Author Topic: Hitch installation for a 4-person bike rack  (Read 2993 times)

OmahaSteph

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Hitch installation for a 4-person bike rack
« on: March 03, 2016, 11:09:25 AM »
I have a base-model 2014 Dodge Journey and I thought it came with a hitch receiver, but alas it does not. We now have 4 people riding bikes and need a way to transport them (it's not always feasible to ride them everywhere).

I can find 4-person bike racks on CL for really reasonable prices, but the hitches average about $150-200 uninstalled. Assuming I can find a great hitch at a junk yard, how hard is it to install one of those suckers? I live in an apartment and have no auto tools, just basic household ones. Should I just fork over the dough to have it installed, and will a garage install the hitch even if it doesn't come from them?

Other suggestions for optimizing this? THANKS!

trashmanz

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Re: Hitch installation for a 4-person bike rack
« Reply #1 on: March 03, 2016, 11:37:19 AM »
How much are you seeing the bike racks for sale on CL?  Just wondering because Amazon has a sale on the Allen Sports Deluxe 4-Bike Hitch Mount Rack with 2-Inch Receiver, only $65 which is close to its historical low. 

I'm also now in the process of looking for a hitch to mount.  This will be the more expensive part. 

If you don't actually plan to tow anything with it, might be able to skimp a bit on the hitch...   

OmahaSteph

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Re: Hitch installation for a 4-person bike rack
« Reply #2 on: March 03, 2016, 11:54:31 AM »
How much are you seeing the bike racks for sale on CL?  Just wondering because Amazon has a sale on the Allen Sports Deluxe 4-Bike Hitch Mount Rack with 2-Inch Receiver, only $65 which is close to its historical low. 

WOW. That's about what the used ones are going for. I saw one as low as $40 but that scares me a little. (What's wrong with it?)

trashmanz

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Re: Hitch installation for a 4-person bike rack
« Reply #3 on: March 03, 2016, 12:07:01 PM »
Yeah the used pricing here is close to $65 which is why I got the new one. Now I regret not getting the 5 bike version for $10 more but oh well. Onward to hitch selection. I have someone that is knowledgable in this area and will ask for rec and post a follow honeyed I know more.

paddedhat

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Re: Hitch installation for a 4-person bike rack
« Reply #4 on: March 03, 2016, 12:34:11 PM »
Etrailer.com has a few that will fit your car, priced in the low $140s, free shipping, no tax. I wouldn't bother with having it "professionally" installed for several reasons. First, most places will want 1-3 hours of billable time, which could easily run twice what the hitch costs. Second, most places are not thrilled, or even willing to install products that are provided by a customer. Third, the average shop is going to quote you a lot more that $142 for the hitch, they typically get them from a regional supplier and pay a lot more than you do for the part. Next is the fact that, twice in the past, I had to remove and reinstall hitches that were installed incorrectly, both were done by "professionals".

You can easily handle the job, Etrailer typically has great video tutorials on specific installations. Figure out what you need to do the work, and grab the tools at Harbor Freight. You will end up spending far less that having anybody do it for you, gain some experience, and some inexpensive tools. Many times I have heard folks comment about spending $4-500 bucks on a hitch that they had installed by Uhaul, or Camping World. I just shake my head. It's a $150 part that takes a half hour to install. So they got bent over AND handed the shop $250- 400 for the privilege. No thanks.

OmahaSteph

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Re: Hitch installation for a 4-person bike rack
« Reply #5 on: March 03, 2016, 01:45:10 PM »
Etrailer.com has a few that will fit your car, priced in the low $140s, free shipping, no tax. I wouldn't bother with having it "professionally" installed for several reasons. First, most places will want 1-3 hours of billable time, which could easily run twice what the hitch costs. Second, most places are not thrilled, or even willing to install products that are provided by a customer. Third, the average shop is going to quote you a lot more that $142 for the hitch, they typically get them from a regional supplier and pay a lot more than you do for the part. Next is the fact that, twice in the past, I had to remove and reinstall hitches that were installed incorrectly, both were done by "professionals".

You can easily handle the job, Etrailer typically has great video tutorials on specific installations. Figure out what you need to do the work, and grab the tools at Harbor Freight. You will end up spending far less that having anybody do it for you, gain some experience, and some inexpensive tools. Many times I have heard folks comment about spending $4-500 bucks on a hitch that they had installed by Uhaul, or Camping World. I just shake my head. It's a $150 part that takes a half hour to install. So they got bent over AND handed the shop $250- 400 for the privilege. No thanks.

This is kinda what I suspected. I'll pull up some videos and see if it's something I can handle. Thanks for the Etrailer rec.

If not, I was also entertaining asking on Nextdoor if someone was handy and would do it for extra cash.

lthenderson

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Re: Hitch installation for a 4-person bike rack
« Reply #6 on: March 03, 2016, 03:29:29 PM »
I have a hitch that I installed on my Honda Civic. It was a hitch kit meant for it specifically and just required inserting and tightening some bolts to hold the hitch to the frame. Typing in 2014 Dodge Journey hitch kit into Google and I see similar kits for as low as $130. I wouldn't take it to get installed professionally unless you are adverse to getting a little dirt on yourself. The hardest part is wiring up a wiring harness for a trailer you might tow but that doesn't sound like an issue for you.

Midwest

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Re: Hitch installation for a 4-person bike rack
« Reply #7 on: March 03, 2016, 03:37:09 PM »
I'll third the DIY route.  I've installed several hitches.  Few bolts and you're in business.  Amazon has hitches.

BudgetSlasher

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Re: Hitch installation for a 4-person bike rack
« Reply #8 on: March 03, 2016, 03:38:16 PM »
I installed the hitch on my outback myself. It did not take much more than basic hand tools, there were a couple guides/templates/jigs that came with the hitch that made the install much much simpler; if you can down load the installation manual for a hitch I am sure you could make do without them.