2016 F150 that came without the pkg. Great pricing and service.

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BigBikeMike
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Re: Trailer Hitch
Reply #5 - 04/20/17 at 3:01am
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I had to buy a different vehicle because a huge tree fell and crushed my old Mazda. I got a hitch from Amazon and it bolted right on with no problem.

BBM
  
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Robert C.
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Re: Trailer Hitch
Reply #6 - 04/20/17 at 12:30pm
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jonesn wrote on 04/19/17 at 9:42pm:
I recently used A&B Truck & Trailer in Stallings to have a towing package installed on my 2016 F150 that came without the pkg. Great pricing and service.

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I used these guys a few years ago and echo the comments above.


  
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Solar
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Re: Trailer Hitch
Reply #7 - 04/20/17 at 1:00pm
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bikermedic wrote on 04/19/17 at 5:31pm:
U-Haul...  They usually have decent prices on hitches also


I also had Uhaul put one on a vehicle of mine.  I believe it ran around $125 if my memory serves me correctly.   

It works well with my normal ball slide/tongue piece but we did have issues with it trying to slide in a One Up hitch rack.  I'm still not sure why that didn't work.  Point being, if you already have hitch rack, and choose to have someone else install it, take your rack with you to make certain they are compatible.  Especially if they are welding the hitch to your car frame.
  
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Re: Trailer Hitch
Reply #8 - 04/20/17 at 1:46pm
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If you don't mind DIY projects, installing a hitch is low hanging fruit in my mind.  I've installed 3 on my personal vehicles over the years ('02 Ford F-150 SuperCrew, '05 Ford Freestyle and '16 Honda Pilot) and helped my bro-in-law install one on his Outback as well.

I found that doing some research on your particular vehicle FIRST is a good way to start the process.  3 of the 4 that I installed were incredibly easy, while the Freestyle was a bear requiring the exhaust to be dropped and mounting hardware to be threaded through the frame with a spring like tool.  While not necessary,  I have found that a pair of ramps to get the back end of the vehicle off the ground helps.  I'd recommend having a torque wrench handy as well.

Etrailer.com is one source that I would highly recommend browsing before buying.  (You need to Login or Register to view media files and links)
Not only are their hitches, racks and parts priced well, but delivery is fast and their online how-to videos are very helpful.  I've ordered from them multiple times and know of others who share my favorable opinion.

Also, most hitch manufacturers (Reese, Curt, Draw-tite, etc.) will at the very minimum have a PDF file of the install directions specific to your make and model.  You can pretty much gauge the difficulty relative to your handiness and make the best decision for you just by reading the instructions in advance.

Lastly, I don't know of any modern vehicles that would require any welding???... Shocked  It's usually bolt on and go these days.

BEST OF LUCK!!!  Smiley
-Brian
« Last Edit: 04/20/17 at 2:16pm by fattirz »  
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temptats
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Re: Trailer Hitch
Reply #9 - 04/20/17 at 2:55pm
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Thanks to everyone for their imput
Larry
  
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