Installing a Trailer Hitch?

Has anybody installed a 2" hitch? Mine was 1.25" and it seems that's what people are getting. I'm getting annoyed by it though, and would love to change to a 2".

(I have two different tongues - 2" and 1.25" - for my Yakima bike rack, so I can swap between my 2" van and my 1.25" Kona. And I can't tow my 2" jet ski on the Kona at all.)
 
R P said:
Nope, the U-Haul that I went to was highly experienced, and did a great job. They installed the Kurt one, and the total cost was cheaper than if I had done it myself. Plus they gave me a lifetime warranty. Here is the link of my details, from earlier in this thread.
https://insideevsforum.com/community/index.php?threads/installing-a-trailer-hitch.5084/page-3
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My uncle is looking to get this Kona as his next car and he wants to install a trailer. We'll just finish installing the suspension and bumpers from 4Wheelonline onto the Jeep Sahara this week before we can start working on the Kona. We'll check out u-haul.
 
Stephen Freeland said:
Thanks for the reply. I'm having trouble picturing how the strap hooks on to the car, though -- the only place it could go would be in the panel gap between the hatch and the roof, right? But then it has to go over the spoiler-like trim above the rear glass (where the high-mount brake light is located) and then angles downward towards the bike rack, which makes me really nervous. That body piece is plastic, isn't it? It can't be all that tough... Can the strap effectively secure the bike rack without putting way too much stress on that trim?
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RP so I see you got this done in 2019. I read your invoice I called Uhaul here in Victoria They quoted my over $600.00 with the wring harness included ($100.00) Unless that is a big expense.. Their price is way out of wack for what you paid. So i went on their web site and did the same. The price was the same over $600.00... It even showed the Langley store where I could get it done at that price I'm Puzzled So When I look up the curt on several web sites the price seems to over $200.00 everywhere. Puzzled again Thanks in advance Peter
 
GPM432 said:
RP so I see you got this done in 2019. I read your invoice I called Uhaul here in Victoria They quoted my over $600.00 with the wring harness included ($100.00) Unless that is a big expense.. Their price is way out of wack for what you paid. So i went on their web site and did the same. The price was the same over $600.00... It even showed the Langley store where I could get it done at that price I'm Puzzled So When I look up the curt on several web sites the price seems to over $200.00 everywhere. Puzzled again Thanks in advance Peter
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That's right, way out of whack with that price. Make sure they are quoting the same hitch part number. You might want to show them my invoice, and/or call mine in Langley (don't mention the web site cost) to get a quote from them. It was a couple years ago, but price diff shouldn't be that much. Wiring harness might add a 100 or so, but not that much.

Should be more Uhaul dealers on the Island. Try another one. And might work better to go in and talk to them.
 
R P said:
That's right, way out of whack with that price. Make sure they are quoting the same hitch part number. You might want to show them my invoice, and/or call mine in Langley (don't mention the web site cost) to get a quote from them. It was a couple years ago, but price diff shouldn't be that much. Wiring harness might add a 100 or so, but not that much.

Should be more Uhaul dealers on the Island. Try another one. And might work better to go in and talk to them.
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Like I said that price shows up at all the locations. They don't have Kona EV listed just the Kona but I can't see that big of a price difference I will investigate..
 
All I can suggest is deal with them directly, incl calling the Langley location, and don't mention the online quote. And feel free to reference my invoice.

Having said that, I just did an online quote myself, and came out to $272 CAD, and wiring another $97. Far cry from $600, so I don't know what you were looking at. Can you show us your $600 quote (screenprint)?
 
Looks like prices went up. I did a online quote for Uhaul here in Winnipeg and it came to $272.34 for just the hitch, $80 install fee, $42.28 taxes, for a total $394.62 in Canadian dollars. I guess if you include the optional ball mount, ball, hitch pin , wiring harness and insurance it comes very close to $600. Interestingly I didn't get the wiring harness option.
 
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Yes, the hitch part number is much more than mine was. And labour when I did it was $60/hr, but only charged me $48 (.8 hr). I do see they have another hitch part number that is much cheaper though. Not sure what the diff is, still Class I. And maybe my location is cheaper, I don't know. But yeah, looks like I got a good deal. I do remember though, before I did it, the Uhaul cost was less than if I were to buy the components elsewhere and do it myself.
https://insideevsforum.com/communit...alling-a-trailer-hitch.5084/page-3#post-63594

And maybe this is an example of real world inflation now, not what the govt stats show us.
 
Has anyone installed the "accessory frame" that Hyundai sells for the gas Kona? It's really a hitch receiver, but Hyundai scolds its customers that the accessory frame is not for towing. Price is $Cdn335 and I assume that it does not include installation. The gas Kona is not rated to tow anything either IIRC.

If you are worried about warranty problems from real or suspected towing it might be in your best interest to get the hitch from Hyundai. They can't object to something you bought from Hyundai and used as intended, right?
 
So I've got my appointment to have the Curt 11529 installed at U-HAUL. $197 US including installation and warranty. That's without the wiring. We'll see how they do!
 
So with all this talk of installed hitches what are y’all actually *going* to tow? I’m looking for options/suggestions of either a DIY or manufactured trailer that could haul gear for a car-camping family of four (tent, cooler, collapsible table/chairs, camp stove and possibly a rear- or top-mounted bike rack. Ideally it’d need to be ‘lockable’ and somewhat ‘weather resistant’. T.I.A.!!


Sent from my iPhone using Inside EVs
 
Yellerledbetty said:
So with all this talk of installed hitches what are y’all actually *going* to tow? I’m looking for options/suggestions of either a DIY or manufactured trailer that could haul gear for a car-camping family of four (tent, cooler, collapsible table/chairs, camp stove and possibly a rear- or top-mounted bike rack. T.I.A.!!


Sent from my iPhone using Inside EVs
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In my case I won't be towing anything. Using it for a hitch-mounted Thule bike rack, and at some point a hitch mounted cargo carrier/box of some kind, once I find the one I want.
 
I have a rear hitch carrier, complete with waterproof/dustproof cargo bag I use with my other SUV. Be surprised how much you can stuff back there. And no drag, like a roof carrier or pulling a trailer. Works great.
 
GPM432 said:
I had another thread on here about hauling a small utility trifler up to 2000 lbs. There is a concern that it might void the warranty. I'm not worried about that . Has anyone use a utility trailer to haul soil and garden scraps to the dump. I would only be doing that up to 4 times a year at the most
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Well at least here in Canada, having a hitch seems to be ok but if they can make a link to a problem being related to towing it looks like they will void the warranty on that concern. That could be anything related to drivetrain, suspension, even electrical especially if you have an aftermarket wiring harness installed. I found this email from Hyundai Canada on reedit
cm1gcqp1emr61.jpg
 
FYI - My local Hyundai dealer has confirmed that the "accessory frame" (aka hitch receiver) from a gas Kona will work on a Kona EV. They have installed it on a Kona EV before. Price is $Cdn 335 installed plus tax.

Even if it costs slightly more than aftermarket, I'll let the dealer install it using Hyundai pieces to help protect my warranty.
 
So the Hyundai "accessory frame" is on and my swagman bike rack fits perfectly. My cost was $Cdn270 plus tax installed. Not sure why I got a discount from the usual $Cdn335 but it was appreciated anyway! The bumper had to be taken completely off to install it. Part number is J9H03 AP000. Since it was an OEM part for the Kona and dealer installed I don't expect any warranty problems, considering how complicit the dealer is now. We had a little chat about not trailer towing and since I don't intend to it's a perfect solution for me. FYI - The accessory frame has no loops to attach trailer safety chains. I noticed that the dealership used the words "trailer hitch" on the invoice, lol.

Accessory Frame April 13 20201 002.webp Accessory Frame April 13 20201 003.webp
 
C02less said:
So the Hyundai "accessory frame" is on and my swagman bike rack fits perfectly. My cost was $Cdn270 plus tax installed. Not sure why I got a discount from the usual $Cdn335 but it was appreciated anyway! The bumper had to be taken completely off to install it. Part number is J9H03 AP000. Since it was an OEM part for the Kona and dealer installed I don't expect any warranty problems, considering how complicit the dealer is now. We had a little chat about not trailer towing and since I don't intend to it's a perfect solution for me. FYI - The accessory frame has no loops to attach trailer safety chains. I noticed that the dealership used the words "trailer hitch" on the invoice, lol.

View attachment 11519 View attachment 11518
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Did they take out the under panel? I had mine installed and I just cut out enough to get the hitch receiver through and reinstalled it to keep the aerodynamics.
 
C02less said:
So the Hyundai "accessory frame" is on and my swagman bike rack fits perfectly. My cost was $Cdn270 plus tax installed. Not sure why I got a discount from the usual $Cdn335 but it was appreciated anyway! The bumper had to be taken completely off to install it. Part number is J9H03 AP000. Since it was an OEM part for the Kona and dealer installed I don't expect any warranty problems, considering how complicit the dealer is now. We had a little chat about not trailer towing and since I don't intend to it's a perfect solution for me. FYI - The accessory frame has no loops to attach trailer safety chains. I noticed that the dealership used the words "trailer hitch" on the invoice, lol.

View attachment 11519 View attachment 11518
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Hi, your post is really uplifting to see, as I am in the process of trying to see what options there are for bike-racks and saddened that the EV trims don't officially have a hitch option. But I am thinking about going the OEM part route as well, seeing how much success you had with your local dealership, but wondered about the following:
1) Which province is your dealer located in?
2) What diameter is the accessory frame (meaning what type of bike rack hitches would fit, 2" or 1.5")?
3) And care to share the swagman bike rack type and how it looks on your Kona? I'm considering going for them as well for a 2-bike solution. Have you gotten the chance to try it out already?

Thank you!
 
Hi acadfam2020,

To answer your questions:
1. My dealer is located in BC (Cranbrook). They have been very easy to deal with so far on the hitch and other things. My Kona EV was not the first Kona EV they installed the hitch (er, "accessory frame") on.
2. The receiver is 1.5"
3. Post #41 shows a swagman bike rack on a Kona EV. Our two mountain bikes fit easily. Of course you can't open the hatch with both bikes on there. We have had our bikes on nearly every day for the last two weeks. We have had the swagman rack for 5 years and really like it. It does wobble a little bit over bumps but without incident. On a previous car the rack has been to Ontario and back several times and worked flawlessly. One thing to consider is the Swagman rack is not very rust resistant. It's fine in summer, but I have seen some that have turned into a big ball of rust in the winter. Even with just one November trip from Winnipeg to BC ours rusted a little.

With or without the bikes and rack on and there doesn't seem to be much difference in range.
 
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