New Cyclist With Questions About Trailer Hitch Racks



Tennjed

Member
Mar 18, 2015
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Ok so I am a new rider who doesnt really know anything about anything. I have a 2002 Dodge Dakota. It has what seems to be a plastic bumper (but feels solid. I have stood on it many times). It has a round hole which I assume is for a ball for a hitch. Here is a pic



Can I buy a mount and a rack like these



Draw-Tite Ball Mounts - DT40566
Towing starter kit includes 9" long, powder coated ball mount; 2" diameter, chrome-plated, pre-torqued hitch ball; and pin and clip. Slides into 2" square trailer hitches.
Features:
Starter kit has everything you need to tow, minus the hitch
Ball mount provides drop or rise to fit your application
Specs:
Application: 2" x 2" trailer hitch receiver
Gross towing weight: 6,000 lbs
Tongue weight: 600 lbs
Ball mount length: 9" from center of hitch pin hole to center of ball hole
Rise: 2-3/4" from top of inside of hitch opening
Drop: 4" from top of inside of hitch opening
Ball size: 2"
Shank diameter: 1"
Limited lifetime warranty



Rola TX-103 3-Bike Rack for 1-1/4" and 2" Hitches - Tilting
 
Look at this quote from the text about the trailer hitch: "slides into 2" square trailer hitches."
Your car haven't got a 2" square trailer hitch, it has a vertically aligned circular hole.
In a bumber which MIGHT, or might NOT, be strong enough to mount things to.
First, check in the manual for the car what the load restrictions for the bumper mount is. If that is OK, start looking for only the ball part for a trailer to bolt onto your bumper. Then you can clamp the trailer hitch carrier of your choice to that ball hitch.
 
OP, you will have to have a Reese Hitch style receiver mounted to your truck. There are various types that usually mount to the vehicle's frame rails, but there are types (lighter duty, less towing capability) that bolt to 'some' types of step bumpers. Theses cost between $20 and $75.

https://www.google.com/search?q=hitch+receiver+bolt+to+bumper&rlz=1T4GGHP_enUS457US457&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=eUosVYaZOYGkNoy-hOgP&ved=0CAgQ_AUoAg&biw=1280&bih=739

You would have to drill mounting holes in your bumper unless it is equipped with tapped holes on the underside.

Frankly, A frame-mounted receiver type hitch isn't much more money and is a lot more useful.
 
Well, good luck. Lucky you came here first to ask and get a heads up on the situation. First time we looked into hooking up a hitch, turned in a great big mess, something I though would be so easy, was not! Ended up towing the bike from one end of the country to the next on some cheap contraction that hooked up inside the trunk. Lots of pit stops to make sure it stayed secure. My daughter junked it upon arrival of our destination.
 

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