Adding a trailer hitch to a Matrix XRS '09

dlock13

Platinum Member
Oct 24, 2006
2,806
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Is this even a good idea? The main reason I want a trailer hitch is to add a bike rack to my vehicle which I will use all the time during spring and summer and possibly fall.

The main reason I'm wary about this idea is because of the fact that it'll add a bit of extra weight to my vehicle and possibly give it a bit less gas mileage. Not to mention that I'm scared of adding it, and the hitch is insecure or ends up being unreliable and not safe.

Should I even both with this idea? I'm also planning to move in a couple months and figured it could be good for that since I could just rent a little trailer to put all of my stuff in.


What do you think about this? I feel like I should just get a bike rack that rests on the window and stop thinking about getting a hitch added to my car. :p
 

NutBucket

Lifer
Aug 30, 2000
27,104
597
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The added weight is minimal and hitch mounted racks are awesome. Not sure whether it would be worthwhile for a trailer. Would have to be a pretty small uhaul since you wouldn't want to tow more than 2k lbs or so.
 

jaedaliu

Platinum Member
Feb 25, 2005
2,670
1
81
just make sure whoever installs it knows what they're doing. The weight increase is minimal. Think about how much you weigh, vs the weight of the hitch.
 
May 13, 2009
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Install it yourself. The one for a Mazda won't weigh more than 50lbs. I looked up your vehicle and the hitch installs with 4 or 6 bolts. If that's too complicated then there's bigger issues to be looked at here.
I installed my hitch myself. Just make sure you have a torque wrench or borrow one from oreilly's or AutoZone for free. You should be able to find the hitch for $120ish on Amazon. A shop would probably charge you a hundred or more dollars in labor alone for something you can do in 30min.
 

jaedaliu

Platinum Member
Feb 25, 2005
2,670
1
81
Install it yourself. The one for a Mazda won't weigh more than 50lbs. I looked up your vehicle and the hitch installs with 4 or 6 bolts. If that's too complicated then there's bigger issues to be looked at here.
I installed my hitch myself. Just make sure you have a torque wrench or borrow one from oreilly's or AutoZone for free. You should be able to find the hitch for $120ish on Amazon. A shop would probably charge you a hundred or more dollars in labor alone for something you can do in 30min.

O RLY? my local OReilly's used to not have torque wrenches available to borrow. Pretty cool if they do let you now.
 
May 13, 2009
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O RLY? my local OReilly's used to not have torque wrenches available to borrow. Pretty cool if they do let you now.

I borrowed one from AutoZone or oreilly's a few times. Got annoying so I just plopped down the $100 for my own and it's paid itself off several times by now. I'd just call your local store and see.
 

dlock13

Platinum Member
Oct 24, 2006
2,806
2
81
I don't have a hitch to get under my car to install it or else that actually sounds like a viable option.

So do you guys have any recommendations for a good hitch then? I'd love to get one pretty soon and install it myself. I'll definitely borrow that from AutoZone to take care of it, too, if that's the case.

And you're right. I am over thinking it. I just assumed hitches weighed about 100 lbs. I didn't realize it only takes so many bolts and doesn't weigh nearly as much.
 

SyndromeOCZ

Senior member
Aug 8, 2010
615
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Hitches for cars like that aren't built to take a large payload, so they don't have to be uber strong. Now the 5th wheel hitch in my 3500 dodge cummins is very heavy, even when breaking it down into 3 pieces I still need help to put each one in place.
 

dlock13

Platinum Member
Oct 24, 2006
2,806
2
81
Hitches for cars like that aren't built to take a large payload, so they don't have to be uber strong. Now the 5th wheel hitch in my 3500 dodge cummins is very heavy, even when breaking it down into 3 pieces I still need help to put each one in place.

For some reason, that's how I thought about hitches in general. I didn't realize they made them to not be as strong, etc..

If anyone has a recommendation or a link to Amazon or somewhere for a hitch, I'd really appreciate that as I'm not too sure what to honestly look for.
 

Kelvrick

Lifer
Feb 14, 2001
18,422
5
81
I'm too lazy to google, but if you google hitches, the first site should be e-trailer or something along those lines. That is a pretty popular place to get it. Or uhaul.

EDIT: Look at what hitch rack you want first and whether it will attach to a class 1 or 2 hitch (1.25" opening) or it wants a class 3+ (2" opening). There are adapters that move one opening to the other, but it the increased leverage length will reduce the tongue weight your hitch would be rated to handle. Most of the 3-4 bike rated hitches want to go into a 2" receiver. You should be fine with a class 1 or 2 hitch if you only want to carry 1 or 2 bikes.
 

phucheneh

Diamond Member
Jun 30, 2012
7,306
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And according to one of the reviewers, all you have to do is shove four bolts in. He mentions nuts welded inside the frame (or 'boxed sections at rear of unibody,' if someone wants to argue semantics). Sounds like this just copies the hitch that Toyota assumably offers as a dealer add-on. You might wanna crawl under your car and check for yourself, though. Also, verify you don't have to cut the bumper cover (seen it; not difficult, but I can see some not being comfortable with it).
 

dlock13

Platinum Member
Oct 24, 2006
2,806
2
81
I can still go take a picture of my car, but this is what it looks like. If you look close in the middle, it looks like it's specifically made to have a hitch there. Is that correct or will I still possibly have to make some cuts to get it to work properly with my car?

Also, thank you for your input. I like the one jlee posted. I have $20 off a purchase so I might use that for the trailer hitch and then later in the spring, buy myself a bike rack.

Also, I'm not really looking to put more than 2 bikes on there so a bike rack that can support up to 2 bikes is perfect for me.

I checked my owner's manual, and it says I can tow up to 1500 lbs. Do the differences in class size, such as 1/2 and 3, affect the amount of towing your car can do? I'm going to throw out the idea of towing a Uhaul trailer when I move. It's just really a pure wondering right now.

EDIT: Have one more question right now! My coworker was saying how this is probably going to rust in a year. Right now, I live in Pennsylvania in a snowy and wet climate usually. It's extremely humid at times, too.

I showed him the Curt, and he said that there's a good chance since it's steel that it'll rust. Is that going to be a problem?
 
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LTC8K6

Lifer
Mar 10, 2004
28,520
1,575
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Powder coat paint is pretty tough. I wouldn't worry about rust. If they salt the roads, you probably ought to be rinsing your underbody anyway.
 

JCH13

Diamond Member
Sep 14, 2010
4,981
66
91
I would anti-seize fasteners and sliding stuff when installing the hitch, but I wouldn't worry about rust on the hitch body. The sheet metal construction of your car will rust away long before the hitch does.
 

jlee

Lifer
Sep 12, 2001
48,518
223
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I can still go take a picture of my car, but this is what it looks like. If you look close in the middle, it looks like it's specifically made to have a hitch there. Is that correct or will I still possibly have to make some cuts to get it to work properly with my car?

Also, thank you for your input. I like the one jlee posted. I have $20 off a purchase so I might use that for the trailer hitch and then later in the spring, buy myself a bike rack.

Also, I'm not really looking to put more than 2 bikes on there so a bike rack that can support up to 2 bikes is perfect for me.

I checked my owner's manual, and it says I can tow up to 1500 lbs. Do the differences in class size, such as 1/2 and 3, affect the amount of towing your car can do? I'm going to throw out the idea of towing a Uhaul trailer when I move. It's just really a pure wondering right now.

EDIT: Have one more question right now! My coworker was saying how this is probably going to rust in a year. Right now, I live in Pennsylvania in a snowy and wet climate usually. It's extremely humid at times, too.

I showed him the Curt, and he said that there's a good chance since it's steel that it'll rust. Is that going to be a problem?

At a 1500lbs tow rating, it doesn't really matter what hitch you have - a class 1 is 2000lbs, which is already over what you can safely tow.
 

SyndromeOCZ

Senior member
Aug 8, 2010
615
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71
You need to worry about tongue weight since you will be hauling bikes and not towing.

Most bikes don't weigh any much more than 40 pounds a piece. My mountain bike, which wasn't super light, weighed 30 pounds right on. If your talking road bikes then they are even more lightweight.
 

JCH13

Diamond Member
Sep 14, 2010
4,981
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Most bikes don't weigh any much more than 40 pounds a piece. My mountain bike, which wasn't super light, weighed 30 pounds right on. If your talking road bikes then they are even more lightweight.

Generally tongue weight is around 10% of the trailer weight (in my experience anyway), so OP might only have 150lbs for a bike rack and bikes... it will get eaten up pretty quickly.
 

jlee

Lifer
Sep 12, 2001
48,518
223
106
Generally tongue weight is around 10% of the trailer weight (in my experience anyway), so OP might only have 150lbs for a bike rack and bikes... it will get eaten up pretty quickly.

Tongue weight is also for balancing trailers, though - if there's no trailer to balance, I don't think a few extra pounds in the back will hurt much at all (no more than having additional weight in the trunk, just perhaps amplified due to the position).
 

JCH13

Diamond Member
Sep 14, 2010
4,981
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Tongue weight is also for balancing trailers, though - if there's no trailer to balance, I don't think a few extra pounds in the back will hurt much at all (no more than having additional weight in the trunk, just perhaps amplified due to the position).

I guess so, as long as the maximum axle weight isn't exceeded. Though, like you say, 1lb behind the axle adds more than 1lb to the axle's load.