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Draw-tite hitch

8K views 26 replies 9 participants last post by  PacHy15 
#1 ·
I really, really want to get a hitch to transport bikes to my 2018 PacHy Touring +, but I'm concerned I'll scrape every time I drive in and out of the driveway. I would like to create a cardboard model and tape it to the area to try it out before I buy and install the hitch.
Would anyone with a 2018 PacHy and a Draw-tite hitch please take two measurements for me?

I would like to know how far is the bottom edge of the hitch from the bottom the bumper and how far is the hitch set back from the face of the bumper.


Thank you!
 
#3 ·
#4 ·
I don't have a hybrid, but I installed a Draw-Tite hitch last year to tow my boat with. I was also nervous about scraping because of the issues we had with the hitch on our 2011 Sienna, which would scrape on a regular basis. If I remember right, the hitch on my Pacifica sits almost 2 inches higher than the hitch on my Sienna, and I have yet to scrape it in the year it's been installed.

Of course the hybrid is a bit of a different animal, and I believe the hitch design is a little different. If you post up a photo of a tape measure to your back bumper, I could compare it against mine to see if the clearance would be comparable. I don't believe the hybrid sits any lower, but I don't know that for sure.
 
#5 ·
Thanks @TomB985

I had a T&C before - with aftermarket hitch. It just seemed to ride much higher in the back. Also, I installed the mudflaps on the PacHy and the left side scrapes a bit every time I drive into the driveway.

Below are pictures of the bumper. The back edge is about 13.5" from the ground. And one picture of the left mudflap.
 

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#8 ·
A local dealer put a Draw-Tite hitch on the Pacifica Hybrid that they used as a shuttle b/c the owner also used it to road trip & take his bikes. I checked it out and the low point of the hitch is approx 9-3/4" from the ground. Compared to the receiver on my Legacy GT wagon (about 7") this seems great.

A question for folks who bought the Draw-Tite service kit 76046SK for relocating the carbon canister: how long and how much of a "drop" is there on the mounting brackets? Seems that $30 (from CarID) seems a bit high for two brackets and some hardware. I'd love to be able to just make my own.
 
#9 ·
I have have installed the Draw-Tite Item# 76046 hitch from etrailer.com on my gas Pacifica. Etrailer's customer service is excellent. That particular hitch is the nicest looking aftermarket hitch, as the ugly crossbar is well hidden. The 9-3/4" mentioned by @jdanke is about right. (Use a hair dryer to peel all the unsightly labels before installation!)

A couple of thoughts. The installation is not easy, and requires tools, muscles, and some experience. I paid a local independent shop (they sell and install hitches) $90 to do mine, money well spent. Too big a gamble getting hurt. They did it in an hour; I would have taken 4 hours, six skinned knuckles, 2 dozen really bad words, and 3 days of heating pads and ice packs! Second, the $25 extra for the canister bracket and bolts is not excessive. That's all heavy duty materials, shaped properly.

I also use my hitch for bikes. For this function, a 2" hitch is the much better choice (over 1-1/4"). The bike carriers designed for the 2" hitches are much more stable, and sometimes even lighter as they can be made from aluminum rather than steel. My Kuat Sherpa 2.0 weighs 30 lbs. - expensive, but brilliantly designed.
 
#10 ·
I signed up to this forum to first off thank those that posted their experience with the Draw Tite hitch, and secondly to post a tip that would have saved me a couple hours. On my van at least, a 2019 Hybrid, there's a metal divider in the frame tube that you run the fish wire and screw through. I've done a couple of hitches, and this part of the process is always fun and simple, BUT with this divider, my screws got stuck on 3 of 4 of them (there are 3 on each side, two that need to make it past the divider) and I ultimately "lost" a screw in the chassis and had to remove the bumper to retrieve it.

If you install this hitch, you should be able to "see" if you have the divider by looking through the small holes in the bottom of the frame. Again I'm not sure if this is on some, or all Pacificas, and I just had the bad luck of getting stuck as it looks simple in the video. If you do have the divider, make sure you run the fish line on the "inboard" (e.g. closer to the center of the vehicle) side of the chassis tube otherwise you risk getting "stuck."

This was definitely a "intermediate" difficulty versus other hitches I've done. If the bolts hadn't become stuck it would have been much easier. If you do get "stuck," it's relatively straightforward although time consuming to remove the bumper and retrieve your bolts and just install without the fish line.

Here's the stuck bolt:

43716



And here's a slightly better shot of the metal "bolt eater:"

43717


And the bumper removed. If you google around for the factory hitch instructions those provide details on removing the bumper. You'll need a Torx screwdriver (T25 if memory serves) and some patience. Those two rectangular holes are where the bumper attaches and where you put the bolts for the hitch:

43718


Once on it looks good, but a bit more "nuanced" project that it might appear in the videos.

Good luck and hope this tip saves someone else the hours I spent trying to fish bolts and pulling apart the bumper!
 
#19 ·
If you install this hitch, you should be able to "see" if you have the divider by looking through the small holes in the bottom of the frame. Again I'm not sure if this is on some, or all Pacificas, and I just had the bad luck of getting stuck as it looks simple in the video. If you do have the divider, make sure you run the fish line on the "inboard" (e.g. closer to the center of the vehicle) side of the chassis tube otherwise you risk getting "stuck."

Here's the stuck bolt:

View attachment 43716
Hi Slappy, thanks for posting this information. But from your picture of the stuck bolt (which appears to be the passenger side), it appears the additional divider is on the inboard of the frame rail. Shouldn't you be running the fish line on the outboard (away from the center of the van) in order to clear the divider?
 
#11 ·
I was "chicken" so I let a shop with hitch experience do it. He took less than an hour, and did not remove the bumper. The charge was $90 with no wiring involved. Same Draw-Tite hitch.
 
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#13 ·
We don't have the kick sensor option so nothing to report there. The factory hitch did mention a kit to relocate the kick sensor, so that might be an option. I did look at the factory hitch, and while it looks more robust, it's also significantly more expensive since it replaces the bumper, lower fascia, and relocates the kick sensor. Not sure if it will play nicely with the hybrid since there's a carbon canister, and it may hit the metal "bolt eaters" in the picture.

No scraping although we've only had the hitch on for a couple days at this point. Note I'm not planning on towing anything ever, this is strictly for a bicycle rack (1upUSA rack).
 
#17 ·
My kick sensor works.
 
#22 ·
1upUSA. It’s expensive, heavy, and never goes on sale, but it’s built like a tank and I’ve had mine for about 17 years (adding additional bike carriers as our family grew) and it still looks new. All robust hardware so no rust or corrosion. It’s definitely in the “buy once, cry once” category.
 
#26 ·
Five bikes is a tough call. If you can put one inside, that's the answer. Cheap racks bounce too much. Never consider using a 1-1/4" hitch. They really do flex too much.
 
#27 ·
Got the hitch installed. Installation didn't take long at all. The toughest part was torquing all the bolts to spec since I did not have a lift....was only using ramps. One thing that surprised me though...I thought all hybrids have this grounding point....mine did not. I have a Touring L. Is this an issue?
 

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