Boy Scout, bike racks and trailer hitches

debi5475 · Post by **debi5475** » Thu Sep 16, 2004 3:13 am

Looks like I a Boy Scout again. My foster son has reupped. So I am a committe member. I will find out what sleeping in the vibe is like. Should be fine, I figure. Better than the ground anyway. I am wanting to get the trailer hitch (draw-tite) and maybe the xp 3 bike rack. Or any good bike rack that folds down and will let me also put my niece's girlie bike on it, sometimes. But, will the hitch fit on the 2005 models rear end? And can I get under there without jacking it up in my driveway? Can I bolt it tight enough? I do have good wrist strength. About the only good strength. Questions, so many questions? *debi walks around pulling hair*

debi5475 · Post by **debi5475** » Thu Sep 16, 2004 11:31 pm

Eeehhh, nobody loves me. I am afraid to order the trailer hitch, if it will not fit.Heeelllpppppp!!!!!!!"Did I sound desperate enough?"I could wail louder. I am going to have to tint the windows also, If I am going to be sleeping in the Vibe, surrounded by boyscouts.

Nervous_Dog · Post by **Nervous_Dog** » Fri Sep 17, 2004 12:21 am

I'm surprised no one responded sooner, quite a few of us have hitches. Anyway...I don't know of any significant design changes except the front end. The entire sub-frame and undercarriage should be the same. However, they might have stopped welding the nuts to the frame so maybe you could check or someone with a 2005 could let you know. If you want to check for yourself just scoot under the rear of the car a little. On either side of the muffler you'll see the rails with holes in them. You should be able to see threads in the holes or feel the nuts on top of the rails with your hands.I was able to put my Hidden Hitch on without jacking up my car. I have a Thule bike rack with folding arms and it also folds down to access the rear without removing it, but Thule doesn't make a 3 bike carrier for a 1.25" receiver.If you don't feel confident in being able to tighten the rack enough, you could always have a shop put it on for you. There are 7 Draw-tite dealers within about 10 miles of you. It will cost more but it might be the way to go.Hope this helps,ND

debi5475 · Post by **debi5475** » Thu Sep 23, 2004 12:16 am

Thank you so much. I looked under the car. Hey, I have 6 nice big screw holes. Oops, sounds bad. Anyway. Three on each side, in a row, easily accessible. Hey. Neat. Debi is gonna do this. Ordered the hitch from etrailer, along with the bike rack. I emailed them, and they said the bike rack would fit in the hitch. Neat. I will soon be tooling along. A friend works on cars, has a part time garage, I can give him 10 bucks, to tighten it down, his garage is 2 blocks away. Life is good. Surprising how little it takes to make me happy sometimes.

Nervous_Dog · Post by **Nervous_Dog** » Thu Sep 23, 2004 2:31 am

You're welcome. Glad I could help. Having your mechanic friend tighten it down is a good idea. The bolts do need to be pretty tight. I borrowed a torque wrench from my company's quality department to make sure I got the bolts tight enough. (I'm not saying you can't get the bolts tight, but a mechanics air-wrench is nice reassurace)Have fun!

debi5475 · Post by **debi5475** » Tue Oct 05, 2004 1:13 am

Yep, the DriveTite hitch worked like a wonder on a 2005, took Mike 20 minutes to torque it on. Weldnuts still there. And the 3 bike Hidden Hitch XP fold down bike hitch just slide right in. Worked great also. Never even felt the bikes on there, on a 128 mile round trip to the coast journey.

ctdet · Post by **ctdet** » Tue Oct 05, 2004 4:18 am

Hi Debi - do you have the contact info for DriveTite? So you were able to buy a hitch for the 2005 Vibe and a 3 bike carrier for it? I have been thinking of buying a bike rack for the roof of my 2005 vibe. Have not considered the hitch moutned one. How do you like it? Can you post pictures of it? Does the hitch install and uninstall easily or do you just leave the hitch on your call all the time?Thanks,MikeWaukesha, WIctdet@yahoo.com

debi5475 · Post by **debi5475** » Tue Oct 05, 2004 9:17 am

I just leave the hitch on. I got the hitch and the bike rack from etrailer.com. The 3 bike rack went on and off like a breeze. I did not want the bike on top, and my foster son's bike does not have a removable wheel anyway. I am thinking of getting a thule escape bag for cargo on top, and this leaves the top free to that. I am under the impression that it will attach to the factory side rails, though I may get a used 751 rack.

ctdet · Post by **ctdet** » Thu Oct 07, 2004 9:52 am

Does the installed hitch reduce clearance under the car?Thanks for the info.Mike

Nervous_Dog · Post by **Nervous_Dog** » Thu Oct 07, 2004 9:51 pm

It doesn't reduce clearance very much. Here's a thread with some pics of a Draw-Tite hitch on a vibe.http://forums.genvibe.com/zerothread?id=784Here's a thread with pics of a Hidden Hitch:http://forums.genvibe.com/zerothread?id=2567I like the Hidden Hitch a little better since it's tucked up closer to the bumper and not quite as noticable, but it's also a little more expensive. So, go with what you like. They have the same receiver size and weight rating. Both are good, functional hitches.

debi5475 · Post by **debi5475** » Sat Oct 09, 2004 11:11 pm

Yep, I finally looked, and the clearance seems the same, since the muffler/tailpipe is that low. I got mine cause it was cheaper and I new it would fit the 2005. That mattered.

Boy Scout, bike racks and trailer hitches

Boy Scout, bike racks and trailer hitches

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