Trailer Hitch Installation

I'll get back with some pictures soon , seems like old man winter decided to dump some of the white stuff on us this morning and I'm not too keen on crawling around in it

I was wrong about the L bracket it does go on the Right hand side.


Had a chance to get some more pictures done, About as good as I can with out a full lift.
I indicated what I believe to be the mounting bolt locations. Keep in mind I personally did not install the hitch.

More details here slide - show link again.
http://s211.photobucket.com/user/Sandange/slideshow/miev/I Miev Trailer Hitch

Hope this clears thing up.

Thanks for taking the time to take the new pics. Interesting how they have attached part of the hitch to the panhard rod mount on the left hand side, I wasn't expecting that .

From the look of it the main forward bolt location points I could use the same on the Asian model but our chassis rails end shortly after that location and we dont have the plates on the end of the chassis rails where they have attached the two small bolts each side.

Our bumper is a very light weight hollow plastic job with just two thin strips of steel holding it place (different set of regulations over here)

Pic under our Asian model Imiev


Comparing that to the US model .


from the other side


Anyhow It was handy to see how they went about it and I am sure I will come up with something for the sian style Imiev.

Kurt

Good luck with your design.
Do share some pictures with your version for the Asian models , might be of help to some of our forum members here.
Sandy

any one try this on a EU i-miev?
have a ION from denmark (live in norrway)
gues i have to take a look bellow and see how thing is under the "hood"

I bought one of those Tork Lift hitches when they had their super-sale at the end of last year and am about to crawl under the car and install it just to see how it fits and to see how long an installation would take on a recurring basis, as I then will probably take it off until I *really* need it.

For those who have done it, where's the best place to tap into the wiring?

Sorry Joe didn't do the wiring myself but here is where the wiring was tucked away.

Sandy, thank you for that wiring photo. That's certainly a very good place to store the long pigtail and when using it simply bring the wire out under the hatch. I'm curious where the other end of that pigtail terminates?

Installed the Tork Lift hitch reciever yesterday. It's a very well made product certainly good quality and attention to detail.

I weighed the whole thing including bolts etc. at 41 lbs. Not too bad but heavier than optimum. Better nice and strong IMO. Install was straight forward but not easy by myself and without a lift. After spending the afternoon on the garage floor lifting and wrenching I felt like I had been mugged when I got up this morning. Aging sucks plain and simple! Glad I did it myself even though. You just can't get stellar workmanship on YOUR stuff anywhere but alone in your own garage! I was able to take extra steps to insure nary a scratch to the frame and under carriage of the car. Ten years from now there won't be a whit of additional corrosion on the vehicle due to the hitch reciever install.

I intend to use it mostly for platform type hauling. Bikes mostly but I do intend to have a custom trailer by next summer or so. My informal towing rules for small cars are to not exceed the GVW of the vehicle including hitch, trailer and load. It's a bit conservative but a good rule of thumb. As for drive train wear and tear. That's all in the drivers hands. You can certainly impart less wear and tear driving with a loaded trailer, than without one if you want to.

Aerowhatt

Aerowhatt said:

Installed the Tork Lift hitch reciever yesterday... After spending the afternoon on the garage floor lifting and wrenching I felt like I had been mugged when I got up this morning. Aging sucks plain and simple! Glad I did it myself even though. You just can't get stellar workmanship on YOUR stuff anywhere but alone in your own garage! I was able to take extra steps to insure nary a scratch to the frame and under carriage of the car. Ten years from now there won't be a whit of additional corrosion on the vehicle due to the hitch reciever install. ...

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I, too, spent a part of yesterday afternoon installing my Tork Lift hitch. Share your observations ... wasn't it Danny Glover who said "I'm getting too old for this!"? Nevertheless, Jazzercise four days a week and swimming daily is still keeping me limber, and it is satisfying to know that the job was done 'right'.

Some observations:

1. Tork Lift hitch is a solid piece of work. As the British would say, "it's rather Agricultural". Coming from a culture of designing for aircraft where weight is critical, I bemoan putting this overbuilt piece of gear onto our refined (for weight) little i-MiEV. I can't fault Tork Lift for this, as they have no control over what us turkey consumers will do with their product.

2. I had hoped to be able to install and remove the hitch only for the times I needed it; unfortunately, it is not a five-minute effort, especially single-handed. Let the record show that my wife helped out holding the darn thing up - induced her to assist by allowing how great it would be for toning her arms.

3. The written assembly procedure and parts list needs a little tweaking - I will send that to Tork Lift directly. Nothing major, but do have a serious 1/2" drill bit to tidy up one of the parts (in my case), a 1/2" internal tooth washer which was missing from the parts list, and plan ahead as you're doing the installation.

4. I really liked their little spring gadgets for feeding bolts through holes in channels. Two little tools that come with the hitch that I'm sure I'll use in the future.

5. It is a nice neat flush-mounted installation. Looks good and won't catch on anything.

6. It will have to be removed if someone wants to remove the rear bumper as it covers one of the fasteners for the bumper.

After my drive this morning I thankfully barely detected any difference in the car's handling on our dry roads. Perhaps a touch of oversteer from what I normally consider a neutral stance?

For myself, I intend to complete the wiring for a trailer connector, but will probably remove the hitch until there comes a time that my primary tow vehicle (Isuzu Trooper) becomes a guilt trip for lightweight loads.

Here's a load just right for the i-MiEV - my SeaCycle pedal-powered catamaran:



Yes I can, Yes I can, …

JoeS said:

Yes I can, Yes I can, …

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Now That's Ambitious!

that Sea Cycle looks fun - does it have propellers, or does it have the flipper/paddle things that Hobie use in their pedal powered kayaks?

misterbleepy said:

that Sea Cycle looks fun - does it have propellers, or does it have the flipper/paddle things that Hobie use in their pedal powered kayaks?

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Propellers, just like an outboard motor, pedal-powered like a bicycle, one for each person. http://www.sea-cycle.com/ Used it very heavily and it made a wonderful dinghy for my catamaran when cruising for seven years. Oops, really off-topic - PM me if you want more info.

Back on-topic, I sent Tork Lift Central an errata on their instructions and also suggested that they make the hitch out of aluminum. 41# back there is just too much for our little i-MiEV to carry around all the time, IMO.

JoeS said:

I sent Tork Lift Central an errata on their instructions and also suggested that they make the hitch out of aluminum. 41# back there is just too much for our little i-MiEV to carry around all the time, IMO.

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I'm not sure it would make that much difference. Looking at hitch receiver cargo platforms. For identical size and design from the same manufacturing company the Aluminum version weighed 28lbs Vs 34lbs for steel. A 21 % increase for the steel. You have to go with heavier gauge stock when making something like this out of aluminum which negates some of the weight advantage. Presumably a Torklift aluminum hitch would weigh 34lbs or 7lbs less. Sure weight matters, and weight distribution matters but IMO 1.5% increase in Vehicle weight is negligible no matter where it is placed. On a sports car for sure, my old triumph spitfire would have noticeably more oversteer when the gas tank wasn't full.

Aerowhatt

JoeS said:

Oops, really off-topic - PM me if you want more info.

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ta for the link, and well done for keeping a steady hand on the tiller to maintain this thread's heading

Aerowhatt said:

JoeS said:

I sent Tork Lift Central an errata on their instructions and also suggested that they make the hitch out of aluminum. 41# back there is just too much for our little i-MiEV to carry around all the time, IMO.

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I'm not sure it would make that much difference...

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Aerowhatt, this Tork Lift Central hitch is significantly overbuilt IMO and is rated "2,000 lbs Weight Carrying / 200 lbs Tongue Weight", in keeping with how they normally build hitches (which includes a safety margin as well). All other things being equal, I would be happy with 1/3 the load-carrying specs for 1/3 the weight, as I don't think any of us will be approaching the hitch's limits, no matter what my photo shows Incidentally, I believe the Tongue Weight limit is determined by the shear strength of the attachment at the car, rather than the hitch itself. BTW, I did receive feedback from Tork Lift Central that they are considering Aluminum; pity there are so few of us to give them a lot of business.

Aerowhatt said:

Sure weight matters, and weight distribution matters but IMO 1.5% increase in Vehicle weight is negligible no matter where it is placed. On a sports car for sure...

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That weight is at the extreme aft end of the car and I really won't know its effect until the next rain (October?); some of us throw our little i-MiEV around like a sports car. Many moons ago I sacrilegiously put a hitch on my Austin Healey 3000 (yes, to tow my first boat) and, indeed, it was noticeable.

Count me in for the 1/3-load (600 lbs?) rated aluminum version--i'll even commit to buy 3 of them and give them to my local miev-gang members if necessary.

JoeS said:

That weight is at the extreme aft end of the car and I really won't know its effect until the next rain (October?); some of us throw our little i-MiEV around like a sports car. Many moons ago I sacrilegiously put a hitch on my Austin Healey 3000 (yes, to tow my first boat) and, indeed, it was noticeable.

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Sports car, or more extreme, a race car, slight changes in balance, suspension and tire pressure (1 PSI at a time) make the difference between winning or not. I won't quibble that. And I agree that the hitch is overbuilt for what the i-MiEV should tow. But Personally I'm fine with 41 lbs at the back of the car. It's not a sports car or race car, for me it's a work horse and clean, fun transportation. Companies like tork lift can't build a hitch just for what the i should tow. They are required to fall into a class and be rated thusly. The Hitch that we both installed on our i-MiEV's is a class 1 the lightest duty hitch sold in north america. I hope that you find the inevitable change in handling acceptable when it does rain. So far I can't tell it's back there. But you have far more miles in this car than I do, so I'll defer to your impressions once you do get an opportunity on a wet road.

Aerowhatt

Any idea if this will fit an European 2011 model iMiev?
I am looking for the hitch to carry my bicycle.
I know that the dimensions on US and European iMiev are slightly different, but do not know if this also apply to where the hitch will be mounted

JoeS said:

Aerowhatt, this Tork Lift Central hitch is significantly overbuilt IMO and is rated "2,000 lbs Weight Carrying / 200 lbs Tongue Weight", in keeping with how they normally build hitches (which includes a safety margin as well). All other things being equal, I would be happy with 1/3 the load-carrying specs for 1/3 the weight, as I don't think any of us will be approaching the hitch's limits, no matter what my photo shows

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I think this 11 pound 'solution' would be more than adequate for most of us . . . . LOTS cheaper too!
http://myimiev.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=2344&p=18912&hilit=trailer+hitch#p18912

Don